The First Few Days...

The last couple of days have been a combination of training, getting to know the other summer faculty and staff, and orienting myself to the university and surrounding areas in Klaipeda. Thus far, my experience has been very exciting and positive. However, I'm ready to get students here on Sat. and start the summer term next week.

Here are a few things I've learned in the last couple of days:

1. I absolutely love other cultures. There is so much to learn from those who are different from you. You also realize you have much more in common with other peoples than what you thought. After all, we're all human.

2. There isn't much food I don't like, and Lithuanian food* falls in the 'like' category.

3. Completing even the smallest tasks in another culture is a very rewarding feeling. Tuesday, I went to the grocery store all by myself** and got a lot of food. I achieved my goal of not speaking a word of English the whole time***. It was fun and provided a great sense of accomplishment. I was reminded of the Dominican a little bit b/c of the feeling I got.

4. Lithuania is an increasingly developing country, but there is still this blanket that kind of covers it, holding it back if you will. The best word that captures it is probably hopelessness. It obviously stems from a skewed worldview, but it affects the day to day pragmatic approach to life that people take. There are definitely many layers to unravel before you get to the underlying worldview with the Lithuanian people, and I suspect I will encounter this a lot with my students.

5. Old****, spunky people are fun to be around.

6. My time here is going to fly, but I'll try to update this as much as possible.

Keep praying for me when you think about it.


*Lithuanian food is very cheap, especially at restaurants, and I've taken full advantage of that fact. I may be coming back a few pounds heavier. Right now I'm making myself dinner consisting of deli sandwiches and cepilinai.

**Of course I had a couple cheat sheets with me to ensure I was getting pork instead of eel, or milk instead of sour milk, but that's beside the point

***Granted, I didn't speak at all, but still... it's something right?

****Is that PC?