Halfway Through Reflection

I was looking on my count down app that I used to count down to the days I had left on coming to Lithuania (it turned into a count up after the 'deadline' passed) and the number of days until my friends in the US graduate which also happens to be the last day of school for my school here. While looking at this realized that I have officially been here more days than the days I have left of school (I'm not going to say overall yet due to the fact that I have no idea what date I am going home but I have a feeling that I have less days left than I've been here as well). This is absolutely terrifying to me because my exchange is halfway completed and I really don't want to think about going home. It really doesn't feel like I have been here for five months (well almost five months, I still have one more day until I've been here officially for five months) and time has really flown by. Actually, reflecting on what time feels like it feels as though I have lived here all my life, life feels completely normal and I've actually kind of forgotten what was normal for me in the US because it feels so normal here. Anyways, as my exchange is halfway completed I believe it is important for me to reflect over the different lessons and things that I have learned here and to share them with you in order to show what sort of life lessons and things that exchange can teach a person.

Public Transport: I thought I'd start out with public transport because it has taught me a lot and I actually haven't really experienced the joy of riding public transport everyday in the US due to the fact that my town doesn't really have public transport (I think we have one bus that goes to the next town over but other than that, nothing). I could actually probably make a whole post on public transport come to think of it. This may or may not be comical and it id meant to be that way.

-If you're early then your bus is likely going to be late, if you're on time then your bus may also be on time but it may have been early (this is highly unlikely but it still happens) but more likely it will be late, however, if you're late then your bus was early or on time. Why? Because screw you. The lesson that this has taught me is to always plan ahead when you plan to use public transport and be prepared to account for your bus being early, on time, or late. Also, you can apply this to every day life by the fact that it's important to be early or  on time and to plan ahead in order to get opportunities or have people trust you more.

-There is no such thing as personal space so just deal with the fact that you're likely going to be made into a human sandwich sometimes. This has taught me to get over some of my personal space issues that I've had all my life and to deal with grumpy people who start yelling you at for no real reason other than the fact that your backpack is big. That's another thing, if you have a big bag you're going to have more space so carry a big backpack (I'm half kidding about this but it's true, you will have more space, trust me). It has also taught me to plan my day or social life after school on taking later buses in order to avoid going on these very crowed bus times. However, you just have to deal with it sometimes if you need to go home or get somewhere and that's okay. Just take a deep breath and remember that it will only last however long it takes for you to get where you need to go (or to the stop where the majority of the people get off if that's before your stop).

-Always keep your wallet in a pocket that would make it hard for someone to reach. This is especially important when it comes to traveling during the rush hour when the buses are crowded. When you're sandwiched between people it can be hard to feel someone opening your bag that you won't even notice them opening your bag and taking your wallet. Though I have never had this happen to me and I'm doing all I can to avoid it happening to me, I have been told and warned by my family and friends that it happens and to take precaution (just passing on the message).

-People can be intolerable, rude, upset, annoying, and many more but you shouldn't judge or take it personally because you don't know how their day has been and everybody has bad days. On the bright side you will probably never see them again, they will likely forgot about you, and you will probably forget about them also. Just smile, sigh, and try to be understanding.

-Be assertive and get on the bus, don't be polite and let other people go first because then you will never be able to get on. However, try not to push people because that's rude and they may get upset at you. When the bus comes, run to the front of the mob of people, wait for the people to get off the bus, then get on no matter what. It was very hard for me at first to take that initiative and people would basically push me around in order to get on though I was being polite and allowing them to go first. Also, if you're not on the bus first, you are highly unlikely to get a seat, be able to stand in a spot with space, and are more likely to become a human sandwich.  This has also taught me that in everyday life that if I want something I have to take initiative and not wait for other people to something before I do it.

Weather: Though I am from Oregon and the weather in Oregon is also quite bipolar, it seems to be even more so here. Also, I walk around more and use public transport so I'm outside a lot more than in the US. People have told me here that the weather in Lithuania is unpredictable and that it rains a lot. Even the name of the country in Lithuanian, Lietuva has the Lithuanian word for rain in it, lietus.

-The weather report is likely lying, don't trust it and be prepared for anything. There was one time that I checked my weather app to find that there was a 0 percent chance of it raining only to have it start down pouring on my way home from school, Needless to say I didn't have the proper clothing for a down pour and got drenched. Also, it may be warmer or colder than what it says (don't forget about the wind chill like I have multiple times here). It is important to dress for the worst however, I don't always do this because I like to be efficient and not suffer from being too hot (I'm a bad example, sorry). This also teaches that in life not all of the source you have may be correct therefore it is important to be prepared for anything.

People and Communication: Learning how to interact with people who are different from one comes with time and I have definitely learned the importance of communication while I've been here, how hard it can be at times especially with a language barrier, and how to try to make myself better at communicating as well as understanding other people.

-One thing to remember is that you shouldn't judge a person based off of how they act during one event or on just first impressions. Anything could be going on with them and you never know if something is bothering them or them and affecting how they are acting. Therefore, second chances are important and one should try to not judge a person right away. One should get to know that person first and then make their judgement as soon as they have given that person a chance. I learned this from spending time with my class. When I first met everyone I tried to keep an open mind and not judge anyone right away though it was hard. I was frustrated based off the fact that I felt as though they were quite immature and not very considerate to others. However, when I got to know the majority of them, I realized that they are pretty nice and fun to hang out with and or talk to.

-Just because a person can't speak your language, you shouldn't make fun of them or get angry at them, try to understand or find a way to understand. My experience with this is more memorable from my time in Argentina than it is in Lithuania. Getting off the plane and going through customs I was faced with a language barrier. The customs officer was trying to ask me the address that I was staying at but I didn't understand her at all. She then started to get frustrated and yelling at me. News flash, yelling at someone or talking louder doesn't make someone understand you more, it just makes them scared and not understand your intentions even more (as well as make the sleep deprived, slightly already terrified 15 year olds want to cry). Therefore, it is important to not get frustrated at the person and to try to help them to understand.

Cars: This one will be short. Basically I've learned to appreciate the U.S. citizen's ability to drive at the age of 16 as well as my parents being used to (as well as I being used to) driving me to the majority of my events. In Lithuania, one has to be 18 in order to get their licences and I don't believe that many young people around the city drive that much because of public transport. Therefore, I miss being able to drive (though I didn't really), riding with friends, and having access to cars more in general.

Exchange life/last remarks: Overall the exchange life has taught how to live with other people who don't speak my language as their first and who may be different from me, how to handle myself and actions that I take and to be responsible for them, how to deal with people in general that don't speak my language and how to try to communicate better with them without getting upset or frustrated, how to have the confidence to ask for help, favors, or for something in general, to take initiative, and I'm sure many more. These last five months have been both the hardest and most enjoyable/memorable of my life so far. I'm so glad to of had the opportunity to have grown this much through an exchange opportunity in only five months. I'm excited to see what the next five months bring as well as the lessons that I will learn and to be able to reflect again on my exchange year overall!

*If you have any questions about the lessons that I have learned and or want to learn more about how you can grow as a person through an exchange opportunity, feel free to contact me.

Holiday Break

Over the holidays I had the opportunity to travel a little with my host family. Though some of it seemed a little spontaneous, I'm so happy we were able to go and have fun. To start of four days of straight traveling around we went to Kaunas. Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania and was once the (temporary) capital of Lithuania. It is about in the center of Lithuania and only about 103 kilometers or 64 miles and takes about a hour and fifteen minutes to get to from Vilnius. We went because my host sister and father had a jump diving competition and they thought it would be nice to show me around at the same time. So we got up early (well, early for the break), packed up the car, and headed towards Kaunas. First we dropped off my host mother's mother at the bus station for her to go back her home in Klaipėda and then dropped my host father and sister off at the school in which they were competing at. My host mother and I then went  to the Old Town of Kaunas where she showed me some of the main attractions including where her and my host father got married, the town hall square, and the old president's house. Within the square was the Kaunas Christmas tree which changes each year and the next one's planning starts right after the current one is put up. This Christmas tree was interactive meaning that if you did something on an object, an ornament on the tree would move. In order to move the ballerina or to make her turn one had to say a poem or sing into a microphone. If you wanted to move the rocking horse you would have to get on the life one below the tree and rock it. In order to move the train's wheels you had to turn a lever. There was a bicycle in which you had to pedal on in order to move the owl's head. Finally, inside the tree there was a bird that if you put your hands on it and warmed it up some lights would turn on. My host mother and I had a lot of fun trying to figure all of these out and taking pictures.

Kauna's Christmas tree

After that we headed to the competition where my host father and sister were competing. They did quite well and received the second place award for their category. After the competition we met up with some of my host parent's dear friends and went to have food at Piano Piano (a pizzeria that is quite popular in Kaunas, they weren't even sure we'd be able to get sits there). After enjoying some pizza, we all headed back out the square to look at the tree in the dark in which it started snowing! This made me feel so wonderful because I love snow and we haven't really had any until now. We then said our goodbyes and headed home. 

The next day my host family and I went to Druskininkai, which is sort of a resort town, like the one we went to in the Czech Republic (please see that post for reference). My host mother told me that a good way to remember the city is that it has a salt lake and is basically the Salt Lake City of Lithuania (like that of Utah in the U.S.). A lot of people come to this city to relax and be pampered, including a lot of people from Russia. Some people even buy apartments there and rent them out sometimes. However, we didn't stay very long here and we didn't venture the city because that was not the objective of the trip. Our objective was to go to Druskininku Vandens Parkas, a water park. My host family and I had a lot of fun going on the different slides, swimming in the lazy river as well as the wave pool, and swimming in general. After spending a good three hours at the water park we went to get some good food at a nice burger place and then headed home.
The next morning we started our journey to Latvia and Estonia. Neither of these countries are quite far from Vilnius as they are neighboring countries of Lithuania. It only took us about four hours to get to Riga, Latvia which is about in the middle of Latvia, about 294 kilometer or 182 miles, right on the coast of the Baltic sea. Before we arrived in Riga we stopped at Cinemaville which was a movie set that for a basketball movie, a world war two movie, and are currently getting ready to film a movie about the only real 'king' of Lithuania (when Latvia and Lithuania shared the same country). We got to walk around the set and watch a group of people make a pretend movie. We had a lot of fun learning about how different scenes in movies look though it will sort of ruin watching movies for us. For example, some of the actors needed to ride in a trolley bus and in order to move it they had to connect it to a tractor. Our guide told us that it was typically how a lot of scenes like that were made. After spending around an hour there we got back into the car and headed towards Riga.  There we were able to see the Laima clock which is an old meeting place and also a very good brand of chocolates (though I can't judge that because I never tried it), the old town which looked quite similar to the Vilnius old town as well, and got to climb up St. Peter's church's tower. There I got to see the start of the night and the city lit up from the sky. After we finished viewing the city we headed back to the car and started the 4 hour drive up to Tallinn, Estonia. I really enjoyed my time in Riga though it was quite short and very cold (like 0-5 degree Fahrenheit, I learned what real cold was and am now very prepared for more cold to come). Overall I still had fun and would love to visit and spend more time in Riga again. 

Riga' Christmas tree

   The car ride to Estonia wasn't that long, I actually really enjoyed sitting in the car and seeing the Estonian countryside (even though it was dark and mostly forests). We arrived in Estonia around 11pm and went straight to bed. The morning we started our day a little early (well early for me because I was still on break and was very used to going to bed around 2am and getting up around 10am), around 8 am, had breakfast at the hotel, then headed out to explore the city. In Estonia we mostly walked around the old town. The Tallinn old town is actually quite different from Riga and Vilnius's, it looks quite bit more medieval and older than them. While in Tallinn I got to walk on the city wall which was built in the 13th century and completely surrounded the city. It is actually one of the most still intact old city walls in Europe as well as possibly the world. We also got to visit the oldest, still operating pharmacies which also had an exhibition for us to view about it's history and different old remedies such as dried hedgehogs and different herbs. We then got to try some roasted almonds that were quite typical as well. These almonds were roasted in sugar and a lot of different spice, everyone seemed to enjoy them. We tried to see one of the oldest working water toilets but the place wasn't allowing people to see it due to the cold weather/winter time. After that we walked around the old town a little bit more looking at the different shops, headed back towards the car to have some lunch at not very Estonian restaurant and then went to car to head back home to Vilnius.I really liked Tallinn, you could really feel the history throughout the town and it was super beautiful. Over all I am very grateful for the opportunity to travel with my host family some more and see other parts of Lithuania and the world.

Tallinn

Christmas

   Celebrating Christmas in Lithuania was truly something. The traditions were quite different from my own within my family but overall a great experience. To start off, much like the U.S., Christmas decorations at big stores, shopping center, and the like were put up/starting to be hold starting the day after Halloween (Halloween also isn't celebrated here as Halloween more of a U.S. holiday). The city was somewhat decorated in some parts but mostly within the Old Town. There was a Christmas tree in the cathedral square but other than that, compared to the U.S. at least in my town, the city decorated as much. Holiday music was played at the shopping centers but at least from my experience, barely any Christmas music was played on the radio. Holiday movies were also barely played and the main one that was played is the Home Alone series. Overall, the Christmas season didn't seem as forced as it is in U.S. but was still somewhat present and beautiful.

   Christmas is celebrated on the 24th and 25th of December. On the 24th, Christmas Eve, my host family and I weren't allowed by tradition to eat any meat or dairy products (or really anything at all in preparation for the feast to come that night). With that my host mother spent the majority of preparing many of the 12 dishes (we actually had more than 12) that we would have that night, all without meat or dairy. The dishes consisted a lot of different dishes from potato, fish, cabbage, beets, and other vegetable products. Our feast started in the evening when my host father's parents, my host mother's mother, and an aunt (I think she was an aunt of my host father but I'm not sure) came. We all then sat around the table and started the feast. The feast started off with the eating of the holy bread and then everything else. By tradition everyone had to eat at least 12 things as the 12 dishes represent the 12 apostles. I tried around 14-15 of the dishes/items we could eat which included the holy bread, herring with mushrooms, herring with carrots, two different catfish dishes, a beetroot, carrot, and potato salad that I helped make, a thick juice, a poppy seed 'dumpling (they looked like small empanadas), a grain patty, apple with honey, and a few other items that probably involved fish. It was a different taste of food than what I am used to but it was still very good. After we ate we talked for a little while and got notes from Santa. Then we all went to bed late in the evening.

Family photo before dinner

Dessert: Poppy seed milk soaked Christmas cookies

The table

Items that didn't fit on the table

 Christmas morning started later than mine at home (around 7 am) at 9 am when everyone started getting up and ready to open the presents/start the day. We started the day by having my host sister distribute the gifts to everyone and then everyone opening their's at once. We all opened and admired our gift thanking each other and Santa. After that we had a breakfast of the leftover food from the night before (I had yogurt and granola instead) and then decided to go into the city for a walk. It was raining some but we weren't going to let that stop us. We went into the Old Town, saw the Christmas tree, walked near my school, to the Gates of Dawn, and then back up the street to car. It was very nice to get out of the house but still spend time with my host family and their extended family.

The Christmas tree and I

The Christmas tree in the cathedral square

After getting home from our walk my host mother began the preparation for the dinner and everyone else went their separate ways talking with each other, playing with their friends, or watching a series or movie. Around 4 my host mother called us all to dinner where we had a feast of duck, potatoes, the food from the feast the previous night, and chocolate cake. We then sat around and talked some more and then people started leaving and my first Christmas away from home was over. I was very happy to spend it with my host family and to of had the experience. It was different from my own traditions which was a nice change. Now I can combine both traditions for next Christmas!