[insert your life here]

First things first:

Who sent me TOAST in a ziplock bag via the US Postal Service to an address I don't even live at for the next four months?!!!!

whoever you are... you are my hero for the rest of the month of January! I only wish I was home to eat the toast and thank you in person.

Second things second:

I wrote an e-mail to James and realized while writing it that it was a good synopsis of my day so instead of writing it all out again, I cut and pasted and edited the e-mail and here it is in all of it's raw excitement. enjoy!


So... what to write about? the amazing life of eastern Europe or the obscurity of realizing I really did leave part of me on the shore of a completely different ocean. And we'll go for the former with some --vital-- updates for sure.

I woke up this morning 15 minutes before I needed to head out the door: I wasn't worried. I actually planned for this. Three minutes past 1000 my good friend Charlotte Reese knocks softly on the door to keep from waking my slumbering Latvian roommate. We bundle up and prepare for our first Saturday morning at the market. After eating a bandele (pastry) with cheese curd filling (quite tasty, actually) we hit up the market and scoped out the wool knit gloves.

No worries in finding those... every other babushka had them. I picked up a lovely grey pair with blue decor, and they warm my hands nicely (not quite as nice as my moesmittens though). We then proceeded to the produce portion and each found quite the deal on some appetizing apples (trys obuolai, 88 centas [about 33 Canadian cents for three apples]).

After some more wandering we started to leave when my eye was caught my a knit sensation I'd never seen before! A hand-knit wool sweater and the babushka who knit it were calling my name. Before I knew it she was dressing me in the sweater and checking arm length and fit. She zipped it up (it has the fabulous double zipper action) stepped back, and proclaimed in her heavy Lithuanian accent, "Beautiful!"... oh the temptation! I asked her how much... she said 60 litai.. the EXACT bill amount I had in my pocket. I fell to the impulse buy! But what a divine impulse! I now have a sweet sweater that reminds me a bit (in its off whiteness and high collar) of my sweet sweetheart back at home.

And then we took the long way home leaving opportunity for photos of archaic buildings crumbling in time. it was beautiful...

Then it was noon and I found myself with a bit of spare time. I did a little philosophising on religion, concerning God and His will, self-determination, and purpose. After that I started reading a book I found in the library by our What's-so-amazing-about-grace friend, Philip Yancey called "Church: Why Bother?" I guess I was attracted to this little book because of the different approach to church students have here but have found it to be beneficial thus far to my own understanding of why I bother with church.
Now here's the vital --or should I say vytal-- update. Vytalius and I left the dorm at 1400 and promptly returned at 1900. (Strict timeframe. Yes Dad & Mom, I am behaving myself.) And in-between then we had a great time checking out his homeland on the spit. He is from one of the little towns of this big town called Nerija. It's on the side of the spit facing Lietuva (not the Baltic) so we walked along the frozen shore in ankle deep snow checking out random little boulders on metal poles that reminded me of sheep (turned out they were an installment piece and indeed were sheep, 3 points for me and my art criticism abilities!)

It was -so- white. Everywhere was white. The ground was white, the sky was white(ish grey), the art along the boardwalk was covered in white, we were white (as it was snowing). We walked around his little tourist town that is supposedly hopping in the summer months (I would believe it, it was beautiful in the winter, must be AMAZINGLY beautiful in the summer) There was hardly anyone out so we got to make most of the first tracks in the snow. Then we went on a little art walk on this hill called "Witch Hill" which has lots of wood-carved statues telling different Lithuanian folktales. The snow was beautiful... I felt like I was walking in a winter wonderland.

After Witch Hill we went to his house where I got to see his parents (couldn't quite talk to them) And his mom was -so- nice. She had dinner ready for us on the stove (even though he had told her before on the phone that we wouldn't be staying for dinner). So I got a home cooked Lithuanian meal that was absolutely delicious and so warming to my frozen frame.

And then we caught the bus and came back across the little ferry and had some hot milk at a little coffee shop. Then it was back to the dorm. All the while we talked about various things like how every sign in Nerija says Zuvis (fish..), how to pronounce different words in Lithuanian, favourite movies/books/music (we have a cold play fan!), how Lithuania does indeed have electricity, cars, and cheeseburgers (as opposed to lanterns, horse drawn carriages, and no cheeseburgers), and future plans after university. And Vytalius laughed at me pretty hard when I stomped into a slush puddle I thought was solid ground making a huge splash and small squeal.

He's going to be a good friend to have here. Though, it's kind of sad because each conversation we have he seems to bring up the fact that I am only here for four months.. almost as though he is struggling with whether or not a friendship would be worth it. I wonder if that is how it is for many of the people here? They value their relationships so much and the SAs come in each semester, take hold of the students' hearts and then rip out a chunk at the end of the four months. Natalijah told us some of the students might carry baggage from this... It's a sad fact but I hope this doesn't put a damper on any of my relationships here.

A highly energetic listing of good things: It is so much fun getting to know the people here! I was a bit concerned at first (which I attribute to nervousness... maybe social anxiety) I went to the yearbook meeting and the design dude wants me to help out.. and then I got an e-mail from the newspaper editor and she is THRILLED that I want to help out with design for them. And it's so fun hanging out with Esther, Charlotte, and the other study abroad kids. And my friend Jesse is so in love with Jesus and so encouraging. And Beth and I workout together and sing at the top of our lungs in the locker room. And I have so much time to be with people and read and write and take pictures (when my hands aren't frozen). And it is just such a beautiful life here.

***

In closing.. I would like to leave you all with this neat piece of information I discovered today concerning the cold:

When I am really cold, I can't unlock my door because I seriously can't turn the key (I experienced this this morning after the market). When Vytalius is cold, he can't speak in English anymore...