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!

Family Fun

I know, I know...I've been slacking in the posting department. Well, the family is here! I have been having so much fun with them - we've gone to Trakai castle and Vilnius and walked around Klaipeda and eaten out at wonderful places. Robert and Sara have been enjoying themselves...mostly when my friends are around and they have someone other than their siblings to talk to. Robert has enjoyed the drinking age and the local beer and the local ladies, but all in moderation of course. Sara has enjoyed the shoes and yet she's only bought one pair, and I have acquired two darling pair of boots. I will surely take pictures and post them at a later date ;)

Robert's Oakland A's hat is read as 'Ass' here and so he's getting looks from everyone cause he's wearing one of the only words some people know in English on his forehead. So funny. My family loves the food here, and we've had some amazing dishes so far. Surprisingly enough, the hotel my parents are staying at is just a 20 second walk from my front door, and it has an excellent kitchen...and it's always dead, so my friends and I will have to eat there sometimes.

We've enjoyed good weather for the most part, with only a day or two of rain...the sun is slowly coming out as I'm writing this, before we head out to Nida - a small fishing village on the Spit, where we will take a ferry to and drive up 60 km to reach. The fam leaves in two days, and it's weird to think they've been here and seen so much and spent so much time with me after not seeing them for several months, which makes me think of when I'll see them next...sometime next year...which is also weird. Mom has said that she is coming in the Spring if she can, which would be great if she can make it over here with Sara or whoever...I'm stealing all of their pictures so I can properly add to my photo album so everyone may partake of the pictage :)

Off for now - I'll write more later!!

The End of Break

Well folks, the Autumn Break is over. My days of sleeping in until forever and doing absolutely nothing productive are through. I've been reading my books and knitting and drinking lots of 3-in-1 coffee drinks...I am okay with the end though, as I am looking forward to getting back into the routine at work and interacting with people again! So many people went home, so I look forward to their return and hearing how they spent their week off.

The weather has taken a drastic turn for the 'different' and now snow is on-again-off-again the ground and in the air. It's pretty, and just cold enough to be brisk and lovely, not blustery and annoying...but those days are coming!

My family comes in less than two weeks...and I am so looking forward to it!! I have been talking about them non-stop to anyone who will listen! Also, I'm finally sending out postcards...so for those who have been wondering 'I wonder where my postcard is?' will finally get one. For those that want to send ME a postcard, I'd truly appreciate some snail mail - so write me a note (on here, email, etc) and I'll send you my address!!

It's snowing!

Sninga!! (It's snowing!) Not amazingly hard as of yet, but it's definitely coming down as snowflakes and not sleet. It's 2.38 am as I write this, and as I am unsure if it will stick in the morning, I took a picture of the snow stuck to the cars on my street. I kept hearing from everyone that the snow would not come until much later, but what a both pleasant and unpleasant surprise. As a creature from California, I'm unsure how my positive outlook on the cold and the snow will hold up as both things prevail for the months ahead. For now though, I'm thinking one thing: snow fight!!

Note: It did stick and it is still snowing this evening...it's beautiful and cold and makes me long for Christmas!! The picture is the current snowfall, with more photos of the snow added to my photo album on Yahoo.

All Saint's Holiday

This evening, after driving around for almost an hour to find an alternate route to the cemetery because the main road was blocked, I was able to see the Klaipeda cemetery alight with candles in honor of All Saint's Day. It was beautiful - the headstones had candles and flowers in front of them, and the moonlight was just soft enough to make it eerie to walk among the graves. It was also very, very cold - a whopping -12° C (11° F) with some snow predicted later tonight. For this reason, we were only there for a few minutes - long enough for me to snap some photos and enjoy the scenery before hopping back in the car and heading to El Dorado for pizza and coffee.

The week off is going well. I've spent time with friends and have been enjoying the Hallmark channel on television - quality English language entertainment ;) Also, my family comes to visit me in two weeks, which is going to be so very exciting. I can't wait to show my siblings Klaipeda and have them meet my dearest friends. Also, I finally get to show my parents what I do for LCC and have them see the school and take them to the new places I've discovered, etc. A good time will be had by all, I hope. I so look forward to it!

Apparently I'm Boring

I feel the need to write an update, even though not a lot is going on. Fall break begins tomorrow, which is exciting because I'm looking forward to a week of sleep and relaxation :) Tons of people are leaving Lithuania to go exciting places like Spain, Ukraine, the States, Latvia, Germany, etc...whilst I will be in my little flat allll by my lonesome. Chad will be around, so I've promised to help him study Lithuanian so we're both awesome in class the following week. I'm so proud of my progress with the language. As lame as it truly is in the big scheme of things, I was so proud that I was able to translate a paragraph for a student email announcement from Lithuanian into English. And, when I see movies in the theatre, I pay attention to the subtitles and am so pleased with myself as to how much I can recognize! My friends may address me in Lithuanian and I am able to understand them, though most of the time I have to answer in English because my confidence in speaking is not as high. I just have to get over it and start spouting off in Lithuanian, or I won't learn as quickly as I potentially could be...

The heat is going on today! I have a radiator in every room, so I'm hoping that the heat won't cost me a fortune, but if it means not walking around my house with a blanket on my shoulders like a cape, I'm looking forward to it! My bed is amazingly warm and comfortable, so there is no problem at night, as it's waking up that is so hard to do when I know that outside the world under my covers is cold :(

I need to go shopping this week as well, as I have only a handful of sweaters, and it's getting colder. Thrift store!! Also, my precious jeans I bought here last year are worn out, so I need new ones. Oh! A side not about that...Levi's is pronounced "Lehv-is' by Lithuanians, not 'Leev-eyes' like we say. The migration office lady last week giggled when she read my last name, as there are no 'w's in Lithuanian, and so they convert them to 'v's, so my name was Miss Levis and she laughed and said to her co-worker "Pavarde Levis!" and pronounced it like the jeans brand, which apparently was hilarious...

There and Back Again, a Latvian Tale

So yesterday I went to Liepaja, Latvia. I got a call from Regis and Ruta asking 'want to go to Latvia? bring your passport, we'll be there in 3 minutes' - so naturally I jumped up, grabbed my passport and threw on a coat. How could I pass up two more stamps on the pages of my passport? It took about a little over an hour to get there, we passed through customs and into Latvia...and I learned so much more about the difference between a study abroad's experience on a tour bus going to pre-determined places with money and what not and going with spontaneous Lithuanians in a car to a smaller city...

After we started driving in Liepaja, we thought we'd stop for tea at a pub somewhere...then we thought 'wait, we're in a different country, how are we going to pay for stuff?' - then we thought 'wait, chelsea has credit cards, perfect!' - so we stopped at kind of a rip-off of Hard Rock Cafe, where we had to pay .10 Latvian cents to use the restroom (that's $0.17) and extra for ketchup for our french fries, which took forever to come. All was well though, as the fries were good. We walked around a square with a church in it for a bit taking some pictures, and got back into the car cause it was freezing.

It was funny to read the signs, because some of it is familiar to me because of the similarity to Lithuanian words and so I was able to make some of them out. When we started driving home we discovered Latvians like their roads to turn right, and right only. I got to learn the meanings of the area's road signs though, so it was semi-helpful because they are different than the States' signs in visual appearance, but mean the same things. Overall, the trip was really fun because of the randomness and good company :)

Questions & Answers

Another relaxing weekend in Lithuania...but I must remark that talking to friends back home or here even, I am still confronted with "are you homesick yet?" and "why did you come back?" and I often have to think about how I feel about answering. I am not homesick because I talk to my friends and family almost every day online or via Skype, and I have friends here to make it easier to adjust. I wake up every morning and have to remember that I will not hear English when I step outside my door. On my way to the bus stop, I walk past signs in Lithuanian and people on their separate paths to work or wherever their day will take them.

I am in Lithuania...in Eastern Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean from my home country, in a distinct culture interacting with people from different countries every day. I love it here, for all the reasons I just mentioned. I have always yearned to live in Europe for some time, and my semester here last year was just not enough. If anything, it made me fall in love with the place and people I met and only made me want to come back more. It's only October, and I have lots of time left here, but I'm making sure to reflect on the time spent with friends and here in general.

On a side note, Ieva taught me how to make sushi and they turned out great! Smoked salmon, crab sticks, avacado & cucumber with sticky rice and seaweed...Mmm!

Cuteness Galore!

Finally! I have adorable sheets and pillows that now adorn my bed, making it more my own! The general feel of the apartment is browns/yellows/blues, so I went with a brown/cream color combo and oh do I feel so much better about looking at my bedroom. I got some other things like throw pillows and a fuzzy blanket and more candle holders and a lamp...so now the whole place is a tad more Chelsea :)

I'm so pleased and feel like my apartment is more mine than ever.

Rain, Violins and Spiritual Reflections

Rain rain rain is setting in...with winds and darker days...autumn is on its way and winter lurks behind...Beautiful to gaze at from my window and nice to walk in for pleasure, but when walking to the bus stop for work, it somehow does not feel as cozy :)

The Los Angeles Collaboration, which consists of two Azusa Pacific music professors, came to Klaipeda last week and treated the community to a free concert of piano and violin music. Alex Russell, the violin player, is Colby McLellan's cousin - so it was a funny coincidence to have him come to Lithuania while I am here. The concert was wonderful, with classical and modern pieces and many from the LCC and greater city community attended.

Also noteworthy this week were several spiritual discussions with my friends. There was no arguing or fighting involved, but discussion of disagreements, opinions, and beliefs about Christianity, spirituality and the Bible. One lasted several hours and was so interesting...I even pulled out my Christian doctrine & apologetics notes from my computer to back up points. It was so refreshing to have a conversation that was unthreatening to both parties, with critical thinking points brought up on both sides and ultimately intellectually challenging. I feel as if I am being made to think about what I believe and why I believe what I do, and that they are being challenged in the same manner - positively of course. Questions are asked and opinions are varied, but I have really enjoyed these talks because I feel like everyone is comfortable enough to say what they think and ask what they want, without feeling like anyone is completely disregarding their side. For example, tonight's topic was favorite Bible verses, and regardless of how founded anyone is in the Christian faith, each person had something to contribute. I'm sure things will come up again, and I look forward to it.

Tomorrow Rasa and I go to Lithuanian Linens & Things, JYSK, and get me a comforter...I'm cold!

Officially Official

I officially have cards! Like, business cards with my name and title and phone number on them! I had no idea they were coming so I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my mail box this morning at LCC...I've handed several out already :)

'Yes hello, I'm the Volunteer & Service Learning Coordinator. My card...'

Friday Once Again

Thank goodness it's Friday. I am looking forward to another relaxing weekend filled with sleep and rest. The weather is mellowing out, so I'm hoping to light some candles, maybe even burn some wood in my fireplace type thing and read the book I brought with me. My week was pretty run of the mill, with work and coffee and some rain showers. The week seems to have flown by though, and feels as if it were just Monday morning and yet it is Friday afternoon. And so September has run out, like sand in an hour glass...I always think hourglasses a bit paradoxal, as it looks like the sand will run out quickly from the speed of it falling and yet it takes however long it is supposed to take for the last grain of sand to fall. This is what September feels like. Like it flew by and did not fly by at the same time... Maybe I'm being too thoughtful today? I did not have a lot to do in the way of work today, so maybe I'm looking for a mind challenge :)

That's a little hedgehog that Rasa saw near the dorm and was able to snap a photo or two of...so cute! I haven't seen one yet, but now I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for the little guys.

I must start eating breakfast, as I get hungry so early in the day and with three basic choices for lunch (Michaelsen cafeteria, IKI the grocery store and a small cafe near the school) the lunches I do end up having are far from inspiring. I get the same thing at the cafe near school if I go (chicken cutlet) and always end up buying one of a handful of combinations of food from the grocery store (peach yogurt drink, a pastry and maybe some cheese) and Michaelsen cafeteria is only okay...Also, I thought the milk tasted like string cheese when I first had it here last year, and again this year upon initial drinkage, but now I LIKE IT. And this sour milk 'kefyras' is growing on me as well. I never thought I'd actually grow to like either thing, and lo and behold - I do. Oh Lithuania, the strange things you make me like :)

Anyway, I'll try to be a more interesting person so I have more things to report, but for now life is life is life!

Visitor Map

So here's this map thing that is supposedly supposed to track the location of the visitors to my blog...so I guess if it works, I get to see where people are reading and where they're not!

You are now marked on my profile visitor map!

Nothing Noteworthy

It is Tuesday afternoon, I'm finishing up at work and have nothing awfully exciting to report. Typical two work days, administrative duties are piling up and my volunteers are on the ball with reporting their hours! I had a really fun weekend, just relaxing and enjoying the unusually nice weather. I even got to convert a Lithuanian to a Harry Potter nerd! Go Slytherin! I did get my vacuum and some awesome speakers (both of which have been claimed if I 'don't take them home with me'), but was unable to find suitable bedding at Maxima (like Walmart) and so I have to go to a nicer place to find the size I need for my 'huge' double bed. I felt so much better after vacuuming my apartment, as there were no more families of dust bunnies living in the corners and my rugs look nice again. I have yet to make my apartment as cute as I want it to be, though - I have got to get a nice cheap vase for flowers and some picture frames for the photos I brought from home. I'm surprisingly not homesick yet, as I get to talk to my family, Travis and friends all the time, which helps as a loneliness-killer. Some friends and I decided that we will have a 'Mexican Night' at my house sometime soon over a weekend, with nachos and burritos and the like...should be fun hunting for those items at Lithuanian grocery stores, but I look forward to coordinating that and having people over. I have a Mexican cookbook, so hopefully something will turn out yummy :)

Oh, and my apartment is in the direct vicinity of the following three buildings: the wedding palace, the psychiatric hospital and a funeral parlor...so, as my Mom put it "I can get married, go nuts and die in the same day, conveniently!" Nice location, right?

I guess that's all for now folks...Tune in next time when I might have more things to say!

Community Day!

My community day post is late, but here it is...Wednesday was Community Day at LCC, which means we had an opening assembly (where I sat on stage with staff/faculty, so weird!) and then a Mugė which means carnival or fair in Lithuanian. It was outside on the Michaelsen lawn where there were 'booths' from each department offering various carnivalish games and information on clubs, etc. There was a staff vs student tugowar which I participated in to the best of my weakie ability, and they beat us 2 out of 3 rounds. Then due to popular demand, more burgers were served like at Serve Day! This time there were no pickles, just cucumbers and 'marinated onions' for topping - but I wasn't in charge so I was glad I didn't have to worry about food for 600 people! I was on the decoration committee, so I bought tons of balloons and ribbon and put them up so the area looked fair-like. There are some photos posted of the event in my photo album.

Other than that, my week has been busy as ever - pairing up student volunteers and faculty members as assistants, placing students into orphanages to spend time with children and so on. I'm so proud to be able to be helping the LCC community and the community of Klaipeda by providing helping hands where there are needs. I am glad it is Friday though, as the weekend will be a welcome break...

Birthdays on Patriot Day

Happy Birthday Dad! And Auntie Irene!

I've posted several new photos from this weekend's adventures, which consisted largely of enjoying the various cafes around Klaipeda, introducing Chad to the 12th Floor restaurant with a panoramic view of the city, participating in a leadership retreat on Saturday and enjoy friends' company.

I started to look into sheets and stuff for my bed to make it cute and homey, but apparently Lithuanians do not believe in fitted sheets, which is mildly annoying. I've got a list going of things I want for my apartment to make it more my own, so things like cute sheets and photo frames and a lamp (maybe) for my living room and a toothbrush holder and other home-ish things. I can't put anything on the walls, but there are already decent looking painting/prints on the walls that make it okay.

Work is back in full swing...I'm very busy with meetings all the time and doing things for the entire department, while trying to coordinate my volunteer program at the same time. Student Life will be hiring another student assistant to help cover the hours I won't be available to work at the desk, namely during lunch time so I can eat during the day and meet with students in the SEEDS program during that time. More updates to come, and check out the new pictures!

Meetings, The Frozen Section & A Manly Name

So the school week has begun! Students have arrived in droves, dressed to the nines for their first day of school on Monday. Guys came in full suits even! I wore a dress as part of my deal to dress up if Chad would dress up, so we represented Amerika in style. I have been attending meeting after meeting and doing loads of work. See picture of my 'office' workplace at your convenience. The "welcome" sign was my idea. It was so boring the first few weeks and now I'm swamped. Already students are asking me for volunteer opportunities and I haven't even met with my "student team leaders" yet (that meeting is tomorrow). I also attended my first Lithuanian language class for staff & faculty and took part in repeating things like "Mano vardas Chelsea" (my name is...) with about half a dozen older staff members, who were struggling with the š & č characters, but we all pulled through just fine. I do have a small foundation in the language, so it has been review for me so far, but I know that I will be learning proper grammar and pronunciation, which will help in conversations. Our homework is to figure out our name in Lithuanian, and mine is: Čelsė Liuis - which technically makes me a man thanks to the 's' ending of my last name. If I were an unmarried Lithuanian girl and my father's name was Liuis, my last name would be Liuisūtė and my mother's name would be Liuisienė. Complicated, right? I totally love it though and hope to be able to hold a conversation longer than 2 minutes upon completion of this class.

Also exciting in my life - I've discovered the frozen section of the grocery store. I did not have a working freezer in my fridge last year as a study abroad, so I never bought frozen stuff unless I was going to eat it right away. Well, upon shopping this evening for dinner, my companions suggested frozen crab cakes to compliment our frozen veggies...and with those two items and a rice a roni Mom sent me, our dinner was surprisingly delicious. I stupidly refused the offer of someone doing the dishes in exchange for dinner, and so now I have a sink full of dishes 'soaking' that will ultimately need doing quite quickly as I only have two plates and two bowls total. I will probably put those on my list of things to get for my little apartment - along with my badly needed vacuum. We didn't have carpet in the dorm last year, and so now these rugs are filling up with colorful bits of whatever...

It's late...so I'll finish this with a promise to update more often and that I'll be posting more pictures soon. I plan on taking my camera with me to school and snapping some photos of random goodness, so look for those soon!