stupid. dumb. ridiculous.

GERMAN WASHING MACHINE. I dislike you very much.

Before I get into this story, I just want to say, I'm not complaining. I actually think this whole thing is hilarious. And it would only happen to me.

So we have this washing machine in our apartment. Which is really nice and all because we can do our laundry here. But it is all in German. Everything. And it is relatively old. Or so it seems. Oh, and it is tiny. Meaning you can probably only fit 3 or 4 pairs of jeans in there. And that would be all you could wash. Just let that sink in.

Well, yesterday I thought it would be a good idea for me to finally do some laundry. Hayden and Joni had both already done laundry and I had helped them so I thought I knew what I was doing. My first load went fine. I got it started, got them out, and hung them to dry. My second load didn't happen quite like that. I started it yesterday afternoon. When we got back from teaching I tried opening it. The water hadn't drained, so it wouldn't open. I tried running it again. When it stopped, I tried opening it and it wouldn't open. I called Hayden in and I pushed the button while she tried to lift the lid. It wouldn't budge. It would have been really funny to watch us push a button so hard. Finally I just ran it for a third time and went to sleep. Keep in mind these are my nice clothes. They're supposed to be on the gentle cycle and hung to dry. So I was freaking out just a little bit on the inside because I really did not want my clothes to be ruined. 

This morning I got up and tried, once again, to open it. Nothing. The water was still inside and my clothes were still stuck. Why did the dumb thing want my clothes so badly? I was planning how I was going to get an ax to chop it open. I just wanted my clothes back!

I ran the washer again while we went to breakfast. We got back, and guess what! Yeah, you guessed it! Still wouldn't open. I was doing everything I could think of. Nothing was working. Finally I called Dima and asked for his help, and he told me to leave it off for awhile, then try it. This time, it worked. But it was still full of water.  This also helped me learn that I should call Dima sooner. 

I pulled out my drenched clothes and wrung them out in the tub. It was quite the experience. I finally got them all wrung out and hung up to dry. I thought I would try to get most of the water out of the washer because it's kind of gross to just let it sit there. I stuck my hand in with my bowl and then ZAP. I got electrocuted. That's when I decided that I was done with all of that nonsense. No more washer for me. It likes eating my clothes and electrocuting me. I appreciate that so much. Thank you Mr. Washing Machine for giving me this experience. But really. I now have a story to tell about my crazy washer. 

baltic sea.

I'm sitting in bed trying to think of what happened last week. And I cannot remember anything. I just know that we taught everyday. 

I don't think anything too exciting happened while teaching. There is this one little boy named Ignas whose favorite phrase is "What the f*** is going on here?!" so that makes lessons a little interesting. I still have no idea how these kids learn these words in English so young! I have lived in Ukraine and now in Lithuania and I have yet to learn a single curse word in Russian. The worst thing I can say to someone in Russian is go away, which isn't even bad, and "it came from a camel," which is a phrase that can be used in response to someone asking a dumb question. Oh well. All we can do is tell him not to say that and hope that he doesn't.



The kids here are absolutely adorable, although they can be hard to teach. Some like to cry if they don't get their way. Some do not pay any attention at all. Some cry until we bribe them with candy to get them in class. Some just don't speak. Some make bunny ears every ten seconds. Some think they are too cool for school. But they all have sweet smiles that always make you smile. 

One thing that I have been working on is finding the good in everything. If I am unhappy or annoyed with a situation or someone, I pause for a few minutes and think about everything that is good about the situation or person. It has helped so much. It's so easy to get caught up in the bad things, dwelling on them, riling you up even more. It takes more thought and control to stop yourself and point out all the good things, and then be thankful for them. 

Anyway, we went to the Baltic Sea on Saturday! It was so great! The car ride was just a little miserable. It took about 5 hours to get there and 5 1/2 to get back. But the time we spent in Palanga was amazing! The main street was so cute with lots of shops, restaurants, and food stands. We walked along the boardwalk and then we went down to the sand. The sand was sooooo soft. Like the sand at the beach at home. Except this sand wasn't white. As Hayden pointed out, it looked like our breakfast when we put cinnamon in it. But that's beside the point. The sand felt fantastic on our feet. Then we got closer to the water. And we finally were brave enough to stick our feet in. The water was FREEZING. At least it was at first. After awhile we got used to it though and it felt really good. I really wish I could have gone swimming. That would have been so fun. 

After walking on the beach we saw an old house and a bunch of people over there so we walked over to see what was happening. There were people dressed up in athletic clothes and girls dressed in nice dresses and guys in coat tails. We watched some tug of war games then walked around the grounds more. What caught our attention the most was the fact that they were playing the sound track from The Great Gatsby. Turns out, the people dressed up were reenacting the life of the main aristocratic family of Palanga in the late 1800s. It was pretty neat. 


Having seen all of that, we found a path to walk along. It was covered with trees and it was really peaceful. We just had a good time enjoying each other's company. We ended up finding a place called Birute's hill and it was a really pretty area. On a very tall hill. We climbed 103 stairs to get there. Which really isn't that much. But it felt like it. 


We made our way back to the beach so we could walk along the shoreline to get back to the main street. That was probably the best part. I got to take everything in while listening to the sound of the waves. It was a few minutes of bliss. 


Back on the main street, we pigged out a little. We bought waffles on sticks dipped in chocolate and gelato. Then we made our way to the grocery store to get some food for dinner. Which, for me, consisted of bread with cheese and spinach and a lion bar. So healthy, I know. 

At around 5 we hopped back in the van to head back to Vilnius. On the way back, Dima gave me more Russian lessons, so I can now say quite a bit more. Dima and I also got into an argument about space and the sky. That was probably the most hilarious argument of all time. While we disagreed, he did say that I put up good arguments and he would hire me as a lawyer.


Sunday night we tried to make dinner. It consisted of spaghetti noodles, what we thought was spaghetti sauce but actually tasted like ketchup, and taco seasoning to make the sauce taste better. Needless to say, it was horrible. Hayden and I decided we need to get Lion bars to get the taste out of or mouths. We were in sweatpants and sweatshirts, about to go live the thug life at Maxima. We asked Joni, who was still in her church clothes, if she wanted to go. Her response was, "I think I'm a little over dressed for the thug life." It was hilarious!! Hayden and I got our Lion bars and our mouths and stomachs were so much happier. Now we know, stick with butter and salt. 

things got interesting.

It's really weird to think that I've only spent one full week here. It feels like I have been here so much longer. That's not a bad thing either. I am really loving this country and I am completely comfortable in it. I only know the buses to get to Old Town and to church, but that's all I really need, right? 

Last week was a pretty good one. Since I am the head teacher, I am always bouncing from class to class while the girls are teaching. I am continually helping to teach, evaluating, controlling kids, and busying myself with the little things that need to be done. It gets pretty stressful, but it's nothing a Lion bar or Bounty can't fix. 

On Friday after teaching we went to Old Town for dinner. Luckily for us, there were also some concerts that were happening. And as an added bonus, they were free! We heard the beat of the music before we saw where it. That got us all hyped up! When we saw the little stage and the crowds of people were hurried over to jump right in and join the party. The band was from Latvia and the songs they were singing were in English. So that was great for us. We sang along to the chorus and it was a great time! But by then we were starving, so we headed to find some food.

Originally, we wanted to eat at Charlie's Pizza, but on the way to find it we saw Cili Picca. So we decided to eat there instead. We got a nice little table outside and people watched the whole time. That might have been the best part. We all got pizza, and let me tell you, it was fabulous. I ate a whole medium pizza by myself. It's okay. You can call me fat if you want. I'll own up to it. (Plus I made a commitment to get fat with my little sister and her best friend...) Anyway, the food was amazing and we enjoyed every bite. But of course, like every sit down restaurant in Europe, it takes about two hours for the whole order your food, wait for your food, eat your food, and pay process to occur. 

By the time we had paid it was about 10:45 PM and we knew we had to go back to our bust stop soon, but there was another band playing down the street that we wanted to see really quick. So we made our way down to the big square to where the big stage was and saw the other band. We spent a few minutes there dancing and singing then it ended at !! so we headed to our trolley bus stop.

That is when things got interesting. 

We got to the stop at 11:10. The little time table on the post said that the trolley would come again a few more times. Well, by 11:50 our trolley bus still hadn't come. But Thomas had. As we were sitting on the bench, worrying a little about the trolley, a guy had heard us talking and asked where we were from. At first i was a little weirded out because he was randomly talking to us and it didn't seem like he was the sharpest tool in the shed. Plus it was almost midnight and I was worrying how we would be getting home and how I would tell the taxi driver our address if that's what we would be doing. Well, now I am convinced that Thomas was sent to us to help us get home. He had been talking to us for a little while and finally we asked if he could help us get a taxi. He was more than willing to help us find one. He even went and talked to the driver without us to make sure that the driver wouldn't over charge us. The taxi we found was parked at the end of the street we were walking down, just waiting for someone who needed a ride. I'm convinced that this happened for a reason, too. The taxi driver was a really, really nice guy too. If it wasn't for Thomas hearing us speak English and have the urge to talk to us, he never would have. And we never would have made it home so easily. I am so so thankful for both Thomas and the taxi driver.

And the taxi driver...well, for those who have been to Europe know that the people here drive crazy! I had never been in the front seat with a crazy driver though. But Mr. Driver was a crazy driver. And I was in the front. It was like a roller coaster. Seriously. I could not stop laughing. We were all having a good time talking and making funny comments, all the while thinking that Driver didn't speak English. Turns out we were wrong. When we got to where he was dropping us off, I said thank you and he said you're welcome back to me. I was just a little shocked. I asked if he spoke English and he said that he did. Driver had sat there the whole time listening to our conversation. Trying not to laugh. I was just a little embarrassed because some things had been said that probably should not have been said...but oh well! It was all part of the experience, for both us and him.


Saturday we went down to Siauliai to see the Hill of Crosses. We made a few pit stops on the way, including a place where a castle used to be. It was beautiful! We went to some other places in Siauliai including a cathedral, a cat museum, and a park with a giant sun dial. It was all so neat and it was a gorgeous day! It was a long car ride, but it was worth it. 

Sunday we all went to church at the Lithuanian Branch and it was such a great experience. Everyone was so friendly! We made quesadillas for dinner. I almost burned down the kitchen. No big deal. It's all part of the process of me becoming domestic.

beginning of a new adventure.

I can't believe that I have been in Lithuania for a week now! Well, a week and a day. But it's all about the same. 

From the time I landed it's been go go go go go. Between training, teaching, and exploring I am completely exhausted. It is so worth it though. I forgot how adorable the kids are and how fun it is to teach them and see them having a great time! It has made me really nostalgic though. I am missing my Ukrainian kids a lot. I wish I could go back and see them and teach them for a day. That would be absolutely amazing! 

Being a head teacher is tough. Really tough. Which, luckily, I expected. I did not think that this would be a walk in the park. So at least I came somewhat prepared. This past week has been a lot of me trying to figure out how to teach things that I never taught so that I can help my teachers learn it so they can teach. It's been really difficult at times, but we are on the right track now. So everything is looking up!

I think the best part of being a head teacher is being able to spend time with the kids of all levels. They are all so fun and cute! I get to have conversations with the 8-11 year olds in the elementary class (this class also has a 5 year-old in it who is very very smart) all the way down to playing with the tiny 2 and 3 year-olds in Pre-K! It is exciting to do it all! I'm looking forward to seeing all of the kids progress.

We eat every meal at the kindergarten except on the weekends when we have to fend for ourselves. Every morning we are given mush. Sometimes it is yellow, sometimes it is white, and sometimes it is brown/gray. I always pray for the brown mush. It tastes the best. As long as I dump sugar and cinnamon all over it. We still haven't figured out what it is. Lunch has been pretty good. We've had rice, the orange stuff, chicken, and mystery meat that have all been good. I'VE HAD BORSCHT TWICE! I was so happy when I saw the soup. I jumped up and down. No joke. Dinner...has been our least favorite. Well breakfast and dinner probably tie. We never know what we will get. We had hard boiled eggs one night. And last night...well, we have no clue what last night's was. We took a tiny bite and then put it away. It was a little scary. But it's all part of the experience, so I will not complain. (mystery dinner pictured)

Parts of the city remind me of Kiev. The apartment buildings and the kiosks bring back memories of walking around Kiev. Vilnius is much cleaner than Kiev though! SO much cleaner. There are way less people here and they don't have a metro. I was a little sad about that because I love metros, but at least they have buses and trolley buses. Old Town Vilnius is absolutely gorgeous. I love it! We have gone down there quite a few times just to wander around because there is always something new to find. 

They have mexican food here. Mexican food that is actually really good. We discovered this little gem of a place thanks tour coordinator Dima who heard us talking about mexican. We ate there the next day. And we plan on becoming regulars. 

They also have frozen yogurt! Not like the kind we had in Odessa in Ukraine last year. That was frozen greek yogurt. This is actual frozen yogurt and it is delicious. It made us all so happy to see it! We ate that too. Not to mention they were playing Avril Lavigne the whole time we were in there so that made it fun too.

These two things make up for the food we eat at the kindergarten. They will save us in the end.

My apartment is pretty nice. It's a lot bigger than I expected it to be. So that might be why I think it's big. I have my own room and I am living with two other girls right now. One is supposed to be going with a host family soon though. Part of me wishes I was with a host family, but it is really nice having my own place. 

It was sunny the first few days we were here. It was even a little warm! But the past two days have been freezing and rainy. This winter will be exciting... At least it gives me an excuse to dress up all warm! Hopefully it won't be like this the rest of this month and we will get some more sun!

Living here for the next few months is definitely going to be another adventure. I am really looking forward to it.