A Big Surprise

So when I had the choice of going to either Germany or Lithuania with students, I didn't think too much about the decision. I figured that I was already planning on going to Germany with Kerri, and I would have never planned to go to Lithuania on my own, so Lithuania it was! I thought it was sort of crazy to go on a trip during the second to last week of school, but it turns out that it was perfect timing. Traveling to Lithuania is important for LOTE students because they have a shared history from when they shared a king to the back and forth control of Russia. I was looking forwarding to going, but I never expected to love it as much as I did! Lithuania is a beautiful country and it is exactly what I needed!

We left early on Tuesday morning to make the 14 hour bus ride to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania . It was just about as much fun as it sounds, and it really made MISS interstates and rest stops with more than one toilet. Wednesday was essentially non-stop sight seeing. The students were really worn out by the end of the day, and they were going to mutiny if they were forced to go into one more church. Thursday we visited two other cities, Kaunas, the old capital city, and Kėdainiai, a city that is important to Polish-Lithuanian history. Friday was a mix of one last walk around Vilnius, touring Trakai, and visiting the sister school of LOTE. Oh, and of course 13 hours on a bus to get home at 6am.

Here are some of my favorite tidbits of my trip:
-There is a bridge next to an old church that has a cool fence. Couples who get married in this church bring with them a lock. They lock their lock onto the fence and throw the keys into the river to symbolize that they are together forever. The fence is JUST covered with so many locks.
-I was able to sneak away on an evening walk to get some solo time on Wednesday. After so much Polish, I really needed some time to myself. I walked to the panoramic view of the city. The weather was beautiful and I felt so content sitting on the hill, looking out on the city. I loved each second I spent there.
-Realizing that English is a popular language in Lithuania and that it was is a joy to read English on menus and speak it to waitresses. PLUS hearing the students share stories about their English interactions was fun too!
-On Thursday night we literally dragged the students out on a walk. The director and the history teacher had a meeting to go to, so it was just me and the chemistry teacher. Both of us wanted to go out, so therefore all of the students had to go. (Sorry, kids!) I ended up walking around with her, and though my Polish is awful and she described her English as terrible, we had a really nice time! We talked, laughed, shared tea, and took some great pictures.
-On a store there were signs telling what was appropriate behavior for inside. There the normal ones, shirt and shoes required, no ice cream. However, there was also one that said no guns. Why? Is this a problem? People need to be told NOT to bring guns into stores?
-The last church we saw in Vilnius was St. Peter and St. Paul's Church. It is said that if you have not seen this church you have not seen Vilnius. Inside of the church, there are over 2,000 statues! Everything is white, except for Jesus, and it was stunningly beautiful. The statues were built to help explain the love and word of God to the congregation. There was a time when Lithuania and Poland were united, and though both nations were Catholic and services were conducted in Latin, the sermons were all spoken in Polish. Therefore the poor Lithuanians were lost. I really connect with this feeling. So the church commissioned all of these statues to be built in the sanctuary to show the people what Christ did for them. Being in this church was very moving, and I wish that I would have learned about it early in the year.
-Finally, I want to share about Trakai, a city just outside of Vilnius. It is home to beautiful lakes, the most well-preserved castle in Lithuania, and wonderful parks. This town was absolutely beautiful. I wanted to stay forever. It's a popular weekend getaway destination, I could see why. I wish that I could have spent hours just walking around and exploring. Getting on the bus after my time in Trakai was very difficult.

Again, this was an unexpectedly wonderful trip. I truly hope to go back to Lithuania someday! But now that I'm back in Poland, I really need to focus on my last days here. I've got so much to do over the next week. Packing, cleaning, teaching, saying goodbyes, and above all else, leaving. I think this week is going to be challenging but also wonderful. I hope to be able to write at least one more time before I'm stateside, but we'll see!

Blessings,
Colleen