Linksmu Kalėdu! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! I know, one day late, but it's the thought that counts ;)

I will be in Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia for New Years with some friends, and I am so excited. It was a last minute plan, but it has worked out so that our hotels are confirmed and we have tickets for the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki! I have been and am going to take tons of pictures, so I will post them when I get back next week.

One Baby Blizzard Please

Unbelievable. The weather forcast for the next 10 days is "mild and clear" or "mostly sunny, perhaps light showers in the evening" - what kind of white Christmas is that? All the Lithuanians credit my wishes for snow for the good weather, but I do hope I can do a little snow dance and appeal to the pagan Lithuanian gods of winter for a baby blizzard on Christmas ;)

Other than that, I've been doing work as usual, catching friends in between exams to say hello and wish them luck and sleep, as most of them look like zombies at this point. The exam week started on Saturday and continues until Wednesday, so there was no weekend in between to help relax everyone...Also, I've started handing out Christmas presents much to my delight, as they've been sitting on my dresser all wrapped and pretty for a while now and it has been killing me not to give them away. I received a big box of chocolates from my 'secret friend' today, along with cards from my mother and grandparents, so today was a lucky present day :)

I've also been hitting the books (book, really...) with my Lithuanian studying...I've got to get better at saying things outloud and get over the 'oh but I'll surely make a mistake and sound dumb' mentality, as I won't ever get any better if I don't speak up. So there...if you talk to me, bug me about speaking in Lithuanian, as it will keep me accountable!

I feel so lame for not posting any relatively new photos, but I just haven't taken any lately and Chad didn't send me any from the Christmas program. I promise, I'll get some more from my family's visit up soon! I've got to take a few more around here before all the study abroads ship off, so those will go up too! Last night a few of us went out with some study abroads for one last El Dorado pizza, which was fun and weird, because now I know how the LCC students feel when study abroad students come and go so soon. It feels like they should be coming back next semester. That they're only going home for Christmas and then showing up for classes again in January. But they're not. New Amerikans (and Kanadians) will be coming...

Special Delivery

LCC's annual Christmas pageant was this weekend, and I was helping the director with various tasks and then stayed to watch the program both nights. It was about an hour and a half and very well done, with a bell choir, brass instruments, a choir, dancers, actors and a big straw horse that Mary rode in on. I have several pictures coming vicariously from other people that I will post as soon as I get them :)

Also this week was the end of the Angel Tree project which included a food drive for the first time this year. Three LCC student life departments worked together to get presents for eighty needy children in Klaipeda, and food for their respective forty-five households. We split into three groups and went out to deliver the gifts and food yesterday, and I was touched by the genuine gratefullness of the families as they received the unexpected presents - hopefully it was a small light of surprise happiness on an otherwise ordinary day. This year went so smoothly, I hope the volunteer program (SEEDS) can continue this tradition in years to come to give the families something to share as a group rather than just the children have something to enjoy.

The academic finals week is coming up...so my student friends are busy busy busy with final papers and studying for the exams. I so look forward to Christmas...and handing out everyone's gifts!! I'm such a nerd :)

Quieting Down

Amazing. It's almost going to be a week without the fam here, and it feels weird. Routine is routine again, and yet I still expect to be able to walk over to the hotel where my parents were staying and see them, or wake up and have Sara be there. Not for another few months, I'm afraid! It's okay though, the visit was great and I now have something to look forward to next year.

Speaking of next year...that must mean Christmas is coming! I am so looking forward to taking a long break and having a true Lithuanian Christmas holiday! I've been wrapping presents and making a list of what I still need to get for whom. The guys are the hardest to buy for, because what do they want/need? Underwear? I would totally get some as a gag/practical gift for the guys I know...but apparently it's as scandalous as a guy getting a girl who's not his girlfriend lingerie here...so I'm going to pass on the underwear idea ;)

The break begins December 20...so essentially very, very soon! I have no idea what I'm doing for New Year's yet...perhaps Riga? Somewhere other than Klaipeda, hopefully...

Not a lot to report...the Christmas program at LCC is coming together nicely. I helped out with the practice of it today, and will be assisting the director of the pageant as much as I can during the actual performances this weekend. The lights are lit in Klaipeda, including a huge blue and white decked Christmas tree downtown. It's gorgeous! Alas, no snow yet though...which is very odd and I better get a white Christmas in Lithuania!! mew!