At LONG Last

Well, this last month has been a crazy one, and folks, that is an understatement! :) I have been so busy with so many different engagements and responsibilities, that I am finally able to breathe a bit.

Finally, after long last, I have regular access to internet. Currently, I am sitting in my office updating a blog that has needed my desperate attention for some time. However, as it is about 23.30 I am pretty tired, and I must retire for the evening.

With that in mind, please look for many things to come, such as:

New Dorm pictures -- including and not limited to my apartment, external pictures, and of course the internal ones as well.

Community Day (An LCC tradition which I had the privilege to chair the committee) -- Lithuanian Dancing, great food, and a lot of fun.

First Dorm event -- Pictures of INCREDIBLE entertainment to be taken soon

Last but not least -- my team of wonderful RAs whom I have really appreciated and am starting to love more and more.

Please stay tuned, life is getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and fall is beginning to arrive in Klaipeda!

Peace out.

Back in the Grind

After a summer of working at Starbucks, I am back in Lithuania!

This week has been my first week back and it has been an exciting and busy one. After meetings, serve projects, staff retreats, and a variety of other occurrences with the Student Life staff, I am enjoying the weekend. It has been good to re-establish myself back in the culture and the country here. I grow with excitement as I prepare to move into a new dormitory, and as I prepare for the arrival of my Resident Assistant Staff!

More to come soon! Just an update to let you know I am alive and well in Lithuania and excited about the year!

Closing up shop

Well, the year is coming to a close! Graduation is tomorrow and checkouts will finish up on Monday. Then a roller coaster of a week next week, finished with a long trek back to the States for the summer. What a year it has been! I would have never thought that my first year as a Resident Director would have been abroad...and to think I will be coming back for another year...cool! I am sitting in my quaint apartment/room, and I think, "Wow, you have to pack everything up and put it in storage for the summer." Next year I will be moving to a new dormitory on campus. I have enjoyed my time in Karklu, the basketball court, the sound of cars, the shipping docks, and the location of being near to downtown. At the same time, the idea of starting fresh again in a new building will be full of adventure again. For now, this is all to say. I go home in 10 days! Looking forward to summer.

Easter in Latvia...and Birch Juice

Last weekend I went to a home in the bordering city of Latvia...which is about a 50 minute drive from Klaipeda. I had the most incredible time. It is one thing to experience culture from the "outsider looking in" perspective...but what a treat to actually be a part of the inside for a weekend! It all started out with a drive to Liepaja, Latvia. A car packed with 5 passengers and their weekend luggage...it reminded me of the weekend road trips I took my freshman year with a select group of five individuals...we decided to visit everyones house in our group. Oh the memories! Anyway, we drop everyone off one by one, and then we travel out of town to a small, country area, where the grass is greener, and the air is cleaner. What a lovely sight! We arrive a home in the country, and immediately life is different! For once, it is quiet. No more hustling and bustling of car stereos, no sirens, and no high heels that are making noise when they walk down my hallway in the middle of the night!

First things first...we enter the house...and we eat. Pancakes are on the menu this early evening...so we load up with jam or sour cream. Yes, sour cream people...it seems that my taste for that smooth, creamy, white goodness has really taken shape, and now I can have it on anything like every other Eastern European! After pancakes, we spend the rest of the night with the family at a local cafe where we learn more about one another.

The next day...BIRCH TREE JUICE!!! Yeah, who knew? Apparently, after the winter months and when the ground thaws...one can drill a hole in a birch tree and then drain out the watery liquid from within. Yes, I had the opportunity to dip my cup in the bag that was catching the lovely liquid, and drink it straight away from the tree. What an interesting experience! It seems that this beverage is a hot commodity in this part of the world, and can be found being served with sugar and lemon. I sat in awe trying to realize how someone figured out that the birch tree can give you a cool refreshment. Who knew?

During the weekend, Easter was upon us. I learned of traditions of cracking boiled eggs against other boiled eggs, and eating salted boiled eggs on Easter apparently saves you from lying for an entire year! Yeah, the salted eggs were definitely on the menu. :)

Overall, Latvia is beautiful, and a place that I hope to visit again in my time here in Lithuania!

A passion of my past

Lately I have had some very interesting occurances in my life. The other day while out and about taking some pictures with a few colleagues/friends, we ran across a mormon missionary. She heard us speaking English in the streets and was so excited she turned around and caught up with us. We did the small talk thing and found out where she was from, she said Federal Way, WA, which is near my home territory, so we kind of talked about that for a few minutes. After that she began to sort of begin her learned lessons about churches, religion, and Christianity as a whole. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to talk to her about things, simply because we had somewhere we needed to be. About two days later I was walking up the stairs in the dormitory and two other mormon missionaries were coming down. We briefly chatted, but it was late and they needed to get back home to get some sleep, etc. All of this has caused me to remember my experiences at George Fox on those serve trips to Salt Lake City, UT when I learned a lot about the LDS faith and gained a lot of compassion for these people. With all that said, it is exciting to know that we have true freedom and the free gift of God's grace. It is reassuring to know that we are made perfect in God's sight because Jesus has paid the price for all of our sins, and I know that my perfection is not based on what I can do or the deeds that I have accomplished, but simply on believing and following Jesus -- and that is a refreshing thought!

Klaipedoje

This week we have had a lot of nice weather over spring break, so I decided to get out and about in the city and take a few pictures. Overall, the break has been very relaxing and quiet. So, I hope you enjoy the city in view!

Spring Break

Today marks the end of classes and the beginning of spring break at LCC. I will be in the dorm for the week on duty, but it will still be nice and quiet as many students will be heading home. Plus, Klaipeda has a fair amount to offer for festivities and activities...I am sure I will think of something to pass the time.

On another note, spring seems to have officially arrived. This past week we have had quite an array of spring weather including sunshine, fog, clouds, and rain. It is odd to see rain again. Whenever we have had any moisture in the air all that came down was snow. Each day seems to be getting longer and it is still light at 6:30pm. This is something I have been waiting for! I wake up to the sound of birds, which has become a refreshing noise in the background.

Life is still carrying on! We have about 7 more weeks of classes, and then the year will finish. Soon the buzz of housing will be taking over the conversations in the dorm...who will live where, and with whom shall they live...this will definitely be the new talk for the next couple weeks. We will then finish up with a few last dorm events, some staff outings, and then, check-outs. I am sure the time will pass very quickly!

Well, I am off to make some linner...I suppose that is the meal between lunch and dinner!

Until next time...

TACOS!!!

This last weekend I invited the infamous room 106 over for a taco feast. It was their first experience with tacos, and I must say it won't be their last! We stuffed ourselves full of the goodness, and after we recuperated by taking some time to lounge around. Another cultural experience for all!