it happened.

I didn't want to. But I had to.

After four months I finally said goodbye to all the students. 

I thought saying goodbye to my kids in Ukraine was hard, but this was so much harder. In Ukraine I didn't have to say bye to over 50 kids. 

This week started out great! On Tuesday we had dinner at Joni's host family's house. It was so fun! We had pasta that was absolutely delicious! And the kids kept giving us chocolate. We had so much fun hanging out with them. They are such a fun family. Tickle fights and wrestling. Reminds me of my family. She is so lucky to have lived with them. 

But then the goodbyes happened.

On Thursday we had to say goodbye to the elementary level kids because they only come on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They did a great job during their Spectacle with the younger kids. They had a little party with lots of goodies and then we had picture taking time before they left. 

I was doing a great job saying bye to the kids, making sure I got to hug all of them. I didn't feel like it was the last time I would be seeing them. I would just be seeing them again on Tuesday. But then I looked over and saw sweet Kamila crying next to her mom and then it all hit me in one big wave and I couldn't handle it. I started crying. I gave her the biggest hug and told her I loved her and if she ever came to America I would go to wherever she was so I could see her. And that goes for all of the kids. 

Friday I had to say goodbye to the rest of the kids. I tried to spend as much time as possible with all of them, which was really hard because that meant I had to constantly bounce between 4 classes.

The other kids had their Spectacle later Friday night and they did a great job too! It was pretty entertaining. There were Pre-K kids running up to the stage and giggling, and some of the primary kids were misbehaving a little, but I didn't stop them. It made it more like them. Plus the parents were getting a kick out of it.

After the performance it was hard to say goodbye to all of the kids because there were so many and the parents were ready to leave. I got to say goodbye to all of the Pre-K kids though. They are so cute. I have seen them grow so much the past few months. They wouldn't speak a word in September or even really sing without their parents singing too, but now they sing and speak and try to communicate. The kids obviously don't understand that we are leaving, but the parents did and they cried with us. 

All of the kids mean the world to me. When things got rough for me it was them that kept me going. They made me laugh and smile and I knew they loved seeing me as much as I loved seeing them. I'm gonna miss them seeing me and running to give me hugs. I'm gonna miss being tickle attacked and not being able to get away. I'm gonna miss being latched on to and the kisses the little boys would sneak. I'm gonna miss it all. 

We all came back to the apartment with Dima and his family after we left the school. We had a little pizza party for ourselves. It was nice to have one last hoorah altogether. It was so hard saying bye to all of them, too. Sophia and Nikole are the best.

Today Hayden, Kelby, Joni, and I went and played soccer with Joni's host siblings that are also in our elementary class, along with Lukash, Amanda, and Amanda's dad. It was such a good time! I have no idea why we haven't been doing this more often. We had it girls against boys. Girls won. Of course. There was snow and ice on the ground, so I definitely hit the ground quite a few times. Not to mention the boys like to beat up on me. So they took me out, too. After soccer we played a few other games like hide and go seek. Lukash and Mose also had the bright idea of setting off fire crackers. So we did a few of those. In doing that we discovered that the "gun shots" we hear all the time aren't actually gun shots. Well, some of them might be. But the majority of them are probably just boys wanting to blow stuff up.

My last Saturday in Lithuania was pretty much perfect. 

And on the bright side of things I can now eat my feelings. 

I apologize for the picture overload. But this is what I'm leaving.

                        

Left: Daniel; Right: Lukas 

Left: Dora; Right: Dora, Simone, and Mose

Left: Olivija and Emilija; Right: Emilia

Left: Nastja; Right: Danielle

Left: Dora and Marijana; Right: Kamila and Samwel

Lukash and Mose 

 Left: Artiom and Daniel; Right: Emilia and Medeina

Left: Kamila and Goda; Right: Lukash 

Polina

Kajus and Gosha

Left: Karina; Right: Anastasia

Nastia

Polina

Karina

Nikita

Birute

Left: Maya; Right: Nikita

Left: Damir; Right: Lukas

Amelija

nine.

I'm going to take this time to write about my Thanksgiving night. I know I already had a post about Thanksgiving, but that was before I had a hilarious adventure.

During Shelbi's class she was talking about Thanksgiving. She was talking about why it is celebrated and what food we eat when Dima called me over. He asked if it was Thanksgiving and I told him it was. He said that if we wanted to, he would take us to Hesburger after teaching to have some hamburgers for Thanksgiving. I asked the other teachers if they wanted to and Shelbi and Kelby couldn't, but Hayden, Joni, and I all could. 

So after teaching we headed on out to Hesburger. On the way there, Dima asked us multiple times if we actually wanted Hesburger. We were fine with eating whatever, but Hesburger was closest. We pull up to Hesburger, park, walk in, and then Dima says, "I don't want this, I want KFC." We all said yes to that and back out we went to the car. It made me laugh that we all went in there, spoke some English a little too loudly, looked around, and then left. Typical Americans. Just kidding.

We ventured off to KFC, playing some good old 80s music on the way. We went inside and ordered our food. I had only had KFC once in my life before coming to Lithuania. Now I have had it at least 7 to 8 times. I'm pretty sure after this I probably won't ever have it again. But that's beside the point. We had our fried chicken and french fries and made that our little piece of home. We had a good time eating and enjoying each others company. 

When we were getting ready to leave, Dima asked if we wanted anything else. We decided that ice cream would be a good decision. Well, KFC doesn't really have ice cream. They have these drink things called Krushers. It's like they're melted milkshakes but not nearly as good. We didn't really think about this though. We just went up to the counter and ordered our Oreo Krushers. Dima was just standing there looking around and we asked if he wanted one, he said no because they weren't that good. We said we knew that but it's all they had here. I mentioned how McDonald's McFlurries are better, so right then we decided to go there. It was a little awkward because we had placed our order and we didn't know how to tell her we wanted to cancel it. Dima told Hayden to cancel it, but she didn't want to. So we booked it for the door. Literally ran. Then Dima blocked us so we could cancel it. But we wouldn't, and then he forgot how to say it in Lithuanian, so everyone is staring at us because we are laughing hysterically trying to get out the door, and finally Dima moved so I ran out and then he and Hayden followed me and then Joni came out after them. It was so funny. 

We went to McDonald's, laughing pretty much the whole way there because we had all just acted like 5 year olds. We got our McFlurries and it was the perfect end to the day.

That was my Thanksgiving day.

On Saturday, I went and played squash (like racquetball) with Dima and then I went to the Gariunai market with the girls. They have all sorts of things there, from appliances to underwear. And everything in between. 

My feet were freezing cold! When we finally left we had to wait for over 40 minutes for a bus. I felt so bad for my feet. But, the fact that we went to Vapiano afterwards made up for it. I had a delicious pizza and some delectable cheesecake with strawberry sauce. That was our official Thanksgiving meal since it was nicer.

Last week it started snowing! I have only fallen twice so far, but I have a massive bruise on my knee to show for it. I'm not very coordinated when it comes to snow and ice.

The kids have their Spectacle at the end of this week, which is the concert/play they put on at the end of the semester to show off what they have learned. So last week we started practicing for a substantial amount of time. Basically, all week I heard Christmas songs non-stop. But there was something about hearing the kids singing them that sent chills down my back and got me in the Christmas spirit. One of the teachers got sick last week, so I got to teach for her. Maybe it was the excitement of the snow, but the kids were CRAZY. It was tough. I can't believe it is our last week of teaching though. I'm going to miss these kids so much. 

This past weekend we went to an antique market with Natasha, Dima's wife, and then on a tour to see underground tunnels in Vilnius. I had absolutely no idea that they existed under the city. We went under the Vilnius Cathedral and saw some crypts and things. Then we went under some other places that had underground parts to them. The tour was in Lithuanian, so I didn't understand any of it, but Natasha and the tour guide explained some of it to us. Most of the time I made up my own stories about what happened in them. It was entertaining enough. Oh, and as cold as my feet were at Gariunai market, they were ten times colder on Saturday. I don't think I have ever felt that kind of pain in my feet. It was insane. On the bright side of things, I got to see the Christmas tree in Cathedral Square and the little Christmas market that they have set up. 

(This was at the antique market. I was crying from laughing.)

Yesterday we went to the Russian Branch for church and I said the closing prayer in sacrament meeting. I was a little intimidated, but it turned out fine. 

Hayden and I tried making some dumplings for dinner. We have basically only had pizza, pasta, quesadillas, chicken, and fries for dinner since we've been here. So we wanted to do something different to at least say we tried it. Well, that was a bad decision. We couldn't even finish it. So, what do you do when you have a terrible taste in your mouth and need something else? You run to Maxima to get a Milka and Sprite. That was a good decision. It saved my poor taste buds. 

Now I'm preparing myself for the final days here. 9 days. That's all I have left. I have to take everything in. 15 weeks has flown by. I'm not ready to leave. Lithuania has become my home. 

haggard hunchbacks & thanksgiving.

Well, it's Thanksgiving. My second Thanksgiving in another country. My second Thanksgiving away from my family. My second Thanksgiving not really celebrated. And let me tell you, it is hard. I really miss it. I missed it last year, and I miss it even more this year. Spending time with my family and eating literally all day. Because in case you didn't know my stomach is pretty much a bottomless pit. Even if I say I'm full I can always still eat. It's a problem. 

Anyway. 

I miss it all. The laughs. The fights. The food. The games. The people. It's all so great. Although I miss it, it has definitely helped me become even more thankful for my family and the warm, safe environment that encapsulates my home. And despite the fact that I miss it all so much, I am thankful to be here in Lithuania. I'm thankful for the little smiles that brighten my day. For the snide looks and remarks that are sent my way when the kids don't like something I make them do. For the random insane 30 second tickle attacks from all the elementary students. All of it. 

Also, a shout out to my 9th great grandpa, William Bradford, for making this holiday possible. Without him there might not be a Thanksgiving. 

Enough about Thanksgiving. It might make me cry. 

The only good thing about it is that while everyone is consuming their weight in food today, I will be eating practically nothing. I'm saving myself for Christmas.

Flashback to last week.

The week started off great! All 5 of us were invited over to one of our students houses (yes, an actual house) after we were done teaching to have dinner. Oh my goodness it was fabulous. I ate so much food! We had appetizers that consisted of different types of meat on a platter, liver spread on bread, a slice of salmon, avocado, and a caper on bread, and just plain bread. I didn't touch the liver spread. Been there, done that, never happening again. The fish one was good and so was the meat! Then came our main course of dumplings with either an onion sauce or a mushroom cream sauce. The dumplings were filled with meat and both sauces were amazing! We also had some delicious juice that they had made. For desert we had a poppy seed cake. Don't get me wrong, I like lemon poppy seed muffins and poppy seed chicken, but the only flavor this cake had was poppy seed flavor. And I'm not too fond of that. However, the chocolate on the outside of it was delectable. 

The family was so fun! Emilija is the girl whose house we were at. She has to little brother, Raffle and Lukash. Lukash was the life of the party! He is 5 and he had so much energy! It was so fun getting to play with him. Raffle is only 1 and he was the happiest baby I've ever seen. He went to all of us willingly. We got to see Emilija come to life at home. It was such a fun thing to do. Her parents were so nice, too! They made us feel so welcome. Their house had such a warm, loving environment. We all just wanted to stay there forever. Oh and her house was so cool! I want one like it. 

Later that week, one of the teachers got sick, so I ended up teaching the primary kids for her. I discovered that I really did miss teaching. It's so fun spending time with the kids. We made snow flakes (something I didn't know how to do before) and we played a game. Hopefully the kids had just as much fun as I did! 

Then, to top off the week, we had our last vacation to Krakow, Poland. I had already been there before, too, but I was excited to go again. We took an overnight bus to Warsaw, and from Warsaw we took a bus to Krakow. We got there in the afternoon and headed to our hostel. We stopped at a market to get some food on the way so we wouldn't have to eat out. After eating and settling in, we went out to see the town. We found a bunch of shops that were super cheap and, of course, we had to get some ice cream. I was able to get a ton of souvenirs there. It was great! Saturday I spent most of the day in the hostel while the  girls went to Auschwitz. Since I went last year I didn't really want to go again. That night we went around town as well, just looking around. Sunday was our picture taking/exploring day since it was finally light outside when we were walking around. We found the dragon statue that is very popular in Krakow and we even ended up in mass, which I thought was pretty cool. 

At one point, I was waiting outside of a store with Shelbi and Joni and a haggard looking hunchbacked old man approached us and started talking to us in Polish. We had no idea what he was saying, he just kept going on and on with what he was talking about. He kept inching closer to me and I was getting a little nervous. Then, he grabbed my hand and kissed it tenderly. He then did it to Shelbi and Joni, too. To shock us even more, he dropped down to his knees and started fake sobbing and then laughing. After, he popped back up, grabbed our hands again, kissed them, and walked away. It was one of the strangest, most hilarious thing I have ever seen. 

That afternoon we started our journey back home. More long bus rides. I do not even want to think the amount of time I have spent all together on bus rides. Thinking about how high the number is hurts my heart. 

The next big journey made will be the one home. 

 

so little time.

November 17th. 

What? Seriously? Is this real life?

As of today I have 31 days left here in Lithuania. I cannot believe how quickly time is passing. I know these next few weeks are going to fly by! Soon I'll be on a plane heading home. Then I'll be headed back out to BYU for school. I'm excited for both of those things! But I can promise you right now that I will be crying the whole way home from Lith. All 26 hours of flights and layovers. Yes, 26 hours. Just in flights and layovers. Heaven help me. Sorry in advance to my family for the way I may act when they pick me up. It will most likely be the hangries and sleep deprivation speaking and not me. 

Things here have been about the same.

Wake up. Breakfast. Get ready for the day. Lunch. Teaching. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat. 

The kids always make the day more exciting and interesting. We never know what to expect when we teach. Some days the kids are angels and some days it seems like it's their main purpose in life to make us want to jump out of the window. 

Although they make me want to pull out my hair sometimes, they totally make up for it when they make hilarious comments or do things that just make you laugh. That's what I'm going to remember when I go home. The times they made me laugh, not the times they made me bite my tongue with my hands kept tightly by my side. Those are the moments that matter. 

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go to a city outside of Vilnius called Kaunas to attend Lithuania's district conference (like stake conference but they are too small to be a stake) for church. Joni and I met all the missionaries and some members at 8 in the morning at the branch building. They had rented a bus for us all to take there. So we all loaded up and headed to Kaunas. It was a fun bus ride. I got to hear all the missionaries talking. It's sometimes easy to forget that they are just normal people too. I had some pretty great conversations with a few of them on the way there and on the way back. The conference itself was great too. Members from all over Lithuania were there. It really touches your heart when you see people from all over a country gather together to hear words meant just for them. Seeing their dedication meant so much to me. It really is such a neat experience. One that does not come along very often.

This past week I had to fill out the paperwork for our visas for all of us and just filling that out made me nervous. What if they decided to deny our visas? What if just mine was denied? Would I get kicked out? Would I be allowed back in Europe??? Then we went to the immigration office. A quiet, clean building. Even more intimidating than I thought. The only thing missing were all the military men ready to cart us all off to the dungeon underneath the building. Turns out, there were no problems! We are all going to be able to get our visas. Thank heavens. I had enough problems getting out of Ukraine. I do not want to relive that experience ever again. 

Oh! It snowed this week! Coming back from the immigration office it was snowing a little, and then yesterday when I woke up there was snow on the ground! I was so happy to see it! It didn't last long because the snow turned to rain. But that's okay. At least I got to see some snow! 

Friday night we ate dinner ate Dima's house with his wife and kids. We watched Rio with Sofia and Nicole while dinner was being finished. Once it was ready it was well worth the wait. Dinner was delicious! We had potatoes, meat, and carrots all mixed with a gravy. It's making my mouth water now. After we had brownies and ice cream. My weakness. Well, one of them. 

We all sat around and talked for awhile with Dima and Natasha. It was such a nice time. They are such a great family. I have been so blessed to be able to work with them. 

Drinking tea after dinner is a big thing here. For the first time probably ever in my life, I had a cup of tea. It was apple raspberry tea and it was actually pretty good. I still can't believe that I had it. I almost drank the whole cup too. I was kind of proud of myself. 

We went to a HUGE market here in Vilnius yesterday morning. In the freezing cold. I couldn't feel my toes. At all. It was still really neat to be there. They had absolutely everything you could ever imagine. All of these vendors at these little booths. I do not know how they brace the cold. They are some very dedicated people. It was really neat being able to go to it. 

Lithuania really is such a great country. And I love Vilnius. This city is fantastic. I'm going to be sad to leave. I can only hope that one day I will come back.
And just a random side note. Dinner is always something really random. Half the time we don't even end up eating it because it's the nasty balls or nasty noodles. Or something we can't even decipher. But one time we walked in the kitchen and lifted the lid of this pot, thinking it would be noodles for dinner.

That is a whole chicken. In a pot. We kinda didn't know how to react to it. It turned out to be delicious.