oh the places you will go.

it is almost over.

i am so torn. part of me loves the fact that i will be home at the end of this week, the other part of me is so sad that this time is over. i anticipated being here for so long and now the time has come and gone.

9 countries in one year.
russia twice. (past spring break and this fall break)
lithuania for 4 months.
a weekend in latvia and estonia.
a weekend in sweden.
a weekend in scotland.
a night in england.
a long two days in poland.
a week in italy.

klaipeda has been a good home for this time in my life. a small enough city to have time to explore. rainy and cold but when the sun comes out we all rejoice.
lithuanian is a hard language, but it was so worth learning.
kepta duona is delicious.

i have learned so much from living with 3 girls that are very different from me, but once we got on a somewhat deeper level i realized we don't have too much that is different. it has given me a new perspective.

i wouldn't change this experience for the world.

but.

i am ready to come home.


p.s. i would have pictures... but i may or may not have lost my camera in scotland. bummer. i know.

Sweden.

In the words of Theresa... "Sweden Rocked"

The ferry took 14 hours. It was cold and long, but totally worth it. We had some really funny experiences. Nothing like trying to play cards while you rock back and forth unable to sit still... due to the waves.

Karlshamn is a quaint resort town. Resort is totally a guess. We are assuming that it is popular in the summers and kind of low key in the winters. Everything was within walking distance and the people were very friendly. We got smiles from complete strangers which was one of the first times since being in the states. We happened upon a grocery store and spent a good 30 minutes browsing the aisles. It was awesome to see brand names we haven't seen in so long and to get fresh baked goods. I think we were all taken off guard about how much we have missed certain things back home.
It was like a breath of fresh air.

Grocery store.
We may or may have not watched pretty much all of the 3rd season of the Office...

Menu at a Cafe we spent a lot of time at.Sunday the ferry was supposed to leave at 4, yet due to weather back in Klaipeda we didn't leave until midnight. Instead of staying in the pullman lounge again without sleep, we decided to "upgrade" and got a room for the four of us. It was one of the best decisions for our trip. Plenty of sleep that night.

Em and I on the ferry.

All in all Sweden was great!

I am ready.

i am ready for a lot of things, but for now i am ready to go to Sweden.

tomorrow could not come any sooner.

4 of us are going to Karlshamn for a quick weekend.

and i honestly can't wait.

Russia.

How do I possibly sum up a week in Russia in one post and only a few pictures.
It was just as wonderful as the first time. It all started with a 5 hour bus ride to Riga, but before arriving in Riga we stopped at the Hill of Crosses.
Then the trip began with a 17 hour train ride to Moscow.
The first day was spent touring Red Square and a 3 hour walking tour of the Kremlin. Putin was so close... yet so far. The Armory in the Kremlin is honestly amazing. There are coronation dresses worn by Catherine the Great, carriages from the time of the royal family, and gold is everywhere. Literally.
We ended our first night at the circus which was a lot of fun.
We had comrade groups for the week and had to name them. The group I was in was called Battlesheep due to one of the interns accidentally mispronouncing battleship which gave everyone a good laugh and us a name for our group. Our group toured the metro the first day. Sadly I have no pictures because it is illegal, but if you ever go to Moscow take your time in the metro. They have taken great pride in this form of transportation and each station is an absolute beautiful work of art. We ran to Old Arbat street and had Starbucks for the first time since leaving the states, and went to a Symphony Orchestra to end the evening.
The last day in Moscow was my favorite. We were able to go see Lenin in his tomb which is definitely a crazy experience. I was also able to see Nastja my interpreter from the first time I went to Russia. She took the train in and spent the last few hours we had in Moscow with us. After a quick last day in Moscow our group and another raced to our train to St. Petersburg with only a few minutes to spare. Thankfully we made it and took a relaxing 6 hour train ride to St. Pete.
Our first day in St. Petersburg involved a 4 hour walking tour, lunch at a pie shop, and a fun evening event at a show called Feel yourself Russian. The show involved Russian folk dance and beautiful singing. Some of the guys from our group were pulled up on stage to dance at one point which gave us all a great laugh.

Day two in St. Pete involved a 2 hour trip to the closed Political Museum, a 1/2 an hour on a battleship, and sadly only 45 minutes in the Hermitage. I wish I had had more time in the Hermitage because it was breathtaking and I appreciated the art so much, but it was a short lived. That night we went to Swan Lake. Words can not describe how beautiful the ballet was. I just loved it.
Day three in St. Petersburg involved a more relaxed day of going all the way up to St. Issac's Cathedral's colonnade and seeing a bird's eye view of the city, sitting in cafes, and painting faces for halloween.
Day four was another quick day at Spilt Blood cathedral, the Abnormal museum, experiencing an Orthodox service at Kazan catherdral and a late night 12 hour train ride back to Riga.
The trip was amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to go with and to experience it all once again. Out of the two cities I definitely love Moscow better. It feels much less touristy and there is a special place in my heart for that city. St. Petersburg was lovely, but it rained everyday and there is construction everywhere, but the richness of the history is still so alive.

Hope you were able to enjoy it through my words and hopefully the few pictures did the trip justice.

Recent happenings.

Zane and I at Emily's birthday dinner.
9 of us girls ate a great dinner at a Lithuanian restaurant.
Late night kebabas... the right way. Kebabas are open 24/7 and usually best eaten after midnight...

Parents came to visit!

We went to the Baltic, Akropolis, had tea with my roommates. I practiced Lithuanian and even had them come in for my Lithuanian speech about my family, took them to miesta baznycia (city church), took lots of pictures and geniunly enjoyed some quality time together.

The Study Abroads leave for Russia in 2 days. It is crazy to think that it has already arrived. It will be a trip full of activities, museums, and cultural experiences... such as a Russian ballet.

I also have the opportunity to meet up with my interpreter from my Spring break trip. I guess you could say I am excited!

More to come after Russia!

skype.

thank you to all who have taken time out of your day to talk with me on skype. each one of you has made my day a little bit more special. each day is different and i am constantly learning new things. thank you for your prayers.
this is a line of pictures of some of the people i have had the opportunity to talk with on skype... sorry if you don't like the picture of you. i kind of caught some of you off guard huh?

a few who aren't pictured:
g&g rowland
amy, ruth, maggie (spoke with via voice)
kyle lantz
dave downey (through em's comp)

updated version... some people weren't viewable. no longer a collage but a thank you nonetheless. love to all that are pictured and to those who aren't.thank you for the snail mail as well!
viso gero

Tallinn and Riga.

Last weekend the study abroads took a 3 day trip to the capitals of Estonia and Latvia.

Probably the worst part of the trip was the 10 hour overnight trip to arrive in Estonia in the morning... but thankfully I caught up on sleep the other two nights. (my only complaint)


Tallinn was probably the favorite for all of us, but only because we spent the majority of our time there. We went on a tour of the old town, shopped all around in the souvenir shops and ate at a medieval restaurant. Wool products are the major souvenir such as hats, sweaters and mittens.

After wandering the streets of Tallinn on Friday we all met up to eat at the medieval restaurant. It was "family style" with large dishes passed around the whole table. The dishes consisted of radish in spices, wild boar sausage, and fried cheese. Random but good none the less. Also, that evening after dinner four of us ran to a hotel that had a "water park" inside of it. The so called water park had 3 different slides, a competitive swimming pool, and tons of hot tubs. It was a fun and relaxing time.

Saturday we headed to Riga and ended up getting there in the late evening. We all split up and went to different restaurants. A group of us ate at a local food chain here in the Baltic States called Cili Pica (Chili Pizza). It is super good. They have tons of pizzas to choose from and they all are very different since the cultural tastes are different here.

Sunday morning there were three options for church. An Orthodox, Lutheran, or Anglican English speaking church. I ended up going to the Anglican and wished I had tried out the Orthodox to see the differences. Thankfully we will have an opportunity to go to a Russian Orthodox church in Russia.

After church we raced over to an Occupation Museum where we got a tour of it. Honestly, I had no idea that the Baltic States went through so much oppression. Either the Russians were controlling the countries or others. During WWII either the Russians were deporting and killing people or the Nazis were wiping out their Jewish population. Not once did the United States intervene, and sometimes I wonder what it would have done...
Learning about this specific part of their history shows me that their is a reason behind some of our drastic differences.

We ended up eating at a place called Lido for our lunch/dinner. It was a grab all kind of grub. We were able to choose from more than a dozen different stations. It was delicious and all of us were stuffed after filling our tummies. A really neat fact: the owner of Lido is a Christian and after they close up at night any of the food not eaten that day by guests is donated to the local soup kitchens to feed those in need.


Overall it was a really great weekend and a lot of fun memories were developed. Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my weekend.

Some pics from the weekend

A beautiful cathedral in Tallinn

Zane and I at an overlook of Tallinn

A propaganda poster in the Occupation Museum in Riga

Palanga.

Today Chelsea, Jordan and I went to Palanga, a seaside town about a 20 minute minibus ride from Klaipeda. It was quite chilly, but we had a fun time exploring. We ate at a local cafe and I had banana crepes and coffee.

I can not believe that I am into my third week at school and that next week we take our weekend trip to Tallinn and Riga. If it has already flown by so quickly in the beginning I am expecting it will do the same all the way through.

Tea time is one of my favorite times of the day. There is no specific time, but it always involves my roommates and I sitting down, drinking tea and either laughing about the things we say differently or the serious topics of our world. Tonight we exchanged how we would say what animals say. It was hilarious. They also like learning my expressions, like when something goes wrong I say, "Oh no!" and they usually Oye (if you can imagine how to say it...). They love it when I say Oye, because I say it so softly and I love it when they teach me new Russian words.
It has been so wonderful getting to know them better and the Lord has blessed me with some awesome times with them already. I look forward to even more.

There is a bakery on the way to school that makes AMAZING pastries and most of the pastries are only one lita. On our way back from school we usually stop and get one, and they are always straight from the oven and still warm. It is wonderful!

These are all random stories, but all that I have for now.

Jordan, Chelsea and I on the boardwalk to the beach at Palanga.
a changing station at the beach...
My roommates and I.
Until next time.

Klaipeda

Labas rytas! (good morning)

For most of you it is morning... and for me it is almost dinner time. I kept my clock on my computer to the time for Indiana so that I had an idea of what people were up to.

Classes started. They are going to keep me busy, quite a few papers for Philosophy of Religion, homework each night for Micro Econ, Hebrew Prophets is going to switch around so I will keep you posted about that, Theology has been so interesting, and Lithuanian has in all honesty been really fun to learn. The professor of Lithuanian is so energetic and really desires for us to learn which makes the class 100x better.

For anyone who wants to know my address here it is:

Karklu 5
Klaipeda, Lithuania
92243

Every day it gets a little bit better and I am really looking forward to feeling comfortable here... just not exactly there yet.

Emily and I went to a restaurant last night for some friendship time. It was a blessing to talk with her and just hear each other's perspective on where we are at at the present time. We had tiramisu AND the restaurant we went to was on the top floor of the Klaipeda hotel with windows all around so you can see all of Klaipeda. It was a great time.

A group of us went to the beach today after church. Can you believe it? I swam in the Baltic Sea... and yes, I actually got all the way in (except for my hair) It was a fun time and there were tons of people there.

Please continue to pray for me as I continue to adjust to a new life for 4 months. It will fly by and before I know it I will wish I had it all back again.

I praise Jesus that He is with me through this time I couldn't be here without Him.

And now. Some more pictures to tide you over.

Karklu... my home for 4 months.

Emily, Chelsea, Zane and I at the Jazz Club.
At the Baltic Sea for a day
Until next time.

Viso Gero (all the best)

First weeks of Lithuania.

Well. I have arrived. I have been in Lithuania for a whole week now.

Started out in Vilnius (the capital) sightseeing with the 30 other Study Abroad students and our Study Abroad interns working with us throughout the semester. It has been great to have people here who you can go to when you need some understanding.

We spent time in a KGB musuem, which was literally where the KGB ran their office and prison at, so we saw where people were executed and the likes. It was eye opening.
We took a walking tour of Vilnius and saw 4 magnificent cathedrals and heard about their history's as well.
We also went to Trakai where there is a 13th century castle still standing; Nida which is on the Kuronian Spit, and it is such a cute little resort town with cafes and sand dunes. Lithuania's history is rich and alive. The people of this country take pride in their language and culture.

Classes started yesterday and I couldn't have been more ready for them to begin. I have Micro Economics, Intro into Lithuanian, Intro into Theology, Hebrew Prophets, A Cross Cultural class developed for the Study Abroad students, and Macro Economics. Thankfully it will keep me busy and my mind constantly working.


My roommates are all from Ukraine. There are actually a lot of students from the Ukraine and Belarus. They are sweet and accomodating.

It has been a struggle for me to get used to being here. I am never a fan of change in my life, but it is the one thing that makes me a better person. I am looking forward to the next few weeks as this place starts becoming more comfortable to me and I can find my niche. Please pray for me during this time.

And now. A few pictures for you to see from my eyes.


This is my favorite cathedral we went to in Vilnius. All the bricks come from all over the world and it was one of the only buildings that didn't get destroyed during WWII.



my first granola bar in Lithuania. Corny big... hah!

the dunes of Nida.
Emily and I on the dunes looking over Nida.
Iki. (which means "until we meet again) and it is also the name of the major grocery store here in Lithuania.

So.

Iki.

Venice.Florence.Rome.

There and back.

Venice.

This was both Emily and my favorite place in Italy. Our hostel was tucked away in a neighborhood and kind of away from the touristy places. We took a water bus around the second day and loved people watching more than touring places. We went to San Marco Square, Rialto Bridge and Accademia Bridge too. Sometimes we would be riding down the Grand Canal and it would just hit me that I was actually in Venice, Italy. This trip has been such a wonderful thing.

The food is amazing and each dinner has been great. It has been pasta heaven for me
This was my first meal in Venice.

Gelato in Venice was the best too. We found a cheap place that had gelato for 1.10 euro and ended up eating it twice a day there. Tiramisu, lemon, and watermelon have been my favorites so far.

We just really felt at home in Venice, it was smaller and easier to navigate, people were also much more willing to help us get around. We were trying to find the Giovanni Evangelista church our first day there, ran into two cute old ladies and they walked us to it even though we couldn't understand one another's languages. It was so sweet of them.

Florence.

Because we had such a wonderful time in Venice, Emily and I were skeptical of what Florence would be for us. Our hostel was pretty sketchy. Once arriving there after about a 15 minute walk from the train station we arrived to find young Italian men running the hostel. The guy behind the desk explained to us that he could get us a great room and that they loved American girls. I was just praying that this wasn't some hoax. After paying we were actually sent to another location and had a great experience there, with our own room and bathroom. cool!

We went to the Accademia (literally next door to our hostel) and saw David, and then walked to the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. If I could pick one landmark that I loved it was the Duomo. The church was enormous and absolutely spectacular. Dinner was fun that night and we found a great place hidden away. I had orchiette and Emily had ravioli with pears and cheese. It was delicious :)

Our friday morning was spent at the Uffizi gallery which had mostly paintings with religious meanings or statues. We were quite overwhelmed. Bartered for different souveneirs for gifts and then took a nap back at our room. That evening we tried to save dinner for much later and walked around to different shops. We found a great store called Signum that had journals and posters. It was a great find. Dinner was spent in one of the Piazzas at an outdoor cafe.
We had cappuchino around 9 o'clock which was an absolutely awful decision. We had to be at the train station around 8:30 that next morning and didn't fall asleep until around 2:30 the night before because of the caffeine in the cappuchino. All in all Florence was beautiful and there was a lot to see, but it wasn't my favorite of the trip.

Rome.

Rome has been overwhelming. It is a huge city with tons to do. This past Saturday after getting back from Florence, Emily and I actually laid low and took a break from sightseeing. But, after dinner that night, Debbie (who we are staying with in Rome) took us to get gelato near the Pantheon and then we walked to the Trevi fountain. It was a lot of fun. Today Emily and I went to the Colosseum, took a guided tour which was well worth it and then walked to the Roman Forum and Palatino. The ruins are amazing to see and it is crazy to believe they have been around for so long. Then we took the metro to Vatican city and walked around for awhile. We took Debbie out to dinner and had bruschetta, pizza, and tiramisu. yum!
One more day left in Italy and then headed to Lithuania. I am not really ready to go, so prayer that I would get adjusted to Lithuania easily would be much appreciated. I am so thankful that Emily and I had this time to travel and see a part of the world. The Lord truly blessed us with this opportunity.

Until next time.

Ciao.

Emily and I have been up for 31 hours so bear with me.

Our flight over was great, not much sleep, but fine nonetheless.
So, on the screens that they show movies on for the flight they also show where we are in our flight over, what time it is from our depature and the time until our destination. Emily and I didn't realize that they were showing us the time until our destination, and actually thought it was the time over in Poland where we were headed. Then we noticed the time was counting down and at the exact same moment realized it was counting down until we landed not the actual time. We felt pretty dumb at that point.

Breakfast before landing in Poland was hilarious to us both. We had woken up from minimal sleep to find a tray of the most interesting foods for breakfast. It consisted of a slice of deli ham, lettuce, 2 small cucumbers, 1/2 of a cherry tomato, dollop of cottage cheese and a dinner roll. Now, I wasn't expecting pancakes and eggs, but seriously they could have given us a heads up on what was going to served ;)

After landing in Poland we had our passports stamped and went through another set of security. Emily and I didn't think we would go through security again and had actually filled our water bottles up for the next flight. Thankfully the Poles are very generous people and allowed us to just dump it out and go on to our gate. Phew!

The train ride from the airport in Rome to Debbie's apartment was really fun and it was so neat to see the countryside leading into Rome. A Swedish guy sat with us and told us he had just moved to Rome to work for the World Food Organization (i think) for the UN. He travels all over, such as, he is going to Afghanistan next and Africa soon after that. It was sad though, because we could tell that his job meant squat to him.

All in all it has been such a great time. We head to Venice tomorrow :)

Until next time.

Ciao.

Leaving tomorrow.

The voyage, which is what Patrick calls it, starts in Rome.

I don't know what to expect so I am not truly looking forward to it, but once
I arrive I know that it will all mean so much more to me.

So. Goodbye to America.

and

Hello Europe!

(don't worry, once I get there my posts will be much longer)

thank you to all who will be praying for me. i appreciate it greatly.

In 17 days I leave for Italy and in 26 days I will be in Lithuania for 4 and 1/2 months.

This will be quite the adventure. Pray for Emily and I as we jump out of our comfort
zones and into a whole new way of life for awhile.

I am excited and scared all at the same time. Thankfully I am not alone... and I don't
just mean Emily.

Packing is intersting as well as remembering everything that needs to be taken.

This is going to be fun