A Week for Celebration!

Can I just say that I love being here in Vilnius!? The town already feels like home and even though exhausting, the kids we’re teaching are so fun! Teaching is not an easy task, but I’ve only been here a little over week and I can already tell how incredibly rewarding it is!

This is the front of the school I teach at. "Taikos" in Lithuanian means "peace."

Our class rules! Number six is my personal favorite... along with the unwritten number ten: No Whoop Em Gangum Style.

I played Old Maid with the kids one day and somehow I ended up dressing up like one too.... 

Love love love these kids!

When Friday rolled around Emma and I were ecstatic to say that we made it through our first full week of teaching! How did we celebrate you may ask? Pastries and a movie night, it was perfect! 

We made it through a full week of teaching!

Desserts to celebrate... I could do this every week!

Tuesday night marked one full week since we arrived in Lithuania! That felt crazy fast to me. I can't imagine how fast the next four months will fly by. When we had finished teaching for the night, our host mom helped us celebrate the big occasion by cooking us dinner and making us a cake! The food was delicious and the cake was to die for!

7 days in Vilnius!

Earlier that day we spent the morning with Dima learning Russian! He taught us the alphabet and numbers up to ten... or tried at least. He had us play Battleship afterwards using our new found knowledge. I had a lot of fun, but Russian is hard… Dima is a good teacher however, so maybe I’ll not only be fluent in Lithuanian by the time I leave, but Russian too! Ha!

On Thursday evening Dima took Michaela, Emma, and me out to see Old Town at night. Old Town is incredibly gorgeous. We drove along the narrow cobblestone roads that hug the nearby buildings, weaving in between bikers and people enjoying a night on the town. We came to the Church of St. Anne at one point and stopped to take pictures. Legend has it that when the Napoleonic army marched through Lithuania, Napoleon Bonaparte saw this church and wanted to take in the palm of his hand back to Paris.

Dima, Michaela, and Emma

Oh Dima... :)

Such a pretty church, can't wait to go back!

Saturday we spent our day in Old Town, walking around Cathedral Square and then exploring The Museum of Genocide Victims.

I love Old Town!



The Cathedral Basilica is on the left and the Bell Tower on the right







This is the "Stebuklas" Tile meaning "miracle" in Lithuanian. It is a symbol of hope and inspiration here, encouraging people to believe in the miracles to come. For a wish to come true one stands on the tile, closing their eyes and turns around clockwise three times while thinking of their wish. I love things like this!

It rained on our way to the museum, perfect for umbrella pictures!

The Museum of Genocide Victims was an unforgettable experience. It's one of those subjects that's so fascinating to learn about, but so incredibly hard to come to terms with at the same time. The museum is full of exhibits depicting the historic trials Lithuania faced during the 50-year Soviet Occupation of the country.The building itself is home to the former KGB headquarters and prison. I think the most eye-opening element of the entire museum was the basement where the exact prison for imprisonment of human rights fighters and dissidents is located. You walk down this hall of cells that were used less than 70 years ago for fingerprinting, solitary confinement, torturing, and execution. It's hard for me to wrap my head around it all, but I'm always so grateful for the freedoms I have and the life I live after learning about events like this.

 

The former KGB headquarters and prison where the museum is now located. 

Lithuania is an incredible place with such a rich history that sadly, is often overlooked. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here, to engulf myself in its culture and to learn about the impact it's had on history.