A Ginger Perspective : One Month in Lithuania.... Wait what?!

Last Tuesday marked a month since we've been in Lithuania and let me tell you, time flies when you're having fun! I couldn't believe it! This past week had its ups and downs, but truly there's no room for complaint.

It's literally so gorgeous here in Lithuania! I love it!

I've been picking up a little bit of Russian with Dima, some Lithuanian with my host family, and I like to pretend I speak Spanish with my roommate Emma.

These two deceivingly cute little girls were trying very hard to teach me Lithuanian and by teach I mean saying nothing but "Aš kalbu angliškai!!!" over and over again until I started to slaughter.... I mean repeat, it myself.

Our host mom has decided that since we've now been here a month she can start giving us "actual" Lithuanian food without the risk of us running away. In the past two weeks I've not only eaten chicken liver, but chicken hearts.... If only I had a picture for that.

Teaching is becoming easier, especially as I've gotten to know the kids better and discover their individual personalities. I have a lot of fun coming up with ideas for lesson plans, even if they don't go quite the way I expect. But then again sometimes they do, and it's fantastic! I had been teaching the kids about opposites last week and then in a completely different lesson I used a knife to demonstrate the difference between sharp and dull. Well on Friday as one of my students came into class and sat down, she took off her head band and proceeded to say "Teacher, look! Sharp, dull (showing me either side of her headband) they're opposites!" It was the best! Sometimes I feel like I'm just drilling phrases and words into these kids without any sort of adhesion going on in their brain, but when she said that without me having to model it for her first... Aww pure bliss. It truly is moments like those that remind me why I am here, what I'm putting all this effort into teaching for. These kids, these exhausting, but incredibly adorable kids, that's why I am here. They're the greatest! Oh and the little girls... they bring me flowers. That makes it worth it too.

Friday... I got sick, like Pepto-Bismol commercial sick. Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting... It was lovely. I don't know what it was either. Honestly I probably ate way too much the day before and it just wasn't sitting right. And you know what the best part was? I had to teach. I wanted to cry. I slept right up until the moment we had to leave for school. I was feeling better, but the walk to school about killed me. Miraculously we only had four kids our first rotation (normally we have about twenty) so Emma and I "team" taught...as in she taught and I tried to be of use. Before second rotation came around I said a prayer that I could make it through it, ate a banana, threw down some Pepto, and guess what?! I was able to teach and so grateful that I could. Needless to say, I went to bed as soon as we got back and slept for a good eleven or twelve hours.

This weekend we spent some quality time with Dima, exploring the nearby town of Kaunus and enjoying a summer barbecue with his family, as well as with our host family at their little greenhouse.