Stockholm

On Wednesday noon Eduardo, Linda, Martina and I started our trip to Stockholm with a cheap flight from Riga to Stockholm airport.
We left Riga with sunshine and minus 20 degrees. In Stockholm we couldn’t see anything through the plane’s window because it was snowing and foggy. But when we got out of the plane it felt like summer, at least minus 6 degrees were suddenly quite warm.
The airport was far from the city center so we had to take another bus and when we arrived in Stockholm central station it was already dark. A friend of Eduardo who hosted us took us from the station and we went, already tired, to her home.
The next day was still a bit foggy but we wanted to see the city. So we got up early and walked around the center and the old town. Stockholm is really beautiful. The water and the small islands where the city is based on create wonderful pictures. I like the colorful houses and old buildings which are mainly placed in the old town.
Also the royal palace and the guards in front of it who just move at a certain time were interesting but quite strange to me.
We had a break with great hot chocolate in a very small café in the old town. The atmosphere there was very cozy and homelike. But in general and especially in those places in the old town, Stockholm is a very expensive city.
Another highlight of the day was the Vasa -museum which tells the story of the world’s only surviving 17th-century ship. On April 24th 1961, the warship Vasa broke the surface of Stockholm´s harbour after 333 years on the sea bottom. It is very interesing to see this boat in the museum and to get to know about the disaster as well as about the people and their life on the ship centuries ago.
On Friday the fog was gone and we enjoyed the sunshine during we visited the city hall. After a little bit of shopping we visited a city district called Sofo with a great but very special vintage shop.
In general I was really surprised about all the English speaking people in Stockholm. In every shop you could get along with English and also in the strees I heard a lot of English speaking people.
I also noticed that I‘m not used to the bustle of a capital anymore even if it is the same in my hometown. In Siauliai you can get everywhere by foot so using a crowded tram, after 4 month without, was kind of strange for me.
All in all I liked the trip a lot and our friendly hosts made it also very confortable. I would recommend a visit in Sweden‘s capital for everyone and I plan to go back there in summer to see the city without snow.

10 in 1 - A special atmosphere at Didzdvario Gimnazija

On the 21st of January the Intercultural Evening took place in Didzdvario Gimnazija and it transformed the school into a place with an exciting atmosphere full of culture and interesting people.
During whole Thursday the mood of the volunteers who were responsible for the event's organization were excited and full of curiosity and nervousness. We walked around in school and finished last tasks or rehearsed performances for the evening.
Many students and teachers joined the preparation and the atmosphere got more and more lively.
Finally when all guests entered, the assembly hall got crowded quickly. Besides the program and scenes from different countrys also the audience was full of different nations. We invited other volunteers from other countries or German people we already know in Siauliai and also Eduardo's Portuguese friends joined the celebration.
When the show started the variety of movies and typical clothes made the intercultural exchange very colorful.
A very special thing about this evening was the language. Nether everybody in the hall understood Lithuanian nor everybody would have a clue after English introductions. So we had to translate all the important facts and lead the evening in two languages. Additionally many performances used the mother tongue of the country they were presenting what made the whole event multifaceted.
Especially the songs and dances showed in an interesting way how different cultures are and they transported the county's feelings.
After the performances me and Linda hold a speech and thanked all the participants for the great co-operatin and underlined the integrative way the school works.
Downstairs in the cafeteria during people enjoyed all the different food the atmosphere got easier but still interesting. People exchanged opinions, own experiences or advices related to the food.
All in all everybody was satisfied with the event and thankful that everybody worked together so well.
10 in 1 - Different nations, all combined in one event, was a great success.



Also check for more information:
http://www.lindainlithuania.blogspot.com/

http://www.martinainlithuania.blogspot.com/

Christmas was very harmonic...

…but unfortunately holidays are already over again, although I want to tell you something about it.
Every year the Christmas time for me is calm and contemplative. I was a little bit afraid this year to experience something different because it was the first year without my parents and friends.
But when I look back to December I can say it was a wonderful month.
December started with surprising news. Linda and I moved to a three-bedroom-flat.
It was really quick. We were told to pack our things one evening and the next morning we stood in our new flat. And I like it so much. It is very comfortable and also just renovated. We both have our own room now and the kitchen is big enough to spend there also some time.
After packing out all the stuff and making ourselves feel comfortable we decorated the living room with Christmas stuff.
So we had a very nice time and many meetings with friends in our new flat. Also preparing presents for Germany or creating a Christmas agenda worked very well together with Linda.
Finally Christmas arrived and we went to Vilnius to visit other volunteers there. On the 23rd Ex-EVS who live in Vilnius invited us for a traditional Lithuanian Christmas eve dinner. This was really interesting and also the atmosphere was familial and peaceful which I really enjoyed. We experienced a dinner with 12 dishes and no meet or other products from animals. Some of the food was strange to me, for example a semi-fluid juice. Also new for me were some magical traditions like looking to next year’s future or your life’s way. What I liked most were stuff like passing a piece of bread through and wishing each other something by breaking it. Or everyone had to thank for things he/she could do or see during the last year while he/she hold a candle.
The group of Ex-volunteers explained everything to us. They were really nice and hospitable.
The next day was Christmas eve and we got up early to prepare the flat for the celebration. All in all we were 22 people, volunteers from many countries of Europe and also two families of volunteers who visited their children for Christmas. Everyone cooked something which is typical for his or her Christmas, so we had a huge variety of food and also traditions. The flat was really crowded but we all together experienced a harmonic Christmas feeling. I also went to church because I usually go there with my family for Christmas. I understood almost nothing but still the atmosphere was Christmas like and I gloried it.
On the 25th Linda, Eduardo and I went to an aqua park in Vilnius. It was very funny and also relaxing.
The rest of Christmas was relaxed. Linda and me invited Eduardo for dinner on the 26th and we noticed that our cooking skills improve here quite a lot. Eduardo also told us that in Portugal the 26th is no Christmas anymore but although he liked the Dinner.
All in all I can say Christmas this year was different than at home and I also thought of my family a lot but it was a nice celebration and I am happy about my decision to stay here and experience another kind of Christmas in Lithuania.

What I also liked a lot in December was a trip to Riga together with Linda. We stayed for three days in a hostel where people were very friendly. In this hostel we met girls from Australia, Korea and many other places all over the world. Riga is a very beautiful city. We went to many touristy places like the freedom monument, the Riga cathedral or the huge market halls.
A surprise for me was that there are so many Russian people living in Riga, about 40%.
What I liked most in Riga were the two Christmas markets there. I really enjoyed this because we do not have Christmas markets in Siauliai.

On the 3rd of January a new volunteer from Italy arrived to Siauliai, a 19 year old girl called Martina. She is living in our flat and I am very happy because she is really nice. I think we will have a great time all together during the next months.

At work we are starting to work on our own radio shows about a topic we are interested in. I will do shows about dancing because it is my hobby and I like to talk about it.

In the end I want to tell you that I suddenly noticed that almost half of my time in Lithuania is already over but I feel really settled in right now. I feel that time is running and I have to take care of all the things I want to do here otherwise I will maybe miss something.