Pray

I just wrote this list of prayer requests to one of my professors at Taylor University. I like it, so I'm going to share it with you.

1) I guess the biggest weight on my heart and mind right now is the fact that I seem to be running out of time for my internship. I find it close to impossible to work on it more than one hour per day, due to a wandering and mind and actual time restraints. I am also insecure in my ability to edit a professional document in British English. May the Lord have mercy on me. This is good practice though, and I am appreciative of all of the work from others that has been placed into it.

2) Ticket issues. I've had to pay over $400 for something that I shouldn't have paid for. We are working on getting it fixed though. I was able to buy tickets from Riga to Stockholm, Brussels to Geneva, and Milan to Riga for quite a low price (under $180 for all together), which I am thankful for. There are still a few things which need to be worked out though...

3) Argentina- I don't have too many friends down there any more, so I'm trying to audit a few history classes in the Universidad de Salta. I still need to get these worked out. I don't want to end up being bored, but want to use this time to find out who I really am and grow spiritually and academically.

4) Sleep- I need to sleep more, but can't seem to manage it. I'm trying though...

2s

I've been in Lithuania for about two months and this is what I look like now:


We have about two months left in our stay in Lithuania. Time is moving fast...and I have a lot of editing left to do.

This is what I do for fun...

Ugh

I'm in Lithuania only taking 14 credits and don't have a job...I shouldn't feel overwhelmed, right?

Here is a list of things that I need to accomplish in the near future if I want to stay in school and be cool:

• Write a 6 page essay on the importance of physical touch in greetings. I'm not finding much on the topic. If YOU find something of interest, feel free to send the link my way.
• Change the date of my return flight to the States.
• Edit more...a lot more.
• Buy my ticket from Chicago or Indy to Salta, Argentina. The dates and prices are throwing me off.
• Decide if I want to go to Poland for a Easter weekend. My heart says go go but my "budget" is saying no no.
• Figure out what I want to do while I'm in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The list is huge.
  

*Trust in God* *Breath* *Rest*

MuKappa Int.

Over the years I have been heavily involved with Taylor Mukappa, where I served as a cabinet member and more recently as the president for last year's spring and fall semesters. Within the past 6 months, I have been asked to serve on a committee to help create and edit a MuKappa devotional. I know that a lot of insightful third culture kids visit my blog. David C. Pollock (a tck god) defines being a tck as such: A TCK is someone who has spent a significant part of his/her developmental years in a culture other than the parents’ culture, developing a sense of relationship to all of those cultures while not having full ownership of any.

This is not a Taylor University project, so don't worry if you don't study there...or aren't even in college. If you find yourself in the tck category, please feel free to submit a devotional. The page with all of the information can be found here. I hope to read through submissions in the near future!

Half Birthday

Today is my half birthday. I am officially 21.5 years old. In 6 months, I will be 22 and finally mature. :D

This is the invitation that I sent out to my friends the night before:

I am throwing a surprise half-birthday celebration for myself. I am officially 21.5 years old today...yay.

Please pay your respects to the senior study abroad student by coming to my surprise party.

Where is it? 5th floor lounge in Karklu. What time? 8 pm.

Bring a bowl, spoon, and anything else you think might be useful. I am poor, so either bring something to share or some LTS to help pay for beer, cake, and ice-cream. Just kidding, no beer. Hit "reply" to let me know if you are coming. This is an open invitation, so please bring anybody who might have heard of me.

If you have any questions, email Becca Close. She doesn't know about this, so make the questions short. Wow, it's 4:30 am and I'm still up. I'm an oldie now, I shouldn't be up. Nothing good ever happens after 1. Not sure why I'm even planning my own surprise party....huh.

Good night friends. Hope to see you all here.

Between 20-30 people showed up. It was really fun and now there are talks of quite a few half birthday parties coming up. I received a very nice baby cactus from some Ukrainian friends and a framed drawing of me from my neighbors.

Spiritual Life Retreat

I just got back from a retreat with a bunch of kids from LCC. We rented a house a few hundred meters from the Baltic Sea, which we visited a few times. The guys took the third floor, which ended up being extremely cold. It had a completely different feel from the MuKappa retreats which I go to when I'm at Taylor. I felt weird not being in charge of something, but it was a nice change. I didn't even feel bad when I went upstairs to do my devotions alone, knowing that lunch was being prepared. On my walk on the beach this morning a wave caught me off guard and my feet got wet. I'll live, but I'm out of clean pants...

Cuban Embargo

Ha.

Morocco

For all of you who know my cousin Beth (Eli), she is planning on going to Morocco to work with the Peace Corp. I am extremely excited for her and was actually planning on visiting her this summer. She now has two blogs, one in English and one is Spanish.

Just in case there are any Spanish speakers on here...

Para todos quienes conocen a mi prima Eli, ella está planeando trabajar en Marruecos con una organizacion americana que trabaja con gente de países mas pobres para mejorar sus vidas. Me emocioné bastante cuando me contó que iba a la África (estaba llorando...je je) y la quería visitar este verano. Tiene dos blogs, uno en inglés y otro en castellano.

'Tis Thursday!

I almost forgot to post something funny (Thursday is funny day). I like White Ninja strips. Click to enlarge.

Internship Update

I've been editing an article for a Lithuanian archaeologist who lives in Vilnius but works here in Klaipeda. His article is "a comparison analysis of urban development in Semigallia, East Baltic 1100-1600 AD."

I've tallied my time and just hit 20 completed hours .
I just finished editing page 30 today. I have 30 more to go for my rough edit. My goal is to go through the paper once with Romas (my supervisor) to hit on some confusing sentences. I will have Julie (English major) go through my editing to make sure I caught everything and then re-read it to make sure it all sounds nice (all tense uses are universal, etc.,).

It's hard getting all of these hours in! I'm looking forward to going out on archaeological digs. This equals easy hours and a way to meet fellow historians from the area.

¡Labas Papas!

We all know that labas means hello in Lithuanian. If not, you do now. We also know that labas rhymes with papas, the Spanish word for potatoes or popes (la papa: potato, el papa: the pope). I liked to say, "Labas Labas!" to everyone who I saw. This soon became boring so I started saying, "¡Labas Papas!" I'm cool because I speak Spanglish. Now I'm REALLY cool because I speak some Spanian. I decided to try out my Spanian skills on a girl from swing dance (I'm the only non-Lithuanian). When I said, "¡Labas Papas!" to her, she coldly looked at me and asked who taught me such a word. She didn't look convinced when I told her that I was from Argentina.

Turns out papas is Lithuanian for breasts.

Wuwe's Birthday!

Smile Wuwe...it's your birthday! Well....at least here in Lithuania it is!





Say hi to her here!

Today

• I woke up 45 min. late but still made it on time to class. I told my clock to wake me up at 8:15, but I forgot to set it. God blessed me with the few extra minutes of much needed sleep and woke me up with plenty of time to get my pants on (thank you God!).
  
• I got to walk to school with my friend Anastasiya today. We don't talk enough.
• If I would have gotten one more question right on my math test I would have gotten a 9 (10 is the best).
• I called Becca "mom" today. I still owe her money.
  
• I finished the chapter on Love in Blue Like Jazz. It makes a lot of sense and I'm going to read it again. It scares me though.
• I was reading my devotions in the sun and realized that I over read by quite a few verses. This is a good sign.
  
• I read through friend's old blog posts. I can't do it without thinking, "Where do I fit in?" so...
  
• I took a nap.
• I made coffee to make myself feel warm. Chris has lent me his French press coffee maker. It's a one person deal, just like the one that Sara gave to me (I have two). I miss my grinder because the coffee here is too fine. I don't miss my grinder because I don't need more junk in my life right now. I miss making coffee for friends. I almost always got stuck with cleaning up their mugs, which frustrated me at times. I've changed my mentality to: if I can't do that menial task, how am I going to serve people with big things (Oswald Chambers has a lot to say about this)? I now make coffee for everyone at Bible study. :)
  
• I need to study for a Bible test, which I have very few notes for. I'm meeting with Anastasiya and Sasha at 8 to study (I hope their notes are better!).
• Swing dance at 7!
  
• Potatoes, cheese, and a raw cucumber for dinner. They are going to taste better this time because Amy sent some spices to put on them. I've been eating oranges for extra nourishment. Mom, I really miss you papas doradas and milanesas.
• I'm listening to Keith Green's worship cd. If you ever get a chance to read his biography by his wife, you should. This man was nuts about God (plus he had a sweet afro, harry chest, and a beard!). To read it you just need to be able to look past his wife's awful writing skills. If you live anywhere near Upland, I might be able to sneak it out of Jujuy for you.
• Two and a half weeks until I go to Russia. That's in 18 days.
  
• My tongue still hurts like crazy. I ate some spicy spaghetti Sunday night and it just completely destroyed my tongue. My respect for Amy and Ruwe for drinking my boiling maté has increased a lot.
  

What are teeth good for?

We know that God provides for those who are in need. In Lithuanian Roots we read that Dievas dave dantis, Dievas duos duonos, which means "God gave us teeth, God will give us bread." The author is actually comparing Sanskrit and the Lithuanian language and how they constitute two poles which help with understanding the origins of the Indo-European languages.

I like this quote.

Welcome Kosovo!

Today, Klaipeda's Argentine population has decided to acknowledge Kosovo's presence as an independent nation. Welcome! I wish you a peaceful future with the ability to forgive but not to forget. Stand up for what you believe in and don't let others tell you what to do. Ok? Watch out who gets the power! You know what I'm talking about...

The Spit

Yesterday I went with a group of students to a land formation called the Curonian Spit. It was really nice to get out of Klaipeda and explore a new town. We took a 10 minute ferry from Klaipeda across the channel. We then took a bus for about an hour to Nida, the last Lithuanian town before reaching Russia. Huge sand dunes have formed due to people cutting down trees in the 1700-1800s. It was extremely sunny out and I could have used some sunglasses. When I returned I was extremely exhausted with a terrible headache. I might have gotten a little sunburn as well. :D I want to return to the Spit when spring gets here. It would be fun to have a pick nick there on the beach.

Counting Money

I found this following video to be quite interesting. Does it go along with what you know and have seen in different countries? Yes, you may have to leave a comment...


How People Count Cash? - The best video clips are here

Valentine Open Mic. Night

Donatas and I played for the LCC Coffee House Open Mic. Night. It was really fun! We only got to practice twice... See (and listen) for yourself:

Je je San Valentino

What a coincidence! Funny Thursday falls on Valentine's Day, which has already arrived in Klaipeda, Lithuania. I think this video is pretty funny:



Happy Valentines Day everyone! I miss all of you...especially you!

Blind Date

Much like a pick-a-date at Taylor University, LCC's two dorms both had blind date competitions as a dorm activity. I originally hadn't planned on participating, even though my RA signed me up without me knowing. I have my first math test tomorrow so I only figured on staying for the first few minutes. I guess there weren't enough guys (all had to participate) so I figured that I would give it a shot and lose. We were supposed to answer a few questions that would let the girls figure out what kind of guys we were (and vice versa). A few questions included, "What would you do to let the girl know that you liked her?" "Do nice things to her...err...I mean for her." "If you could be any animal, what would you be?" "A panda bear." "What would you wear on your first date?" "Um...my best semi-casual shirt, favorite jeans, and best shoes (basically everything that I own here)." I guess I said the right things because I got 2/3 of the girls to choose me. I chose girl #2 (she said that she would cook anything and everything to get the guys' attention) so we went to the next round. Well, it turned out that we had to answer multiple choice questions to see if we were compatible. "What is your ideal date? A) Romantic dinner, B) Walk on the beach, C) bungee jumping." I answered B and she answered C. :( At least we got third! After a dance off and a game of charades, the winers won a free dinner at the local pizza shop.

It was fun and a really good way to meet new people.

;D

The Sun Was Shining

I had a great walk to school today. I was extremely tired after a long night, but was still able to enjoy the half hour walk that I have grown fond of. It is really nice to have buses though, in case I need back-up. As far as I can tell, there are two ways to walk to campus. One of these days I will post a detailed map for all of you to see.

When I got out of class it felt really warm out...for which I was grateful for. It hasn't been that cold here, but it sure is nice to get some sun every once in a while (5 C). The sun was shinning and everything felt so warm and familiar. I walked home on my least frequented route, where I thought I would be able to get the most sun. I miss the sun. If I were spending more than one semester here I might be tempted to practice syncretism and start worshiping Lithuanian pagan gods, the sun and the moon.


God created the sun and the moon. I thank Him daily for providing me with warmth whenever I feel the coldest. I thank Him for providing family and friends whenever I feel the loneliest. God is my provider, my sustainer, and my vitamin D. I thank God for this opportunity to live in Lithuania and meet new people. I ask Him daily to allow me to learn what He wants me to know by living here.

I helped lead worship Monday night and had an eye opening experience of a God who loves and forgives. I was able to help a friend out last night who was in need and I felt God's power move through me as I met a need. I had the opportunity to visit an old folk's home last Saturday. Their lonely eyes lit up when they saw that we were there to visit them. Young people don't do that too often. That's what it means to be a Christian: loving God and then loving people.

This grandmother was kind enough to share what little she had. Her tangerine tasted great!

Pranked!

It looks like our neighbors from room 317 posted life-like drawings of us. I'm not sure if we are planning on doing any thing back to the girls. I know Naomi reads this blog, so I'm not going to post anything too sensitive.

1 Month or Cuatro Semanas

I've been in Lithuania for about a month now...give or take a few days. I'm enjoying myself here, but it isn't easy. I really can't believe that I've been here for a month already...but at the same time it has gone quite slowly. The sun now rises at 8 and sets at 5:10. Things are getting better! :D

"The Lithuanias" han retornado

Another fun sentence in my readings. Does any one else think these random ending sentences are funny? From page 57:

A typical Lithuanian genre is raudos (lamentations), which are performed at sad, painful and tragic moments of life. The performer usually laments a person with whom he parts. It may be on the occasion of marriage, funeral, seeing off a soldier to war or a shepherd who is hired by a farmer.

Let me know if you like these. They brighten up my day a little.

On page 60 I have run across a few riddles from ancient Lithuania.

1. White cockerels are fighting on a red perch.
2. Though it lies day and night it never rots.
3. It passes through fire but does not burn, it passes through water but does not sink, it passes through straw but it does not rustle.
4. It has a mouth of bone, a beard of flesh, it is born twice, dies once and is not afraid of the devil.
5. The father of riddles lies in a pool.
6. Upon breaking the ice you find silver, upon breaking silver you find gold.
7. The father has not yet born, but the son has gone grey.
   

You can find the answers here.

Je je Jueves

Since I am currently fasting from the Internet (Lent started today!), I haven't had a chance to find any funny videos. Confused as to how I am fasting from the Internet and yet still able to post on my blog? I'll tell you sometime soon... ;) For now you will have to make do with some do's and dont's with babies.

We all know that I didn't draw these cartoons. These guys did.

TV and Mead

Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders.

-Margaret Mead

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!

There were masks, pancakes, music, dancing, laughter, and pranking. There was a holiday today celebrating the return of spring. A figure of winter was made out of straw and burnt to make things easier for spring to return. Yay spring. I want everyone to know that I was the last person in the whole celebration to receive a free pancake. Everyone was running out of batter but I was lucky enough to grab a napkin and stick it in the ladies' face who was frying them. :) I didn't even have to pay for it! I was also part of the procession of dancing people that walked to the water-front to burn Mother Winter. Lots of fun things were going on... I even saw someone dressed up like a Jewish salesman trying to sell women's underwear to everyone. There was a whole farm of animals as well. One of my favorites were the t.v. news reporters walking around and "filming" everything that was going on.

Another placed interstingly sentence

Another interesting ending sentence in "The Lithuanians" by Juozas Kudirka. This chapter is on Easter traditions. Page 43 states that:

Girls enjoy swinging on swings in hay barns or in the open. The higher they go in their swings, the taller the flax is going to grow in the summer. This superstition is sometimes responsible for accidents and injuries. In Zemaitia people used to sprinkle each other with water.

I'm starting on page seven of my editing. Romas' grammar isn't quite as bad as Juozas Kudirka, but there is still need for things to be changed around. Only 80 pages to go!

¡Abrazos Gratis!

I just got some photos from Saltshaker. I think they turned out pretty good... I look really grouchy in the second to last one...not sure why. I got a lot of stares with my Spanish sign. I guess not too many people in Klaipeda speak Spanish.

United Airlines...

I'm still trying to figure out my ticket problem. I finally got a phone number where I could talk to actual people (thanks Amy!) and called them a few minutes ago. They said that they can't refund my money or change my return flight for me. I'm going to call from Natalija's office on Monday to have some moral support. Sometimes I feel like there is a language barrier between the lady in India and me. I'll try writing it out clearly on a piece of paper so that I can read it off to them next them.