Edited

In summary, the development of these two powers can be called “urban colonisation” and “rural urbanisation”, two different directions in urbanisation development, which arose in Medieval times in former Semigallia, which was divided between two states.

Thus, I conclude my rough edit of Urban Colonisation and Rural Urbanisation by Romas Jarockis.

Toilet Talk

While in Estonia, a great blog topic came to mind. I've spent most of my life in Argentina, the United States, Bolivia, and now, Lithuania. The culture that I experienced in Bolivia was mostly U.S. American, so I won't talk about my experiences there.

Everywhere were I go I see differences and similarities between the three cultures. Certain sights and sounds trigger my mind and take me homes, while others are just out of this world. Even small things, such as bathroom etiquette, can be quite different.

For example, all bathrooms in Eastern Europe have little brushes to clean up after yourself if you've left a mess. You won't find that in either Argentina or the United States, and aren't necessarily expected to use it at the same extent as you are here.

A major bathroom observation that I've made includes the bathroom door. Argentina: keep door closed at all times and knock before going in. If someone is in there, they yell ''OCUPADO!'' In the States: the door is left open when unoccupied (if even a crack) and closed when in use. A knock is appropriate if you are unsure, in which you will get a ''Almost done!'' In Eastern Europe: the local customs dictate that the door always be closed and that you do not knock, but directly try the door handle. If you do knock (which I have tried on various occasions), no one will ever answer. Therefore, the only way to know if the bathroom is unoccupied is by trying the handle. I'm not sure what would happen if a bahtroom door didn't have a lock...

I'm still not used to it, so whenever someone tries the handle (which from the inside usually sounds like someone is going to break down the door) I yell out, ''OCUPADOOOO!''

:)

Estonia and Latvia- check

I'm going on my last trip organized by LCC. It should be a good way to end the semester. We still have three weeks of classes to complete, along with a weeks worth of finals.

My friend Timur and I were hoping to make it Helsinki, the capital of Finland, to be able to mark another country off of our visited list. It would have worked if we were visiting Tallinn, instead of Riga, last. It might have also helped if I had some extra money to take the 60 Euro ferry over to Helsinki. :)

We should be getting back this Sunday. Pray for us!

:::: Argentina Celebration ::::

Received in a school email today:

Got Questions about Life South of the Equator?

Come and join Study Abroad student Josh Greenman as he shares about the culture and people of Argentina. Josh has lived almost his whole life in Argentina and will answer all your questions about South America.

Wednesday April 2nd 16:00

Neumann Hall Lobby

:) I should probably get started on that soon...

Frontline

Lately, I've been watching a PBS show, Frontline. They have a lot really good documentaries on current events (AIDS, meth, Iraq, etc). I just finished watching one on racism. The teacher separates the classroom according to the student's eye color (brown and blue). She treats each group differently to teach them how racism feels. Depending on how they are treated, their grades raise and fall. She then does the same to a group of adults who work in a jail. It could be interesting to incorporate this into a university class.

Very interesting, watch it.