fish

Over the past couple weeks, the spa has become a frequent in my life. When I say spa, facials and massages might first come to mind, but what I am actually referring to is the classic European spa. (Remember the big outdoor spa I went to in Budapest? They are like that but smaller and indoor.) They consist of steam saunas, dry saunas, a large hot pool, and hot tubs galore. My host family knows how to make the most of cold weather days and has taken us to two different spas the past two weekends. I could go everyday, it's just the best.

 

all snug in the van on our way to the spa!

Some other simply significant moment were:

Pazookie night. You know, a pazookie..half baked chocolate chip cookie with ice cream on top..more deliciousness then anything you'll ever eat...Well, one night I made a giant Pazookie for the family and I don't think I will ever forget their reaction. Chocolate chip cookies aren't really a thing here, so I am pretty sure their minds were literally blown when they tried this sweet combination. They loved it. (and that might be an understatement) Since then we have made it once again and I'm sure there will be many times to come.

The fish frenzy. I haven't eaten a single bite of seafood the entire time I have been here up until two weeks ago.
The first helping of fish happened when helping with dinner one night, my host mom pulled out some raw, salted, fish that I really didn't want to eat. It started out as bread with butter and a little bit of fish on top. I told myself it was like eating sushi, (which I am not a fan of) and it honestly wasn't half bad. Almost good. Then we began to make the casserole of all casseroles. The first layer was the fish, second was beets..a lot of beets, third was mayonnaise, and fourth was hard boiled egg. (Who comes up with this stuff?)  It is not a meal I would ever request for anyone..but I figured this is why I came to Lithuania. I wanted to have a new experience, in a new culture, and do things outside my comfort zone. Besides, they eat it and are alive and happy and I'm in no ways better then them... so I had even had seconds! With the potatoes on the side, it honestly was pretty good.

The event above is nothing compared to this next dinner. Their Grandmother's birthday was on Sunday, so we celebrated at our house. It was a very fun time full of lots of food, magic tricks, and some live entertainment. But what started this night off was something no one could have prepared me for. I knew that someone was bringing fish..but I had no idea that it was a monster fish, straight from the lake, with eyes, and teeth and everything still in tact. It was all a blur. We sat down, they started cutting away at the fish, and before I knew it, a big slice was sitting on my plate in front of me. I didn't even have the opportunity to say no, but like I said before, it was a moment where I thought, I'm here, this is happening, might as well embrace it. This time the fish had been cooked. It was quite tasty really. It had been gutted, cooked, made into a casserole of sorts and re stuffed. I will say I didn't eat the skin, but I reached a whole new level of brave that night. I guess you could say that eating that monster fish made me a whole new person. I never thought I'd be eating anything like that. But, life is all about the experiences we have, and that was definitely one to add to the list.

this guy is always making me laugh

my sistas...cup song practice

So there really aren't many dull moments here. Teaching has become harder to make myself do each day, but at the same time, I've grown a lot more attached to the kids. They really can drive me crazy, but they are also hilarious. Toma and Maya always make me feel like an artist when they ask if they can take my crafts home. Nikita is impossible and runs out of the class at least 3 times every 25 minute rotation, but he makes the funniest faces. Artiom is the biggest jokester I have ever encountered and his laugh kills me. Nikole loves Kung Fu and could tell you stories for days and days... I wish I could fast forward to the future and see what happens in all of their lives, but I'm grateful that I get to be apart of it for the small time that I am.

Only one month left and time is, for the most part, flying. I am excited to be back with friends and family for the holiday's but I sure will miss Europe and my family here.
Eat something weird this week! I love you all.

puppy love

First things first, meet my new best friend.

Real time. He's sitting with me now as I write this blog post.

We got a dog! Meet Pinkis. Also known as, pinky. (Sometimes we just get stuck with awful names I guess) This Wednesday I found out my host family was taking in a dog for a couple of months, and I just knew my life was changed forever. Pinky is such a chill dog, with the cutest ears and most hilarious teeth. We're already the best of friends, so really now how am I ever supposed to leave Lithuania?

the two cutest things you'll ever see

It was a slower week than usual which was a nice little break from all the adventuring. The weather was also pretty nice, a solid 55 sometimes close to 60 F. I spent one afternoon reading a book by this beautiful lake behind our apartment. I just have to recommend this book to everyone real quick. It's called Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer. I have already read all of the books that I brought out here, but one of the previous teachers left it here so I thought I'd give it a look. Seriously, haven't been able to put it down. There's a movie too that I have yet to watch, but the book is written so beautifully and has some rad thought. Check it out. Anyways, this lake is full of swans and lily pads and it is also the lake that I run around every morning with my host sister, host dad, and the newest runner, Pinky! Beautiful for real.

 

Teaching's been alright. Some kids drive me crazy, but they also make me laugh a lot. They love listening to music on my phone, and every time we do an activity involving food. so I guess you could say we all relate quite easily.

Yes, that IS a mop on her head

Helping me with lesson plans

This weekend we went to The Republic of Uzupis with our Lithuanian friend Luiza. Uzupis is a tiny Republic within Vilnius. It is the coolest little artsy, bohemian, area with sculptures and street art all around, complete with it's very own constitution. The constitution says things like, "Everyone has the right to love and take care of a cat." "Everyone has the right to realize his negligibility and magnificence." "Everyone has the right to cry." "Everyone has the right to understand." "Everyone has the right to understand nothing." (If you want to read the whole thing click here http://www.vug.lt/comenius-projektas/99-uupis-is-republic-in-republic- ) It's just all too great. We also climbed Gediminas tower, which is the last remaining part of the upper tower in Vilnius. It is basically the trademark of Vilnius, and at the top you can see all of Old Town on one side, and all of New Town on the other. So pretty, especially with the all of the changing trees.

My future home

Fall is pretty pretty

I live here.

So all is well in good old Lith. I'll leave you with the most prime picture of Pinkis' face, which also just about sums up how I constantly feel about my European life.

palanga

The four hours between 3:30 and 7:30 is the slowest, and fastest chunk of my day. I honestly never want to begin teaching, because the kids are exhausting and just full of so much energy. I mean, they have already been at school all day so I really can understand their struggle. But anyways, no matter how frustrating lessons are or how crazy the kids get, I am always in the best mood come 7:30. Obviously a lot of that has to do with being done teaching, but I also just feel so accomplished. I guess it's true that helping others really does make you happy. As far as the kids go, they are really quite hilarious, and so adorable. As I'm getting to know them better, I'm also developing my favorite students. (Since I'm not an actual professional teacher, I don't even feel bad saying that.) My favorite day so far was when we played musical chairs. Class started with a conversation about music. I cannot even explain how much every kid loves Gangnam Style and Lady Gaga. I'm like, what?? I'm always throwing Rihanna's name at them, just to give them a good influence. The rules of our game were, no pushing, no crying, and you must DANCE. Duhhhh! It was hilarious and brilliant. These kids are the epitome of joy. I love it.

BFFs -- My girl Toma

This Saturday we went to the sea! The Baltic Sea of course. Unreal. It was about a 5 hour drive to the coastal city of Palanga. We rented a van and were joined by Dima, our coordinator, and his family. First things first, we went to the pier. It was full of the coolest human beings, and the most ideal view of the sea. We went down to the shore to enjoy the softest of sand and to stick our feet in the cold water. Main street Palanga was full of delicious food and cool shops. We stumbled upon what looked like a Lithuanian Great Gatsby reenactment. For real, the movie soundtrack was playing in front of this huge abandoned house and people outside were dressed up in old costumes. Turns out it was the home of a very wealthy, Lithuanian family, and they were trying to replicate what it was like back in the day. They clearly lived a life of luxury.We strolled through Birute's Park, and then back to the beach of course. It was a lovely day.

Please don't judge my video editing. Just some clips of my day thrown together, so that a little bit of what I experienced can be felt by all.

On Sunday I turned 21. I still feel like I'm lying when I say that, because I feel like I'm 19. (and I look 16) The plan was to just treat it as any other day, but the other teachers got me a cake and the best chocolate. So before church I enjoyed cake for breakfast! Then at church we made our first real life Lithuanian friends. We even have tentative plans to hang out! Church was also just so great. Not because anything life changing was said, it just really made a difference in my day/mood/etc. After church I came home to balloons, and a lil present from my sweet host family. I realized my host mom figured out it was my birthday a few weeks ago when she was trying to figure out what my sign was. She's big into horoscopes and such. Anyways, they took me to Old Town, to a food festival, to an awesome park, and to wander the city. (Wandering is one of my favorite pastimes.) I couldn't help but play on the toys with my Lithuanian sisters. My host parents made the comment that even though I'm a year older, I still am a child on the inside. That was actually a very comforting thought. We went and watched the a basketball game and ate ice cream at an outdoor cafe, and then came home to a delicious dinner and cake! My Lithuanian family spoiled me for sure. It was honestly the perfect 21st Birthday. I'm so blessed.

I am always cold here. And it's getting colder so that means more and more spiders are moving in. On Sunday I learned that not only do I have spiders for roommates...but apparently there are rats too. NOT OK. The little cat was so kind to kill this rat for me on my bday. Even the host mom was freaked out by it. She was like, "it's a rat, usually they are small mice." NASTY.

 

Lithuanian is quickly becoming home. I am already stressed about having to say goodbye to this beautiful country and the incredible people in it. But I am trying not to think about that and to just enjoy every bit of it. Including my new favorite drank.

Nectar of the Gods

 I live with Spider man