Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Hello out there!
The Lithuanian adventure begins again, but we are taking quite a round about way to get there. We leave Atlanta, land at Heathrow, go to Dover and board an 800 or so passenger ship for a cruise of the Baltics. I honestly don't remember the order of the trip, but we will go to Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lubec St. Petersburg, Riga, and back to England to fly to Lithuania for about 10 days. We will spend a few days in Kaunas, a city we have not visited and then to Klaipeda, the city we feel is our second home. We can't wait to see our dear friends, especially Joris, who is now 6. I can't imagine how grown up he must look.
We'll be on the ship for 23 days, so most of my posts will probably be posted after we arrive in the hotels in Lithuania. I'm afraid to go on such a long trip without recording the experience, because things just seem to run together if I don't.
We aren't taking time to tour England this trip, because 5 seeks is just about enough touring for 2 old people. It may actually be too much, but I won't know that until it's too late to do anything about it except trudge onward.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Reentry Post 8 So, Now That It's Ending, How Do You Feel About Blogging, Betty?
That's probably a really good question, but I am really conflicted about the answer. I started Blog simply to keep a record so that my memories would not all run together and to keep in touch with friends and family. As time went on, it became less a a travelogue about Lithuania and more a ramble through my thoughts and feelings. It was not something I intended to happen, and I really don't know how it ended up that way. Some days it almost turned into a diary. I never kept a diary for more than a day or two at a time as a girl, but I do know that they came with a tiny key and were kept hidden.
Perhaps because I really didn't/still don't exactly understand how people find blogs, it didn't occur to me that people who didn't know I even existed in the world would find their way to Blog, much less read it. So, I yaked away, trying to be sure I didn't say anything that might offend anyone, but not really mindful that anyone other than my nearest and dearest would ever read what I wrote. If a 64 year old woman can occasionally find herself being more open than she originally intended, no wonder younger people end up letting things hang out that they will come to regret. When we were kids and were indiscrete or cruel or foolish it was wrong and hurtful and did real damage, but it could only spread so far. Today... And that doesn't even begin to consider those who are intentionally hurtful rather than just thoughtless. Jeffrey Deaver's ROADSIDE CROSSES, as mentioned in an earlier post, can describe that all too well.
Maybe I'll figure it all out one of these days. In the meantime, thank you to all you kind folks who kept up with our adventures and sent encouraging words.
Here are the last pictures of Lithuania and of our trip to Rhodes.
https://picasaweb.google.com/Williams.BMR/LastLithuaniaPixandRhodesPix
https://picasaweb.google.com/Williams.BMR/LastLithuaniaPixandRhodesPix
If you ever are in the neighborhood, stop off in Klaipeda and tell them Betty sent you.
Perhaps because I really didn't/still don't exactly understand how people find blogs, it didn't occur to me that people who didn't know I even existed in the world would find their way to Blog, much less read it. So, I yaked away, trying to be sure I didn't say anything that might offend anyone, but not really mindful that anyone other than my nearest and dearest would ever read what I wrote. If a 64 year old woman can occasionally find herself being more open than she originally intended, no wonder younger people end up letting things hang out that they will come to regret. When we were kids and were indiscrete or cruel or foolish it was wrong and hurtful and did real damage, but it could only spread so far. Today... And that doesn't even begin to consider those who are intentionally hurtful rather than just thoughtless. Jeffrey Deaver's ROADSIDE CROSSES, as mentioned in an earlier post, can describe that all too well.
Maybe I'll figure it all out one of these days. In the meantime, thank you to all you kind folks who kept up with our adventures and sent encouraging words.
Here are the last pictures of Lithuania and of our trip to Rhodes.
https://picasaweb.google.com/Williams.BMR/LastLithuaniaPixandRhodesPix
https://picasaweb.google.com/Williams.BMR/LastLithuaniaPixandRhodesPix
If you ever are in the neighborhood, stop off in Klaipeda and tell them Betty sent you.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Reentry Post 7 Attended Orientation for Next Crop of Fulbrighters
Because the orientation for Fulbrighters had been such a help to us, we decided to pass on what we had learned. The government paid for Del's ticket to Washington and expenses, but because in our family I am more in charge of many activities of daily living than Del is, I thought I could offer some useful information that he might not think of. So we paid for my ticket. Del and a student were the only returning Fulbrighters there, and I was the only spouse. It was made clear by one Fulbright professional that it was presumptuous of me to participate, so I would recommend that future returning spouses not attend. If you have suggestions, make a list and give it to your spouse so that he/she can refer to it during the group sessions. Why spend your own money to get your feelings hurt in public? Since I did intrude, I hope Del as the Fulbrighter and I as the trailing spouse were as helpful to the new group as the returnees were to us last year. They were certainly an interesting and gracious group, and if they are received even half as generously at their universities as we were at Klaipeda University, they will be truly blessed.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Reentry Post 6 - Lessons Learned - Travel
Twenty years or more ago, we attended the retirement party of a man who was known all over as a leader in his profession. He and his wife, who was a writer and editor, were brilliant and had traveled the world. I happened to be in an elevator with one of their adult children, and commented that the retirement trip her parents were planning sounded wonderful. She responded that she was a little worried about them. This was while they were still "young" by my present standards,and healthy of mind and body, so I said "But they have been all over the world. She replied that that was true, but because most of their travel had been work related,this was the first time they had ever been abroad when there were no hosts waiting for them.
Looking back at our travel to other countries, I realize that because each of our trips to Thailand and to Taiwan were related to Del's work,we also had people who were there to make sure there were no bumps in the road, and to be sure we saw everything and more. We were a bit more independent in Taiwan, and in Hong Kong. When David and Anita and Del and I went to Europe, we spent lots of wonderful times planning for the land part of the trip, and we did a great job, sez I as shouldn't, but Rick Steves held our hands all the way, even though he, of course, was unaware of it. We treated his guidebooks as though they were the be all and end all. We chose hotels, planned tours and transportation between Florence and Rome, rode the Rome subway at night, despite the fears of our hotel receptionist, and had a wonderful time We also learned a lot, but I was still a tentative traveler.
When we found out that Del had been given the Fulbright, I was happy for him because he had dreamed of living abroad for as long as I've known him. I was not so excited for myself, because of my less than adventurous nature, and because we had just moved less than an hour from David, Tracy and Rosa, especially Rosa. Five months seemed like the rest of my life, and when I found out I would be teaching English as a second language to faculty and staff in Del's department, I was in a panic.
But the day came, and off we went. Strange as it still seems to me, I immediately felt at home in Klaipeda. People were so kind, and were so supportive of this very frightened pretend English teacher. Turns out, five months went in a flash, but in that five months, I learned more than I could have imagined.
Of course our hosts were generous with their time and planned many interesting opportunities for us, but as we became familiar with our surroundings, we began to search out places we wanted to go and figure out how to get to them. We figured out how to get where we wanted to go on buses and trains in Lithuania and traveled to Latvia by bus. When we went to Rhodes, we felt felt comfortable taking public buses to places of interest instead of going on tours, and we went out to a festival in a small town just because we wanted to. It was great!
I don't think I will be signing up to go on the Greyhound bus anytime soon/ever, and I will probably still want to take ship tours to places far from port rather than just taking a taxi because my fear of being left behind by planes and ships is still alive and well. I think I came home a less tentative traveler, however. I don't think traveling abroad alone would ever be my choice, but I feel confident that I could do it. It's a pretty good feeling. Thanks Del for bringing/dragging me along all these years, and thanks to our friends in Lithuania for teaching me so much.
Looking back at our travel to other countries, I realize that because each of our trips to Thailand and to Taiwan were related to Del's work,we also had people who were there to make sure there were no bumps in the road, and to be sure we saw everything and more. We were a bit more independent in Taiwan, and in Hong Kong. When David and Anita and Del and I went to Europe, we spent lots of wonderful times planning for the land part of the trip, and we did a great job, sez I as shouldn't, but Rick Steves held our hands all the way, even though he, of course, was unaware of it. We treated his guidebooks as though they were the be all and end all. We chose hotels, planned tours and transportation between Florence and Rome, rode the Rome subway at night, despite the fears of our hotel receptionist, and had a wonderful time We also learned a lot, but I was still a tentative traveler.
When we found out that Del had been given the Fulbright, I was happy for him because he had dreamed of living abroad for as long as I've known him. I was not so excited for myself, because of my less than adventurous nature, and because we had just moved less than an hour from David, Tracy and Rosa, especially Rosa. Five months seemed like the rest of my life, and when I found out I would be teaching English as a second language to faculty and staff in Del's department, I was in a panic.
But the day came, and off we went. Strange as it still seems to me, I immediately felt at home in Klaipeda. People were so kind, and were so supportive of this very frightened pretend English teacher. Turns out, five months went in a flash, but in that five months, I learned more than I could have imagined.
Of course our hosts were generous with their time and planned many interesting opportunities for us, but as we became familiar with our surroundings, we began to search out places we wanted to go and figure out how to get to them. We figured out how to get where we wanted to go on buses and trains in Lithuania and traveled to Latvia by bus. When we went to Rhodes, we felt felt comfortable taking public buses to places of interest instead of going on tours, and we went out to a festival in a small town just because we wanted to. It was great!
I don't think I will be signing up to go on the Greyhound bus anytime soon/ever, and I will probably still want to take ship tours to places far from port rather than just taking a taxi because my fear of being left behind by planes and ships is still alive and well. I think I came home a less tentative traveler, however. I don't think traveling abroad alone would ever be my choice, but I feel confident that I could do it. It's a pretty good feeling. Thanks Del for bringing/dragging me along all these years, and thanks to our friends in Lithuania for teaching me so much.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Reentry Post 5 Poor Miss Pinky
Friend Mark christened my iphone Miss Pinky after hearing that she has a shocking pink cover, and I think it was a good choice, so Miss Pinky she is. Just so you know, if I had had to go through any sort of adequacy test before being allowed to bring her home, she would still be in theAT&T store. Of course, I didn't have to pass an adequacy test to bring home the baby David, either, which is probably a good thing, since I hardly knew which end to diaper.
Since apps were what I craved, I sat down last night to order some free ones. I don't know how it happened, I swear I don't, but somehow I downloaded an app that would have made Miss Pinky blush if she had been able. It certainly horrified me. Suppose I got hit by a truck before I found out how to get that thing off my phone. What would people think of Mema Williams? Who knew such things could be downloaded to a phone on purpose, much less by accident? Who would want such things on their phones, anyway? Who tends to over react? That would be me.
I sent off an SOS to David and woke this morning to find the answer to my problem. I had to hold down the nasty icon until it began to wobble and an X appeared. Then I touched the X and agreed that I did indeed want to delete the app. What a relief! I had thought I might have to wash Miss Pinky in clorox water or something. Next time I let my fingers do the walking, I will try to be sure I know where they stop.
Since apps were what I craved, I sat down last night to order some free ones. I don't know how it happened, I swear I don't, but somehow I downloaded an app that would have made Miss Pinky blush if she had been able. It certainly horrified me. Suppose I got hit by a truck before I found out how to get that thing off my phone. What would people think of Mema Williams? Who knew such things could be downloaded to a phone on purpose, much less by accident? Who would want such things on their phones, anyway? Who tends to over react? That would be me.
I sent off an SOS to David and woke this morning to find the answer to my problem. I had to hold down the nasty icon until it began to wobble and an X appeared. Then I touched the X and agreed that I did indeed want to delete the app. What a relief! I had thought I might have to wash Miss Pinky in clorox water or something. Next time I let my fingers do the walking, I will try to be sure I know where they stop.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Reentry Post 4 A Long Overdue Thank You
As I thought about the people who are serving our country today, I thought back to the time in 1970 when I was a 23 year old Army wife with a 4 month old baby and a husband beginning his tour in Vietnam. We were blessed that he came home safe and sound, and we went on with our lives. From time to time, during the years since, I have thought about the joy and comfort brought to me by people I never met, and whom I have never thanked.
Once a month, when Del's unit came in from the field for a few days, he was able to go to a special tent and wait in line to make a call home compliments of MARS. Volunteer radio operators picked up the radio signal from Vietnam and worked their magic to turn it into a collect call from whereever in the US the signal had been picked up. All I had to do was accept the charges, though some times the call was not made collect. I assume the radio operator paid, but I don't know. (Wikipedia has an informative article about this civilian auxiliary and the good work it continues to do.)
I never knew when the call would come, but since the unit usually came in once a month, I expected it would be around the same week every month, and you could not pry me out of my apartment with a crow bar during that time. In the day when there were no cell phones, internet, Facebook, Skype or other forms of communication so commonplace today, this was the only time a frightened young wife knew for sure her husband was alive and well. People knew not to call me during the day, because that was when the calls came, and I did not want to tie up the phone in the day of no Call Waiting. The apartment got pretty clean that week, but the laundry piled up because I did not want go out to the next building to the laundry room.
Finally, the phone would ring and I would get to talk to Del for three minutes, trying so hard to remember to say "over" so the radio volunteer would know to turn the switch or whatever had to be done to let Del talk. After the call was over, and I had my cry, I called Del's folks and my folks to let them know all was well, and then usually packed up David, the dirty diapers and my quarters for the trek across the parking lot to the laundry room.
There were probably 10 calls in all, and those calls meant all the world to me, but after Del got home, I got caught up in the day to day care of a child with health issues, the realization that "home" did not mean what I thought it would mean when the assignment is a training unit and then reentry to the real world of graduate school and work and all that. I always meant to figure out how to thank the MARS people for their kindness, but I never did. It may be too late to thank some of those who helped me, but perhaps those who followed them will be encouraged to know that they were not forgotten, even though it may have seemed as though they were. And so, a long overdue thank you MARS radio operators, past and present! And a happy Independence Day to you all.
Once a month, when Del's unit came in from the field for a few days, he was able to go to a special tent and wait in line to make a call home compliments of MARS. Volunteer radio operators picked up the radio signal from Vietnam and worked their magic to turn it into a collect call from whereever in the US the signal had been picked up. All I had to do was accept the charges, though some times the call was not made collect. I assume the radio operator paid, but I don't know. (Wikipedia has an informative article about this civilian auxiliary and the good work it continues to do.)
I never knew when the call would come, but since the unit usually came in once a month, I expected it would be around the same week every month, and you could not pry me out of my apartment with a crow bar during that time. In the day when there were no cell phones, internet, Facebook, Skype or other forms of communication so commonplace today, this was the only time a frightened young wife knew for sure her husband was alive and well. People knew not to call me during the day, because that was when the calls came, and I did not want to tie up the phone in the day of no Call Waiting. The apartment got pretty clean that week, but the laundry piled up because I did not want go out to the next building to the laundry room.
Finally, the phone would ring and I would get to talk to Del for three minutes, trying so hard to remember to say "over" so the radio volunteer would know to turn the switch or whatever had to be done to let Del talk. After the call was over, and I had my cry, I called Del's folks and my folks to let them know all was well, and then usually packed up David, the dirty diapers and my quarters for the trek across the parking lot to the laundry room.
There were probably 10 calls in all, and those calls meant all the world to me, but after Del got home, I got caught up in the day to day care of a child with health issues, the realization that "home" did not mean what I thought it would mean when the assignment is a training unit and then reentry to the real world of graduate school and work and all that. I always meant to figure out how to thank the MARS people for their kindness, but I never did. It may be too late to thank some of those who helped me, but perhaps those who followed them will be encouraged to know that they were not forgotten, even though it may have seemed as though they were. And so, a long overdue thank you MARS radio operators, past and present! And a happy Independence Day to you all.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Reentry Post 3 Can I Scrape Up the Courage?
We lived in Lithuania for five months from three sort of big suit cases, one medium duffle, two carry-ons and two backpacks for computers, etc. We did each buy a few things at the Humana (Goodwill), light jackets, a sweater or two, and a couple of shirts at the mall to replace things that had just been washed to death. Finding those replacements in the land of the tall and slim was tricky. Thank goodness for the pudgy expats who donated things when they returned to the US.
I wouldn't say we were fashion plates, but we were acceptable. I wasted some of my suitcase space by straying from my black, navy and white scheme to include a couple of patterned tops. I thought they would add interest, and they did until I got so sick of them that I could not put them on my body. That happened in early March, I think. If only I had followed the late Elizabeth Edward's advice that one never regrets choosing solids, I would have been better off.
Now we are home, in a house where all the closets look like Fibber McGee and Molly's hall closet. They wouldn't be so stuffed if I didn't have three sizes of clothes for each of us in them - South Beach size, It Wouldn't Hurt to Stray from South Beach Just a Little size, and If It Looks Good Eat It size.
I came home full of good intentions, both to drag us back into the world of South Beach, which really is a pretty good place, and to get rid of the sizes that don't fit. So, I started pulling things our of the closets for us to try on. We discovered that Del, who had been relying on his suspenders to keep him from mooning Klaipeda rather than as a fashion statement, now fits into the next size down pants, and I can wear some pants that didn't quite fit before we left home. So, to quote our friend, "What to do, what to do?"
I think I will do as that famous fictional Georgian did and think about it tomorrow.
I wouldn't say we were fashion plates, but we were acceptable. I wasted some of my suitcase space by straying from my black, navy and white scheme to include a couple of patterned tops. I thought they would add interest, and they did until I got so sick of them that I could not put them on my body. That happened in early March, I think. If only I had followed the late Elizabeth Edward's advice that one never regrets choosing solids, I would have been better off.
Now we are home, in a house where all the closets look like Fibber McGee and Molly's hall closet. They wouldn't be so stuffed if I didn't have three sizes of clothes for each of us in them - South Beach size, It Wouldn't Hurt to Stray from South Beach Just a Little size, and If It Looks Good Eat It size.
I came home full of good intentions, both to drag us back into the world of South Beach, which really is a pretty good place, and to get rid of the sizes that don't fit. So, I started pulling things our of the closets for us to try on. We discovered that Del, who had been relying on his suspenders to keep him from mooning Klaipeda rather than as a fashion statement, now fits into the next size down pants, and I can wear some pants that didn't quite fit before we left home. So, to quote our friend, "What to do, what to do?"
I think I will do as that famous fictional Georgian did and think about it tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Reentry Post 2 IPhone Envy Is Not a Pretty Thing
It is well known among my nearest and dearest that I have always looked at cell phones as emergetncy equipment, not quite in the category of fire extenguishers, but close. And I obviously was only concerned with my own emergencies because while I kept it charged and with me most of the time, I rarely turned it on, and if I did and happened to get a call, I was usually unaware of it because sound doesn't carry well from the bowels of an overstuffed purse. As for checking messages, not high on my list. Only my nearest and dearest had the number, and they knew that calling it was pretty much fruitless. David once said quite seriously that people in third world countries had more up to date phones than his dad and I. He also thinks it amusing that we do not own a tv that was born in this century, but that is beside the point.
While in Lithuania, I became accustomed to having my phone on and using it for day to day to day communication, but it wasn't like it was a Kindle or a computer or anything. I didn't have any emotional attachment to it. Then friends Mark and Sandy arrived to visit, bringing with them one of their IPhones, and I was struck by a severe case of IPhone envy which only got worse when David and Tracy arrived with theirs. I actually wasn't much interested in the phone. I wanted aps and internet and gps and other stuff I felt sure IPhones might have, even if I never learned to use them.
So, we went to the AT&T store this afternoon and bought IPhones, the newer one for my envious self and the cheaper one for Del. Anita, a sweet young woman, spent lots of time explaining and encouraging us and downloading free aps. I have been a little worried since she mentioned that there are free games, but I am not afraid to pry the phone from Del's hot little hands if he gets too carried away. He might have to do the same for me and my information souces. I forgot to ask if it can Google. I hope it can Google.
Now that we have these phones, I hope we don't have to hire Rosa to tutor us in their use, but we just might. She doesn't have a phone, but seems quite competent in using her parents' applications. I've never actually seen her make a call.
My phone is all decked out in a hot pink ensemble by Otter so I can find her in the bottom of my black purse and so she won't go the way of Earl Hamner, Jr. should I have a clumsy moment, and we know that sooner or later, I will. I say "she" because she looks quite girly, and will certainly require a girly name if I decide to name her.
While in Lithuania, I became accustomed to having my phone on and using it for day to day to day communication, but it wasn't like it was a Kindle or a computer or anything. I didn't have any emotional attachment to it. Then friends Mark and Sandy arrived to visit, bringing with them one of their IPhones, and I was struck by a severe case of IPhone envy which only got worse when David and Tracy arrived with theirs. I actually wasn't much interested in the phone. I wanted aps and internet and gps and other stuff I felt sure IPhones might have, even if I never learned to use them.
So, we went to the AT&T store this afternoon and bought IPhones, the newer one for my envious self and the cheaper one for Del. Anita, a sweet young woman, spent lots of time explaining and encouraging us and downloading free aps. I have been a little worried since she mentioned that there are free games, but I am not afraid to pry the phone from Del's hot little hands if he gets too carried away. He might have to do the same for me and my information souces. I forgot to ask if it can Google. I hope it can Google.
Now that we have these phones, I hope we don't have to hire Rosa to tutor us in their use, but we just might. She doesn't have a phone, but seems quite competent in using her parents' applications. I've never actually seen her make a call.
My phone is all decked out in a hot pink ensemble by Otter so I can find her in the bottom of my black purse and so she won't go the way of Earl Hamner, Jr. should I have a clumsy moment, and we know that sooner or later, I will. I say "she" because she looks quite girly, and will certainly require a girly name if I decide to name her.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Thoughts Upon Reentry Post 1 - The Trees, The Trees
During our five months in Lithuania, we lived a pretty much paperless life. Oh, we used at least our share of toilet paper, paper towels and tissues, but we recieved not one piece of snail mail, real or junk, paid our bills on line, and had no printer for our computers. David and Tracy, back in Georgia, on the other hand, had more junk mail than usual because our mail was forwarded to them so they could take care of business matters. Bless them. We each had a few books we needed for our work, and Del had a couple of nonfictions to read for pleasure, but I relied entirely upon my beloved Kindle. That is, of course, until I killed it and had to search for a couple of mysteries to tide me over until our family brought a replacement. We had so little paper that when a pesky fly got into the flat, we could not find anything to use as a swatter.
At first it just felt strange. There were two faces visible at the breakfast table instead of hidden behind newspapers. I had to learn to carry cash for the many places that did not accept credit cards because even with a bank account, there are no checks. No lovely catalogs appeared in the mailbox we didn't have. I could not swat that pesky fly.
Gradually, our paperless state began to feel normal, freeing, even. There was nothing to file, or to stack up in a pile on the desk we didn't have. We began to eat our breakfast while reading the news on our computers, not a good habit, but surely no worse than reading real newspapers, and I continued my habit of reading things I found interesting to Del whether he wanted to hear them or not. He continued his habit of saying "hm" when he read anything interesting which I took as an invitation to inquire about what he was reading, whether it was or not. Who says reading at the table limits communication in the morning? And best of all, there was no wading through a sea of newspapers to get another cup of cofee, or to pick up and dispose of.
Now we have been home for one day, and the paper already has the upper hand, and trees are falling. There is a pile of newspaper beside Del's chair. We arranged for the mail to be restarted a couple of days early, and it was waiting for us, along with the last pieces David and Tracy got before they left on vacation and the things they had received that now need to be filed, piled or shredded. Right now they are just spread. On the other hand, there were a couple of magazines, some professional journals and several lovely catalogs that reminded me that their companies value me and have missed me and in some cases will give me a discount if only I will contact them with my order. There was also a beautiful welcome home card from doggy Linkin's humans. Thankfully, there was not one credit card offer. We already have all the credit we can afford.
So, my conclusion is that I kind of like finding things in my mail box, snail or e, and I like some junk mail, but only the junk mail I like, which takes it out of the true junk category, I guess. I like the smell and crackle of newspapers, but hate the mess of them, and I absolutely hate to file. At one of my jobs, we finally got someone who helped us with filing. She looked at my large stack of papers and asked if I had any special system she should use. I looked at her seriously and said that I usually filed by date of receipt, newest on top. but it was okay if she preferred to do it some other way. She stood there a second before she realized she was dealing with a filing avoidance issue or perhaps a crazy woman.
At first it just felt strange. There were two faces visible at the breakfast table instead of hidden behind newspapers. I had to learn to carry cash for the many places that did not accept credit cards because even with a bank account, there are no checks. No lovely catalogs appeared in the mailbox we didn't have. I could not swat that pesky fly.
Gradually, our paperless state began to feel normal, freeing, even. There was nothing to file, or to stack up in a pile on the desk we didn't have. We began to eat our breakfast while reading the news on our computers, not a good habit, but surely no worse than reading real newspapers, and I continued my habit of reading things I found interesting to Del whether he wanted to hear them or not. He continued his habit of saying "hm" when he read anything interesting which I took as an invitation to inquire about what he was reading, whether it was or not. Who says reading at the table limits communication in the morning? And best of all, there was no wading through a sea of newspapers to get another cup of cofee, or to pick up and dispose of.
Now we have been home for one day, and the paper already has the upper hand, and trees are falling. There is a pile of newspaper beside Del's chair. We arranged for the mail to be restarted a couple of days early, and it was waiting for us, along with the last pieces David and Tracy got before they left on vacation and the things they had received that now need to be filed, piled or shredded. Right now they are just spread. On the other hand, there were a couple of magazines, some professional journals and several lovely catalogs that reminded me that their companies value me and have missed me and in some cases will give me a discount if only I will contact them with my order. There was also a beautiful welcome home card from doggy Linkin's humans. Thankfully, there was not one credit card offer. We already have all the credit we can afford.
So, my conclusion is that I kind of like finding things in my mail box, snail or e, and I like some junk mail, but only the junk mail I like, which takes it out of the true junk category, I guess. I like the smell and crackle of newspapers, but hate the mess of them, and I absolutely hate to file. At one of my jobs, we finally got someone who helped us with filing. She looked at my large stack of papers and asked if I had any special system she should use. I looked at her seriously and said that I usually filed by date of receipt, newest on top. but it was okay if she preferred to do it some other way. She stood there a second before she realized she was dealing with a filing avoidance issue or perhaps a crazy woman.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Day 152 and Day 152 The Sequel
After our lovely evening with Joris and Co., we came home and continued with the packing saga . More about that later. And we still had some last minute odds and ends like cleaning the fridge, etc. By the time I was finished, I was tired, but wired and in no way able to lie down to wait the couple of hours for the alarm to go off at 3. Del did get a couple of hours sleep. We have different nap patterns. He can fall asleep the moment his body makes contact with a bed but can barely manage a cat nap while sitting upon any form of transportation. I, on the other hand, have to be exhausted to nap lying down, but can fall sleep immediately upon hearing the click of a seat belt, or curled on the sofa.
Three o'clock came and we got dressed and were ready to roll when the taxi Audrone had reserved for us arrived right on time at 4:30. It was shortly after that that we began to realize that getting home from Lithuania was not the snap that getting there had been. Our driver seemed to be a nice young man, but it was soon apparent that this was not going to be your typical taxi ride. Whether it related at all to the fact that the night before is supposed to be more rowdy than New Year's Eve would be purely speculation on my part, so I'll just stick to the facts as I saw them. Things seemed okay at first, though his recognition of the YIELD sign seemed less consistent than I would have preferred. Of course, it was early on the morning after a big night, so it wasn't as though there was anybody much to yield to, but still. Then he began to open his window, first an inch or two which seemed reasonable, and then more and more until it was wide open. Apparently that did not do the job, because in a short while he pulled over, said, "One minute" and got out of the taxi with his water bottle and walked around for several minutes . He got back into the car, mumbled something about working for two days and off we went. I kept waiting for the projectile vomiting, which was of particular concern since Del was in the front seat beside him. In a few minutes it was crystal clear that he got his sense of direction from the same place I got mine, except he didn't have a GPS to guide him. Two wrong turns later, he stopped the car half way through the turn around and called for directions. It was then that I started to really sweat. But we got there.
Upon arriving at the airport, we discovered that even though we were traveling on a Continental ticket, for which we had to pay extra, we had to follow the SAS rules. That meant we were unable to bring home the same number and weight of bags we had brought with us. After all that packing and repacking. We persuaded them to let us pay for the two larger carry on bags, and off we went to Copenhagen.
Copenhagen airport has a somewhat unorganized way of checking passports. A young man was standing by the door to the gate, so we went to the end of the line and patiently worked our way up to the front. Sometime during the 20 minutes or so it took to get to the front a second line formed beside us. Neither line had any sign to indicate that they were different, but when we got to the front, we were told that we were in the wrong line. We went to the back of the other line and worked our way back to the front. The guy at the front of that line has to have been there as a result of nepotism, but he took each passport, walked about 20 feet to his computer, punched some keys and eventually brought the documents back and allowed the person through. Until he got to us. He was gone for at least 15 minutes, talking on the phone, walking into various offices and talking to three other people who seemed to have no responsibilities. Eventually, when the original line was empty, I asked the young an if he should see what the problem was. He was able to find out that it had something to do with the checked bags. I asked if someone could come over and talk to us about it, and a woman came. By accident, I figured out that the people at the original airpost had charged us for the extra bags and given us claim tickets but had not entered it into the system. We dug out the receipt and in a few minutes were given our passports and allowed to board. I know the people who were backed up behind us had been hoping we would get arrested just to see the line move. Let us say that I don't care what they say about ladies glowing instead of sweating, the sweat rings were down to my waist. Flop sweat might have been the more appropriate term.
Our reentry to the US was uneventful, unless you count my dropping a passport. Fortunately, someone picked it up and gave it to an attendent, and I walked back down the line and got it. I was just fuzzy headed. I can't think of any other word to describe it, except perhaps careless.
We got to Atlanta, gathered our belongings around me, and Del went to get the car from the parking lot off the grounds. Tracy had even left a coupon on the seat for us. We stuffed everything in, made a quick trip to Publix for coffee, milk, cereal (not cornflakes), and sandwich fixings. I smelled fried chicken as got to the door, and some jumped into the cart. Tomorrow, we will begin our careful grocery list making for our big grocery trek.
We got home, put away the groceries, brought in the bags and the mail. I decided to lie down for a minute before supper, and Del sat down to look at the mail. When I awoke at 10, he was in bed, so I got up, emailed people that we were safe and went back to sleep until 3:30. I decided to blog and then go back to bed. It was interesting that when I awoke at 10 it was black outside and still is now at 4:40.
So, despite my whining, the trip home was good, and pretty uneventful. Now to get my head around what all we have experienced and the things I have learned. I'll want to write down what I figure out, so stay tuned if you like.
Day 152 and the sequel are done. Now for a nap on my very own sofa.
Three o'clock came and we got dressed and were ready to roll when the taxi Audrone had reserved for us arrived right on time at 4:30. It was shortly after that that we began to realize that getting home from Lithuania was not the snap that getting there had been. Our driver seemed to be a nice young man, but it was soon apparent that this was not going to be your typical taxi ride. Whether it related at all to the fact that the night before is supposed to be more rowdy than New Year's Eve would be purely speculation on my part, so I'll just stick to the facts as I saw them. Things seemed okay at first, though his recognition of the YIELD sign seemed less consistent than I would have preferred. Of course, it was early on the morning after a big night, so it wasn't as though there was anybody much to yield to, but still. Then he began to open his window, first an inch or two which seemed reasonable, and then more and more until it was wide open. Apparently that did not do the job, because in a short while he pulled over, said, "One minute" and got out of the taxi with his water bottle and walked around for several minutes . He got back into the car, mumbled something about working for two days and off we went. I kept waiting for the projectile vomiting, which was of particular concern since Del was in the front seat beside him. In a few minutes it was crystal clear that he got his sense of direction from the same place I got mine, except he didn't have a GPS to guide him. Two wrong turns later, he stopped the car half way through the turn around and called for directions. It was then that I started to really sweat. But we got there.
Upon arriving at the airport, we discovered that even though we were traveling on a Continental ticket, for which we had to pay extra, we had to follow the SAS rules. That meant we were unable to bring home the same number and weight of bags we had brought with us. After all that packing and repacking. We persuaded them to let us pay for the two larger carry on bags, and off we went to Copenhagen.
Copenhagen airport has a somewhat unorganized way of checking passports. A young man was standing by the door to the gate, so we went to the end of the line and patiently worked our way up to the front. Sometime during the 20 minutes or so it took to get to the front a second line formed beside us. Neither line had any sign to indicate that they were different, but when we got to the front, we were told that we were in the wrong line. We went to the back of the other line and worked our way back to the front. The guy at the front of that line has to have been there as a result of nepotism, but he took each passport, walked about 20 feet to his computer, punched some keys and eventually brought the documents back and allowed the person through. Until he got to us. He was gone for at least 15 minutes, talking on the phone, walking into various offices and talking to three other people who seemed to have no responsibilities. Eventually, when the original line was empty, I asked the young an if he should see what the problem was. He was able to find out that it had something to do with the checked bags. I asked if someone could come over and talk to us about it, and a woman came. By accident, I figured out that the people at the original airpost had charged us for the extra bags and given us claim tickets but had not entered it into the system. We dug out the receipt and in a few minutes were given our passports and allowed to board. I know the people who were backed up behind us had been hoping we would get arrested just to see the line move. Let us say that I don't care what they say about ladies glowing instead of sweating, the sweat rings were down to my waist. Flop sweat might have been the more appropriate term.
Our reentry to the US was uneventful, unless you count my dropping a passport. Fortunately, someone picked it up and gave it to an attendent, and I walked back down the line and got it. I was just fuzzy headed. I can't think of any other word to describe it, except perhaps careless.
We got to Atlanta, gathered our belongings around me, and Del went to get the car from the parking lot off the grounds. Tracy had even left a coupon on the seat for us. We stuffed everything in, made a quick trip to Publix for coffee, milk, cereal (not cornflakes), and sandwich fixings. I smelled fried chicken as got to the door, and some jumped into the cart. Tomorrow, we will begin our careful grocery list making for our big grocery trek.
We got home, put away the groceries, brought in the bags and the mail. I decided to lie down for a minute before supper, and Del sat down to look at the mail. When I awoke at 10, he was in bed, so I got up, emailed people that we were safe and went back to sleep until 3:30. I decided to blog and then go back to bed. It was interesting that when I awoke at 10 it was black outside and still is now at 4:40.
So, despite my whining, the trip home was good, and pretty uneventful. Now to get my head around what all we have experienced and the things I have learned. I'll want to write down what I figure out, so stay tuned if you like.
Day 152 and the sequel are done. Now for a nap on my very own sofa.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Day 151 Longest Day/Last Day, Shortest Night In More Ways Than One
I woke up at 5:30 for some reason this morning and did yesterday's blog, took a little nap and then we started in on the cleaning and the packing and weighing and repacking and weighing and on and on. We may come in okay with the weight. One of our bags is not as big as it could be, unfortunately, and that makes it harder. Third floor nieghbor Christine stopped by for a visit, which was nice, and then Mr. Rimas came down and shortly Mrs. Rimas came down to invite us up for tea or coffee. She had set a lovely table with cookies, a special Lithuanian candy, fresh strawberries and coffee and sparkling wine from Italy. What a sweet surprise.
After a bit more work, I set out to the market to say my goodbyes and buy Mrs. Rimas a thank you plant. I stopped by the meat market and my bacon man said in Lithuanian, "Six, no bacon today." I told him I had come to say goodbye because we were leaving, shook his hand and went to the plant vendors. I decided that I would also get small plants for my two favorite market vendors and stopped by to deliver them and tell them I was leaving. They seemed a little confused by the gesture, but once I got them to agree to accept them for being so nice to me, they seemed pleased. The lady who used to teach English hugged my neck and kissed my cheek. She is the lady who left her stall one day in the rain to show me a store where I might find what I needed. My last errand was to get a reusable Iki bag and a few little things to take Joris when we meet them at the restaurant.
While taking pictures of the statue in front of our house we met a really nice Swiss physician who had walked from Switzerland and was going to walk to St. Petersburg before taking the train home. He had walked between 30 and 36 miles per day since May 9 and planned to get to St. Petersburg on July 20. Three years ago he walked across the USA, ending in Boston where he had trained at Harvard. It took 7 months and he said he never had a single negative experience in all that time. Del suggested he might enjoy eating at Stora Antis, and when we got there, he was seated at the next table. Fortunately, he was able to find vegetarian items on the menu.
Adrone, Vladas and Joris met us at Stora Antis, and we were delighted to see that our table had been set with special napkins deorated with a flower. I thought that was sweet of them, since they knew it was our last night in Klaipeda. Joris was a perfect gentleman, all dressed up. He and Del shared kepta duona and then he had a small plate with things from everyone else. At one point,he told his mother that I had given him some of my food and she should give me some of hers. Dinner takes a while there, so I had brought a book and a color book and colored pencils and a matchbook motorcycle. We pulled out the motorcycle toward the end of the evening. As we were leaving, I pulled out a pad of sticky notes I had no use for, assuming his mother might use them, but when he saw them, he thought they were for him, said thank you and put them in his shirt pocket with his motorcycle. Apparently they have to hide sticky notes because he likes to decorate the house with them. Then, after hugs all around, we came home and now have to finish up the last odds and ends.
We will be glad to be home, but Klaipeda has in many ways become like home to us, so we will miss the city and especially the wonderful friends we have made. We truly are fortunate people. Now we need to set about building the kind of community in Villa Rica that we have built here. We were making progress in that direction, but knowing we had to leave so soon after getting there, made it a little difficult to really put my heart into it, to tell the truth. So, home again, home again, to wholeheartedly start the adventure of living in Villa Rica. Who knows what good friends and experiences await us there. Note to self: When you get that sappy, it is time to log off.
10:30 and bright as day, by the way.
After a bit more work, I set out to the market to say my goodbyes and buy Mrs. Rimas a thank you plant. I stopped by the meat market and my bacon man said in Lithuanian, "Six, no bacon today." I told him I had come to say goodbye because we were leaving, shook his hand and went to the plant vendors. I decided that I would also get small plants for my two favorite market vendors and stopped by to deliver them and tell them I was leaving. They seemed a little confused by the gesture, but once I got them to agree to accept them for being so nice to me, they seemed pleased. The lady who used to teach English hugged my neck and kissed my cheek. She is the lady who left her stall one day in the rain to show me a store where I might find what I needed. My last errand was to get a reusable Iki bag and a few little things to take Joris when we meet them at the restaurant.
While taking pictures of the statue in front of our house we met a really nice Swiss physician who had walked from Switzerland and was going to walk to St. Petersburg before taking the train home. He had walked between 30 and 36 miles per day since May 9 and planned to get to St. Petersburg on July 20. Three years ago he walked across the USA, ending in Boston where he had trained at Harvard. It took 7 months and he said he never had a single negative experience in all that time. Del suggested he might enjoy eating at Stora Antis, and when we got there, he was seated at the next table. Fortunately, he was able to find vegetarian items on the menu.
Adrone, Vladas and Joris met us at Stora Antis, and we were delighted to see that our table had been set with special napkins deorated with a flower. I thought that was sweet of them, since they knew it was our last night in Klaipeda. Joris was a perfect gentleman, all dressed up. He and Del shared kepta duona and then he had a small plate with things from everyone else. At one point,he told his mother that I had given him some of my food and she should give me some of hers. Dinner takes a while there, so I had brought a book and a color book and colored pencils and a matchbook motorcycle. We pulled out the motorcycle toward the end of the evening. As we were leaving, I pulled out a pad of sticky notes I had no use for, assuming his mother might use them, but when he saw them, he thought they were for him, said thank you and put them in his shirt pocket with his motorcycle. Apparently they have to hide sticky notes because he likes to decorate the house with them. Then, after hugs all around, we came home and now have to finish up the last odds and ends.
We will be glad to be home, but Klaipeda has in many ways become like home to us, so we will miss the city and especially the wonderful friends we have made. We truly are fortunate people. Now we need to set about building the kind of community in Villa Rica that we have built here. We were making progress in that direction, but knowing we had to leave so soon after getting there, made it a little difficult to really put my heart into it, to tell the truth. So, home again, home again, to wholeheartedly start the adventure of living in Villa Rica. Who knows what good friends and experiences await us there. Note to self: When you get that sappy, it is time to log off.
10:30 and bright as day, by the way.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Day 150 To the Sea
I started off the day at 8 with a trip to the hair master to get myself cut and dyed. The young woman who did my hair is the most careful person I ever saw. How she could spend an hour cutting my hair is a mystery to me. I felt bald compared to the women on either side of me. One was a young woman with waist length hair who had the most amazing French braid I ever saw. It took two hours to do it The woman on the other side had a head full of black ringlets. It took longer to dry it with one of those huge diffusors than it did to cut mine.
My next stop was at my favorite library to give a little gift to my two librarian ladies. I had decorated a spoon for each of them and wanted to see them. One was on holiday, but it was nice to see the other.
As I "just happened" to walk past my felted wool shop, I saw that they had a sale sign in the window. I'm sure it was just for me. I was able to get a felted pod bowl, as they call it, for 20% off. It is beautiful, and I will show it to you as soon as I get part of my act together. Blog will fade away in a few weeks from lack of information, I am sure, unless I have become addicted to my own words, but I do intend to get the last pictures posted and report on our first few days of reentry, so I won't forget that part of our trip. I'm sort of curious about how that will go, to tell the truth. How do you keep the girl down in the country after she has lived five minutes from the IKI?
Then cleaning.
Later in the afternoon, Joris and family arrived to drive us to the sea. It was only a short drive, and we walked through the forest, listening to the sound of the surf down to the sea. It was beautiful. It was windy and the waves were rolling in, but we rolled up our pants legs and got our feet, and our pants legs wet in what I was told was the quite typically warm water. Bless their hearts, I was hoping it was a cold day because of the morning rain, but not so. I just have to say that the delicate flower was able to wade, mostly to be polite and because it made Joris happy, but I would not have been able to submerge mysef, and I am not sure even Del would have been able to bob. Joris had on his little suit under his clothes and ran and jumped and threw rocks and had the best time. So did we. After a while, we went back to the beach and had Adrone's cake, a new recipe, still warm from the oven and sherry or tea. Then we walked a bit and headed home. It was such fun.
Adrone had suggested we get dry clothes and then go to the John's day celebration, but Joris was starting to doze in the car, so I suggested we call it a day and they meet us for dinner the next night.
We cleaned up and went to Stora Antis, had a wonderful dinner and made a reservation for our dinner with them . One more chance to eat at my favorite restaurant. Special turkey, I think.
John's day, by the way, refers to John the Baptist, who was born 6 months before Christ. It coincides with Midsummer Eve and the celebration can get quite rowdy late in the evening, we are told. We heard music, but the square outside our flat was empty because everyone was at the celebration. We decided to do what we usually do on New Year's Eve, too much to do on Friday for any late night doings.
My next stop was at my favorite library to give a little gift to my two librarian ladies. I had decorated a spoon for each of them and wanted to see them. One was on holiday, but it was nice to see the other.
As I "just happened" to walk past my felted wool shop, I saw that they had a sale sign in the window. I'm sure it was just for me. I was able to get a felted pod bowl, as they call it, for 20% off. It is beautiful, and I will show it to you as soon as I get part of my act together. Blog will fade away in a few weeks from lack of information, I am sure, unless I have become addicted to my own words, but I do intend to get the last pictures posted and report on our first few days of reentry, so I won't forget that part of our trip. I'm sort of curious about how that will go, to tell the truth. How do you keep the girl down in the country after she has lived five minutes from the IKI?
Then cleaning.
Later in the afternoon, Joris and family arrived to drive us to the sea. It was only a short drive, and we walked through the forest, listening to the sound of the surf down to the sea. It was beautiful. It was windy and the waves were rolling in, but we rolled up our pants legs and got our feet, and our pants legs wet in what I was told was the quite typically warm water. Bless their hearts, I was hoping it was a cold day because of the morning rain, but not so. I just have to say that the delicate flower was able to wade, mostly to be polite and because it made Joris happy, but I would not have been able to submerge mysef, and I am not sure even Del would have been able to bob. Joris had on his little suit under his clothes and ran and jumped and threw rocks and had the best time. So did we. After a while, we went back to the beach and had Adrone's cake, a new recipe, still warm from the oven and sherry or tea. Then we walked a bit and headed home. It was such fun.
Adrone had suggested we get dry clothes and then go to the John's day celebration, but Joris was starting to doze in the car, so I suggested we call it a day and they meet us for dinner the next night.
We cleaned up and went to Stora Antis, had a wonderful dinner and made a reservation for our dinner with them . One more chance to eat at my favorite restaurant. Special turkey, I think.
John's day, by the way, refers to John the Baptist, who was born 6 months before Christ. It coincides with Midsummer Eve and the celebration can get quite rowdy late in the evening, we are told. We heard music, but the square outside our flat was empty because everyone was at the celebration. We decided to do what we usually do on New Year's Eve, too much to do on Friday for any late night doings.
Day 149 Out for the Evening With Joris and Co.
Today was another day of trying to get ready to leave on Sat. I stuffed stuff in suitcases and continued to put things from the cupboards into bags to give to Audrone or Christine upstairs. Del helped a poor postal worker earn her salary for the day as they negotiated the purchase of a box to send home some books. He had had no trouble at all at the main post office, but I had noticed a small one a couple of streets over, and since it was raining, he decided to try it. The lack of verbal communication was a problem, but he managed to use gestures to get the box, packed it full of books and took it back where the same poor woman had to help him through the customs forms in his choice of French or Lithuanian. Bet it was the high point of her day. Anyhow, they managed and the package is on its way. I can only hope that the international postal service treats that small box with tender care. Anything that costs that much deserves first class with free drinks and a good steak.
I did go out to see my felting teacher and give her the beaded spoon I had decorated for her. I found supplies here and made them for my nearest and dearest. She seemed pleased that I had come by to see her.
We went out for an early dinner and then went to the library to meet Joris and family. We listened to p;art of an outdoor concert and then walked to a neat little pub owned by a friend ofVladas. It is an art gallery upstairs, but there is no exhibit right now, and a cozy little pub downstairs. The pub is decorated with some of owner's art. I was particularly taken with a piece made from old clear plastic disposable lighters. It was mounted in a rectangular frame and had a thin streak of light mounted behind it to shine through. The pub was quite quuiet until Joris and his crowd started to play table soccor, or football, in the outer room It was so funny to hear that boy shouting all the English phrases he had picked up from us, and in the appropriate places. "Oh man, oh my gosh, come on, way to go, oh no, yes, yes, alright, okay, okay , way to go." Del and his dad were not exactly quiet either.
After a few games, who knows who actually won, especially since I had no notion of which direction I was supposed to go, we went outside with our drinks. Audrone was so cute. She said they had been wondering if professors in the United States were more formal on the street than in Lithuania. Vladis, in particuar, because he has not been around Del so much, was surprised that he enjoyed going to the bubble blowing nights and all that. I said that Del was perhaps more casual that some, but that generally, professors went to whatever activities they enjoyed. I wonder if we have laid the ground work for Dr. Adrone to be less formal. Hope it doesn't get her into trouble with the powers whoever they be. Joris had a good time eating kepta duona with garlic and cheese with Del and playing with two little girls.
We got home about 9:30 and worked some more and then Del headed for bed. I stayed up to blog, but he came out to check on me about 2:30 and found me lying on the sofa with my fingers on the keyboard, fast asleep. That would expain why there was no posting last night.
I did go out to see my felting teacher and give her the beaded spoon I had decorated for her. I found supplies here and made them for my nearest and dearest. She seemed pleased that I had come by to see her.
We went out for an early dinner and then went to the library to meet Joris and family. We listened to p;art of an outdoor concert and then walked to a neat little pub owned by a friend ofVladas. It is an art gallery upstairs, but there is no exhibit right now, and a cozy little pub downstairs. The pub is decorated with some of owner's art. I was particularly taken with a piece made from old clear plastic disposable lighters. It was mounted in a rectangular frame and had a thin streak of light mounted behind it to shine through. The pub was quite quuiet until Joris and his crowd started to play table soccor, or football, in the outer room It was so funny to hear that boy shouting all the English phrases he had picked up from us, and in the appropriate places. "Oh man, oh my gosh, come on, way to go, oh no, yes, yes, alright, okay, okay , way to go." Del and his dad were not exactly quiet either.
After a few games, who knows who actually won, especially since I had no notion of which direction I was supposed to go, we went outside with our drinks. Audrone was so cute. She said they had been wondering if professors in the United States were more formal on the street than in Lithuania. Vladis, in particuar, because he has not been around Del so much, was surprised that he enjoyed going to the bubble blowing nights and all that. I said that Del was perhaps more casual that some, but that generally, professors went to whatever activities they enjoyed. I wonder if we have laid the ground work for Dr. Adrone to be less formal. Hope it doesn't get her into trouble with the powers whoever they be. Joris had a good time eating kepta duona with garlic and cheese with Del and playing with two little girls.
We got home about 9:30 and worked some more and then Del headed for bed. I stayed up to blog, but he came out to check on me about 2:30 and found me lying on the sofa with my fingers on the keyboard, fast asleep. That would expain why there was no posting last night.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
DaY 148 Goodbye to Daiva and Arvydas
Del had a last meeting with the unversity librarian, and I did some more weeding, sorting and packing. It just may all work out, if we mail home the books we need to take home. Both our working materials and the lovely gift books we have received.
This afternoon, Daiva picked us up and drove us to Palanga where we met her husband Arvydas and went to dinner. He is such an interesting man. His first career was in business, but when his son was quite ill and medicine was not able to help, he sought the help of a famous healer who showed him that he has that gift. He is well known all over as a healer and also is a talented musician, song writer, singer and poet. He has also written books and plays. His most recent book has just been published in English. I did not realize until today that he was one of the organizers of the Hill of Witches project. It has been so interesting to talk with him. He said one time that from talking with me he sensed that after retirement I was having trouble finding my way because I have so many interests that it is difficult for me to choose something to focus on. He was channeling the original Miss Rosa, I think, and I have the half finished projects and tubs of craft materials of every sort to prove it. I don't know if Lithuanians understand the concept of jumping another rabbit, but it is certainly one of my strengths. My next rabbit is wet wool felting. Who knows, maybe it will be my craft of choice. Rosa is eager to work on it with me.
If you are on FB you are enjoying the pictures from London. That Harry Potter tour must have been amazing, and today was the Globe Theater. What fun that she and her friend Thomas can enjoy it all together.
If you are going to spend an extended time in a country not your own, you need a Daiva. She has done everything she could possibly do to make things easy for us here and to see that we had every opportunity to know what was going on in the community. You also need an Audrone who has done more than her share of looking after us and being sure we have had a wonderful time. She has also been generous in sharing her family with us. What would we have done without Joris? Vladas has been such a good sport about it all, and we have enjoyed him and his sister Erika. Other members of the department have been extrordinarily kind to us as well.
Back to our special evening. Arvydas drove us to a lovely country spa and small resort which was designed in the old style. There were thatched roofs and small animals. The bunnies were nibbling grass on the earth covered sotrage areas, but the birds were in large enclosures, thank goodness. There were wonderful places for children to play, and you could eat inside or outside in those lawn tents with the mesh sides. The food was delicious. Daiva and Arvydas like to share their meals as Del and I do, although they have a system. Each eats half and then switch plates. Del and I are more apt to share at the beginning or pick at each other plates. Tonight we didn't get to do that because we ordered what Daiva recommended, so we had the same meal. It was a lovely pork dish. Daiva said it wasn't Lithuanian, but it was getting to be. I told her that Rosa had said she didn't really know what American food was because we eat so many things from other countries so often that it seems American. She has a point. I'm thinking fried chicken and barbecue, and I want some.
It was hard to say "goodbye." We will miss our friends here. I hope we will be able to come back some time, and we will centainly be waiting for visits to Villa Rica.
This afternoon, Daiva picked us up and drove us to Palanga where we met her husband Arvydas and went to dinner. He is such an interesting man. His first career was in business, but when his son was quite ill and medicine was not able to help, he sought the help of a famous healer who showed him that he has that gift. He is well known all over as a healer and also is a talented musician, song writer, singer and poet. He has also written books and plays. His most recent book has just been published in English. I did not realize until today that he was one of the organizers of the Hill of Witches project. It has been so interesting to talk with him. He said one time that from talking with me he sensed that after retirement I was having trouble finding my way because I have so many interests that it is difficult for me to choose something to focus on. He was channeling the original Miss Rosa, I think, and I have the half finished projects and tubs of craft materials of every sort to prove it. I don't know if Lithuanians understand the concept of jumping another rabbit, but it is certainly one of my strengths. My next rabbit is wet wool felting. Who knows, maybe it will be my craft of choice. Rosa is eager to work on it with me.
If you are on FB you are enjoying the pictures from London. That Harry Potter tour must have been amazing, and today was the Globe Theater. What fun that she and her friend Thomas can enjoy it all together.
If you are going to spend an extended time in a country not your own, you need a Daiva. She has done everything she could possibly do to make things easy for us here and to see that we had every opportunity to know what was going on in the community. You also need an Audrone who has done more than her share of looking after us and being sure we have had a wonderful time. She has also been generous in sharing her family with us. What would we have done without Joris? Vladas has been such a good sport about it all, and we have enjoyed him and his sister Erika. Other members of the department have been extrordinarily kind to us as well.
Back to our special evening. Arvydas drove us to a lovely country spa and small resort which was designed in the old style. There were thatched roofs and small animals. The bunnies were nibbling grass on the earth covered sotrage areas, but the birds were in large enclosures, thank goodness. There were wonderful places for children to play, and you could eat inside or outside in those lawn tents with the mesh sides. The food was delicious. Daiva and Arvydas like to share their meals as Del and I do, although they have a system. Each eats half and then switch plates. Del and I are more apt to share at the beginning or pick at each other plates. Tonight we didn't get to do that because we ordered what Daiva recommended, so we had the same meal. It was a lovely pork dish. Daiva said it wasn't Lithuanian, but it was getting to be. I told her that Rosa had said she didn't really know what American food was because we eat so many things from other countries so often that it seems American. She has a point. I'm thinking fried chicken and barbecue, and I want some.
It was hard to say "goodbye." We will miss our friends here. I hope we will be able to come back some time, and we will centainly be waiting for visits to Villa Rica.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Day 147 We Are On the Home Stretch
Del finished his report to the Fulbright people today, and I went to the market to pick up veggies and fruit for lunches until we leave. It is interesting to see how many new things are turning up each week. Today I was able to get some green peas, which I plan to eat raw, cherries and little pickling cucumbers. There were also little bunches of some sorts of salad greens that I didn't recognize. We decided we would have dinners out so I didn't need much.. I also did a bit of Christmas shopping, which was fun.
I packed the two largest suitcases today and made another pile of things to take to Humana. I also have a pile that can go if there is enough room or can go in the Humana pile. I don't feel as though we bought that much stuff, but I have no doubt we will be suitcase shopping come Thursday. The packing will include robbing Peter to pay Paul to make the weight come out right, but that always happens and is the reason we carry a little luggage scale if we plan to buy so much as a handkerchief and a box of Altoids. We may ditch some unmentionables rather than take them home dirty. Not having a dryer means no last minute washing, and frankly, they have more than done their duty.
We talked to our little friend Joris tonight. He was quite excited to talk to us. He and his daddy had spent the week end with grandparents. His mom had to teach so she couldn't go. The doctor has decided that the rash was allergy instead of chicken pox, so he is going strong, and we will see them Wed. night. He has been asking his mother when he would see Rosa and Betty.
We are enjoying the music at the jazz club tonight. We are not there, of course, but it sounds great through the open window.
If you are FB friends, be sure to check out the pictures Tracy and David are taking in London. They are all on a 12 hour Harry Potter tour today, so the pictures should be something else.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day 146 happy Fathers' Day and Odds and Ends
As I was thinking of Fathers' Day, I recalled thinking some years ago that I didn't really know my daddy as well as I did my mother. He worked shift work at the "plant"- Johns Manville of asbestos fame for most of my childhood - a week of each. I can't think of trying to live as though you had severe jet lag at all times. I remember him saying that 3-11 was the hardest shift because it didn't overlap with anyone else's schedule. Home after the family was in bed, sleeping when the children got on the school bus at 6:30. Eventually he got on days. Other than that, I never heard him complain about his job. He really didn't have the luxury of thinking much about whether he enjoyed his work. He was just glad to be able to provide for his family. Both he and mother were determined that Bubba and I would go to college, and they worked hard to see that we got to go. He was so proud that we both graduated and that Bubba became a lawyer.
Daddy didn't talk much, but he loved us and never left the house without kissing Mother. He read his Sunday School lesson, daily devotional and the newspaper, worked a large garden and hunted and fished and went to Grants Store. That's where the biggest fish were caught. I think he liked to hunt, and it put meat on the table, but the man loved to fish. I didn't, mostly because talking was discouraged. After Del started hanging around, I started sending him. He was a deacon in High Hills Baptist Church, and occasionally was called on to pray, but I never thought he felt comfortable doing that in front of others.
Daddy died at age 64, my age now, while Del ws in Vietnam and David was having his heart problems. I was 23 and had been away most of the time since I married at 21, so I really never got to relate to him much as an adult, but I did finally get him to stop calling me the baby.
Del's dad, another good man, was also devoted to his family, and that included me after I married into it. I don't know how I would have gotten through the year when Daddy and David were so sick without him and Mrs. Williams. He stopped by the apartment on the way to work every morning, usually bringing milk or bread or something I might need.
And if I do say so, both those good men would be proud of the way the next generations have and are turning out.
Moving on - I forgot to note that the museum in Vilnius had a humongus bellows, about as long as Rosa is tall that was last used in the 1800's that still smelled of smoke. It was hard to believe, but I asked the rest of the crew if they smelled anything, and they all said the same thing.
We walked down to Aneka's square today to see what was going on - not much, and Del went to Iki, but other than that we had a quiet day. He caught up a little on his part time gig, and I mostly read. They have been offering books I read as a girl on the free list - Eight Cousins, Five Little Peppers, Railway Children, Bobsey Twins, etc. I loved those, and I loved rereading Eight Cousins today. I know the attitudes and so forth were out of date even when I was a kid, but that doesn't seem to keep me from enjoying them still.
A bit of housekeeping. It seems the comments are not, and have not been working for a long time, and I can't fix it. So, if you want to tell me anything at all, email me at Williams.BMR@gmail.com.
Daddy didn't talk much, but he loved us and never left the house without kissing Mother. He read his Sunday School lesson, daily devotional and the newspaper, worked a large garden and hunted and fished and went to Grants Store. That's where the biggest fish were caught. I think he liked to hunt, and it put meat on the table, but the man loved to fish. I didn't, mostly because talking was discouraged. After Del started hanging around, I started sending him. He was a deacon in High Hills Baptist Church, and occasionally was called on to pray, but I never thought he felt comfortable doing that in front of others.
Daddy died at age 64, my age now, while Del ws in Vietnam and David was having his heart problems. I was 23 and had been away most of the time since I married at 21, so I really never got to relate to him much as an adult, but I did finally get him to stop calling me the baby.
Del's dad, another good man, was also devoted to his family, and that included me after I married into it. I don't know how I would have gotten through the year when Daddy and David were so sick without him and Mrs. Williams. He stopped by the apartment on the way to work every morning, usually bringing milk or bread or something I might need.
And if I do say so, both those good men would be proud of the way the next generations have and are turning out.
Moving on - I forgot to note that the museum in Vilnius had a humongus bellows, about as long as Rosa is tall that was last used in the 1800's that still smelled of smoke. It was hard to believe, but I asked the rest of the crew if they smelled anything, and they all said the same thing.
We walked down to Aneka's square today to see what was going on - not much, and Del went to Iki, but other than that we had a quiet day. He caught up a little on his part time gig, and I mostly read. They have been offering books I read as a girl on the free list - Eight Cousins, Five Little Peppers, Railway Children, Bobsey Twins, etc. I loved those, and I loved rereading Eight Cousins today. I know the attitudes and so forth were out of date even when I was a kid, but that doesn't seem to keep me from enjoying them still.
A bit of housekeeping. It seems the comments are not, and have not been working for a long time, and I can't fix it. So, if you want to tell me anything at all, email me at Williams.BMR@gmail.com.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Day 145 Back Home to Klaipeda
We got up early to get breakfast, check out and walk to the train station to come home. When we got down to the restaurant, a grandmother and grandson were there, and when she heard us speaking English, asked where we were from. We had a nice visit. They live in San Francisco, but she was born in Lithuania and comes for a visit every year. The grandson was having his first visit. Her story is quite sad. Her father was shot and she and her mother left for Germany, thinking they would be gone only a short while. Her brother was so little they left him with his grandmother until they could get settled and come back for him. That was impossible and they later escaped to Australia and then New Zealand where she grew up. She eventually moved to San Francisco and married, but her mother had remarried and spent her later years in Australia. They did not see her brother again for many years. She was very interested in what we liked about Lithuania, what all we had seen, what Rosa liked best and what we thought of the people, etc.
We had a nice train ride to Klaipeda and came home to do laundry. The next time we pack our bags it will be to go home to Villa Rica. Probably should get started on that, huh?
We had a nice train ride to Klaipeda and came home to do laundry. The next time we pack our bags it will be to go home to Villa Rica. Probably should get started on that, huh?
Day 144 Seneliai See the Seima Off to London
Grandparents see the family off to London
This is late because the dog ate my homework. I finished the entry, hit publish and everything went caflooey. A paragraph was all that was left. I was too sleepy to start over, so decided to sleep on it.
David, Tracy and Rosa tiptoed out of the Mano Lisa Guesthouse at 3am Friday morning. We whispered goodbyes and gave hugs and waved them away in the taxi before heading back up to bed. Everyone except me slept a few hours before they left, but I take my responsibility to stay awake and will the alarms to go off and the taxi to arrive on time quite seriously. I personally set a clock and two phones, and I know the kids set at least one phone, but had I gone to sleep, who knows if any of them would have gone off. The taxi arrived right on time. It took me a while to get to sleep, because of the leftover fear that the taxi would not arrive. My paranoia regarding transportation to public transportation is boundless. I found a store in Rhodes called Paranoia, by the way. Didn't go in, but assume they sell what I manufacture in my own little head for free. Don't know if they sell online in case I ever come up short before a big trip.
Del had to get up early to review his notes for his lecture, but I slept in until nearly 8 and went to breakfast with him. I had a quiet day, window shopping all around and then came back to the hotel for a little nap. We had a thunder storm, so I didn't want to get back out.
Del called a bit before 8 to suggest we meet at the Belgain restaurant for dinner. I had mussels served with Belgian fries and he had wonderful salmon with truffle sauce. We had never tasted truffles before, and I had always wondered what the fuss was about. From last night's dinner experience, I say keep those little piggies sniffing. Truffles taste wonderful. The fries were served in a ceramic cone that stood in a metal base. It looked like a parchment paper cone. I had assumed the fries would be served with mayonnaise, but it was really a mayonnaise sauce with mustard seeds. I don't know that I get the idea of fries with mussels, but apparently it is standard. You could get the mussels cooked in about 10 different types of broth, but we chose wine, garlic and parsley. Quite yummy. They were served in what looked like one of those pasta pots that were popular when Tracy and David got married with a bowl shaped lid that came off and served as the shell saver. The poor servers were overwhelmed and service was terribly slow, so we decided we would pass on dessert. Poor service is not something we have seen here before this.
Besides, we still had some of Audrone's wonderful cake. I had emailed to compliment it and ask for the recipe after Joris felt better, and she sent it. I thought I would put it in Blog so I wouldn't lose it. She calls it lazy cake,
Cake - "Lazy"
You will need:
You will need:
- Three and a half packet cookies - 630 g
- 200 g. butter (82% fat)
- 2-3 with a tablespoon cocoa (baker's cocoa) - for me, the best is this “brand” - http://www.prieskoniai.lt/produkcija/riesutai.htm
- 1 sweetened Condensed milk - about 200 g
First break the biscuits to the large bowl. Then melt butter in another bowl, in it add mixtures 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa and all sweetened condensed milk. Everything is poured onto the biscuits, stir with a tablespoon. Mass placed in a nutrient film and compress. Put cake in to refrigerate at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. Keep in refrigerator.
I think I will use Lorna Doones or vanilla wafers. I think from looking at a slice of the cake, some of the cookies are broken in small pieces, almost crumbs, and some in chunks so that the slice looks quite pretty white against chocolate=almosst like macademia nut slices, but some bigger. It is ideal, I think, because it requires no flour, no oven and is not too sweet. It will be a good memory of our friends.
Joris did not have the chicken pox. The syptoms have disappeared, but they took him back to the doctors for some tests to see what he did have. We will look forward to seeing him when we get back.
From the title of this post, you can see that the word for grandparents is seneilai. I don't know that I feel all together comfortable with the words it brings to mind - senile, senility.....
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Day 143 and 1/2 A Favor, Please!
I don't know much about the blogging world, but now that I know that I can look and see where the people who read mine live, it is driving me absolutely nuts! Frankly as I have said before, it never occurred to me that anyone other than my nearest and dearest would even find out about it, much less read it. How could people from India, Taiwan, Kenya, Indonesia and Switzerland have found Blog today? I think the comments are turned on, so if it isn't too nosy of me or too much trouble for you, would you drop me a line to let me know how you found out about Blog? It would make me a happy woman.
Day 143 Museum and Shopping Day
Del got up early to get some work done, and called me at 8:45. I got showered and we headed down to breakfast alone, because coffee was calling. We had agreed the night before that we would sleep until we woke up. We had just sat down when the youngers came in. This guesthouse has lovely breakfasts. The staff is quite accomodating, and has even learned to burn eggs for me. It is kind of interesting that the receptionist is also the server, so she runs up and down stairs to do both her jobs.
After breakfast we headed out for the National Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts and a bit of shopping on the way there and back We enjoyed the National Museum, but were particularly taken with the Museum of Applied Arts. It had a wonderful exhibit of Art Deco fashions and accessories. The dresses were breath takiing, and since Rosa loves to draw designs, she particularly enjoyed it. There was also a large collection of traditional dresses and some from the Gone With the Wind era.
The National Museum had a touching exhibit commemorating the deportation of Lithuanians to Siberia. It showed documents and also many photos taken by people in recent years who have gone to try to find the graves of their family members. The docent of that gallery noticed Rosa and came over to tell her about the history behind the exhibit. It was very interesting to listen to her and to talk with her after she finished.
Having just been to the Hill of Crosses, it was interesting to see a not quite short enough film about Cross Art or Cross Craft at the National Museum. It was extremely interesting, but the mind can only absorb what the behind can bear, and those seats were not designed for improving the mind. It was interesting and scary to see young boys being taught to use the dangerous looking sharp tools so that the art will not die.
We also walked into the beautiful cathederal and went into shops that interested Rosa. She loves the linen shops and the felt shops.
By this time it was nearly 4, and we had not had lunch so we walked over to the Mexican restuarant for a passable meal We sat outside and noticed that all the tables were filled with Americans. Their accents were clearly not from anywhere else. By the time we got home, we were ready to call it a day. We had some trail mix, crackers, nutella and fruit for anyone who wanted any for a bedtime snack.
The family has to leave for the airport at 3 am, so they went up early in hopes that Rosa would sleep a little before the taxi arrives. We are going to miss them, but are eager to hear all about their adventures in England and Scotland. Having them here has been so special. I am so glad that Rosa is able to have these opportunities as such an early age and so glad she is the kind of child who enjoys doing just about anything. That may change with the coming of teen age, but fingers crossed!
Tomorrow Del gives his last lecture and on Saturday we head home for our last days in Lithuania. Getting the apartment clean won't take long and we have to pack. I also need to make a trip to Humana to turn in some things so we won't have to find space for them. I am also going to throw away some items that we have just plain worn out. Some items of clothing are just not meant to be washed several times a week.
After breakfast we headed out for the National Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts and a bit of shopping on the way there and back We enjoyed the National Museum, but were particularly taken with the Museum of Applied Arts. It had a wonderful exhibit of Art Deco fashions and accessories. The dresses were breath takiing, and since Rosa loves to draw designs, she particularly enjoyed it. There was also a large collection of traditional dresses and some from the Gone With the Wind era.
The National Museum had a touching exhibit commemorating the deportation of Lithuanians to Siberia. It showed documents and also many photos taken by people in recent years who have gone to try to find the graves of their family members. The docent of that gallery noticed Rosa and came over to tell her about the history behind the exhibit. It was very interesting to listen to her and to talk with her after she finished.
Having just been to the Hill of Crosses, it was interesting to see a not quite short enough film about Cross Art or Cross Craft at the National Museum. It was extremely interesting, but the mind can only absorb what the behind can bear, and those seats were not designed for improving the mind. It was interesting and scary to see young boys being taught to use the dangerous looking sharp tools so that the art will not die.
We also walked into the beautiful cathederal and went into shops that interested Rosa. She loves the linen shops and the felt shops.
By this time it was nearly 4, and we had not had lunch so we walked over to the Mexican restuarant for a passable meal We sat outside and noticed that all the tables were filled with Americans. Their accents were clearly not from anywhere else. By the time we got home, we were ready to call it a day. We had some trail mix, crackers, nutella and fruit for anyone who wanted any for a bedtime snack.
The family has to leave for the airport at 3 am, so they went up early in hopes that Rosa would sleep a little before the taxi arrives. We are going to miss them, but are eager to hear all about their adventures in England and Scotland. Having them here has been so special. I am so glad that Rosa is able to have these opportunities as such an early age and so glad she is the kind of child who enjoys doing just about anything. That may change with the coming of teen age, but fingers crossed!
Tomorrow Del gives his last lecture and on Saturday we head home for our last days in Lithuania. Getting the apartment clean won't take long and we have to pack. I also need to make a trip to Humana to turn in some things so we won't have to find space for them. I am also going to throw away some items that we have just plain worn out. Some items of clothing are just not meant to be washed several times a week.
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