Labas!

That means "hello" in Lithuanian :)

I am safe and sound in Lithuania, currently going through orientation. Unfortunately, it's rained everyday thus far. Here's a daily breakdown of my week:

MONDAY

I began the traveling portion of my adventure! Not much to report, but I did get to watch Despicable Me 2 on the plane! To the left is a gorgeous sunrise above Germany.

TUESDAY

I arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, along with about 15 other Americans. We traveled to our hostel and then broke into two groups

to tour the city, led by study abroad interns.

Sights:

• Russian Orthodox Monastery--Females must cover their heads.

• The balcony from which Pope Jean Paul preached in 1993 when Lithuania was declared a Catholic nation.

• A castle on a hill--Lithuania was formed around this castle; it's the heart of the city.

We then spent a while in a coffee shop chatting about Lithuania in general and getting to know each other. We were treated to a traditional Lithuanian dinner that consisted of three different preparations of potatoes. I tried everything, surprisingly, and most of it was tasty. There was one not so tasty drink that was made by letting bread, sugar, and yeast soak for a while. And then I finally got to sleep!

WEDNESDAY

More sightseeing!

• We visited another Russian Orthodox church and witnessed a priest chanting something.

• We visited three Roman Catholic churches. They were all gorgeous! Also, 90% of the population is Catholic, so I'm sure I'll be seeing more.

• We climbed a ridiculous amount of stairs to view the city and the "three crosses".  All the buildings in Vilnius have red roofs except the president's palace. Her roof is green, which causes some tension.

• We entered the artsy district. Interesting fact: When people get married, the couple places a lock, generally with their names, on a bridge. We saw this a lot, but especially in the artsy district. I think the locks are removed occasionally because they get too heavy for certain bridges.

• We toured the KGB museum. The KGB were the secret police of Lithuania when Russia invaded. The museum was built in the old KGB building. The basement was used as a prison during the interrogation period for certain select "criminals". It was redone to be as authentic as possible based on survivors' testimonies. We viewed holding chambers, cells, interrogation rooms, various torture rooms, an isolation room, and the execution chamber. Other floors of the museum displayed recovered items and provided more information on anti-Soviet groups, the KGB, deployment, labor camps, and the social impacts of WWII in general.

• We saw the exterior of the president's palace. Lithuanian architecture is cool.

• We saw the miracle/wishing stone/square. You spin around 7 times and then make a wish. Over a million people did this during WWII to wish for freedom and it happened!

Other fun facts from the day:

• I had Lithuanian pizza. Not bad!

• I completed my first grocery shopping trip to buy a water bottle and an orange :)

• I'm pretty sure I looked pathetic when I went to McDonald's and attempted to order ice cream and then had no idea how to pay with the coins in my wallet. I'm so thankful people here speak English and will help me.

• I managed to find my way back to my hostel without the help of our intern!

• My hair and my coat caught on fire. Don't worry, I'm good. My coat is still usable. I'm just super nervous around any flame source now!

• Shortly after, an elderly woman fell into me and then rolled into the street. I sure hope this isn't setting a precedent for the rest of the trip...

• I visited a tea shop. There are cafes and coffee shops everywhere! This could be bad for my affinity for drinking tea...

THURSDAY

I visited a castle from the 14th century! The ruins were reconstructed and turned into a museum. Unfortunately, I couldn't read much of anything, so I just admired the beauty and delicacy of artifacts from that time period. 

There are many more pictures in the photo stream listed at the top of the page.

I feel like I'm finally getting to know people! It was fun to tour the castle with a few girls. At our hostel, I was placed in a room with two other Emma's and an Emily. Emma isn't a popular name, so it's weird for there to be so many! (One girl asked if she could call me Anna Kendrick because I look like her) Some of the guys get a kick out of calling "Emma" just to watch us all respond...

I also arrived in Klaipeda and moved into my dorm room! Unfortunately, the program was larger than usual this semester and many study abroad students have to live with each other instead of with European roommates, as I was anticipating. So far, I like my roommates. One girl is from Germany and organized to study abroad on her own (called free exchange). The other girl goes to Taylor University.

I went to the grocery store again and made my own food for dinner. I enjoy cooking, so that was nice! I also got to try my first bit of European chocolate. This stuff is amazing!! Actually, I tried to order hot chocolate at a cafe that afternoon and I received a cup of hot fudge. I wasn't too thrilled, but at least I'm learning!

FRIDAY 

Klaipeda orientation! We toured the college this morning. I'm spoiled this semester with my dorm being a 30 second walk from the only academic building. I guess walking to the grocery store and cafes will make up for it. I'm pretty excited for all the walking around town!

Our study abroad interns made dinner. Yummy. I'm still getting adjusted to eating food here, as it's very different from American food. Even if I don't like all of it, at least I'm trying everything. I look forward to seeing and tasting the different dishes prepared by students from all across Europe!

Thanks for enduring this lengthy post! I've been quite excited about the history I've been learning. I'm adapting, slowly but surely. I wanted a cultural experience, and I'm certainly getting that! It's definitely weird to be in a place where English is not the native language. I get excited when I can recognize words. Lithuanian is written phonetically, unlike English; if you can learn the pronunciation of the 40+ different characters, it's quite easy to speak. Sometimes I can translate words by attempting to speak them and comparing them to English sounds.

Oh, one last thing. By Thursday morning (48 hours in), I was dubbed "the one things happen to." I'm glad to see my reputation has followed me to Europe.

Blessings!

Iki pasimatymo,

Emma