Emilija writing...
We didn't have to go to the center yesterday, so the kids were really excited to see us today. Because it was going to be one of our last days here, we wanted to plan extra special activities for them. We decided that it would be really fun to make home-made ice cream, which we could freeze and eat later. We bought milk, sugar, and vanilla sugar (they don't have vanilla extract here), and let the kids mix it all together to their liking. We put the soon-to-be ice cream in little cups, put it in the freezer, and went on to start our next activity.
Beforehand, we had organized a scavenger hunt list, which ranged from running to the soccer field, making little popsicle stick houses, running around the center acting like birds, and taking pictures of a stork's nest. The kids LOVED it! They were free to run around, be wild, and just have a lot of fun. Even the kids who normally don't participate with us were just as into it as the others.
Aurimas, one of the older kids, decided to show us how to make bee's wax candles. We really enjoyed that some of the kids helped us make them and even made some for us. All three of us probably made about 5 candles, not including the ones that were given to us. Not only are the candles cute, but they're also fun and easy to make.
After eating our usual lunch, we brought out the ice cream that we had made earlier in the day. It had not frozen all the way, and kinda just looked like soup. The ice cream had turned out too sweet, but most of the kids finished off what they were given anyways.
As we were washing the dishes in the kitchen, Remigijus thought that it would be funny to start squirting us with a spray bottle. It quickly escalated into a water fight, ending with us all being soaking wet. (After a long hot day, we just couldn't resist getting him back.)
After we came home from the center, we decided to go to our host family's garden and pick some fresh strawberries. There were rows and rows of beautiful strawberries and we picked about 2 buckets full of them (there probably would have been more, but we ate a lot while we picked). As we were picking the strawberries, Silvija stopped by and took us to see a dam. Even though the dam was gorgeous, we couldn't spend a lot of time there because it was getting late. I think we might have lost track of the time because the sun set A LOT later here (it could be 11 p.m., but it feels like 7). When we got back, we went straight to bed because we're going to have to get up early tomorrow.
We're sad because tomorrow is our last full day here, and we really don't want to leave yet. Labanaktis!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
All grassy fields lead to the Basilica
Andryte writing...
The past few days have been eventful yet exhausting. Yesterday, Tuesday, we took an 11 km (about 7 mile) hike with the kids to a chapel on a hill called Panų Kalnas. We hiked for approximately 3 hours as we sang Lithuanian folk songs (it turns out we know more than the locals), took lots of pictures (at least the kids did...), and observed the beautiful nature of rural Lithuania. The day before we had made little crosses, so we carried them with us on our pilgrimage. When we finally arrived at our destination, we squeezed into the tiny yet beautiful chapel. According to legend, several women had been buried alive in that area as they hid from Swedish soldiers. A chapel and many crosses have been built in their memory. We carefully placed our crosses alongside the icons, paintings, crosses, and other religious items. We said several prayers and then left to set up our picnic lunch. Our adult supervisor roasted hot dogs over a bonfire as a religion teacher led the kids and us in a series of activities. We played games, relaxed, ate, and enjoyed ourselves for about four hours before a bus came to drive us back to the center. We were exhausted, so thank goodness we didn't have to walk all the way back! The kids were kind enough to walk us home once again.
As we had been hiking, our new friend Ieva invited us to join her and her family at a huge celebration of Jonines (Feast of St. John and a pagan midsummer celebration) by a lake near Zemaiciu Kalvarija. When we finally got home from Panų Kalnas, we got ready for a night of fun. When we got there, w set up our tent for two and set out to find Ieva's family. We found them all right, setting up a HUGE tent (it could probably fit about ten people). Luckily they had room for the four of us, so we didn't have to squish into our tiny shelter. We then set out to the lake, where we wove ourselves wreaths from flowers and various grasses. We ended up wearing these wreaths for most of the night. As we came back to our campsite, we saw a huge bonfire being lit and tons of people dancing Lithuanian folk dances near the blazing fire. We ran to join them, dancing most of the night away. We learned several new folk dances and danced some that we already knew. It was an incredibly fun way to meet new people and celebrate. We went to sleep as the sun began to rise (at 3:30 a.m.). The next morning we were exhausted but really happy to have participated in such a traditional and energy-filled event.
As soon as we got home this morning, the three of us went directly upstairs to sleep for a few more hours. Our host family then invited us to join them for lunch, so we ate delicious chicken and vegetables. We then set out on an exploratory walk during which we picked ground berries (žemuoges) and enjoyed relaxing among grassy fields. We made sure that we always had the Basilica in sight in case we got lost. At one point, I think we accidentally left Zemaciu Kalvarija. Our friend Silvija then invited us to her house, so we walked home and quickly made ourselves scrambled eggs for dinner before leaving for her house. We spent several hours showing each other pictures and chatting.
Tomorrow we'll be at the center again with the kids, so it's time for us to catch up on some sleep. Labanaktis!
The past few days have been eventful yet exhausting. Yesterday, Tuesday, we took an 11 km (about 7 mile) hike with the kids to a chapel on a hill called Panų Kalnas. We hiked for approximately 3 hours as we sang Lithuanian folk songs (it turns out we know more than the locals), took lots of pictures (at least the kids did...), and observed the beautiful nature of rural Lithuania. The day before we had made little crosses, so we carried them with us on our pilgrimage. When we finally arrived at our destination, we squeezed into the tiny yet beautiful chapel. According to legend, several women had been buried alive in that area as they hid from Swedish soldiers. A chapel and many crosses have been built in their memory. We carefully placed our crosses alongside the icons, paintings, crosses, and other religious items. We said several prayers and then left to set up our picnic lunch. Our adult supervisor roasted hot dogs over a bonfire as a religion teacher led the kids and us in a series of activities. We played games, relaxed, ate, and enjoyed ourselves for about four hours before a bus came to drive us back to the center. We were exhausted, so thank goodness we didn't have to walk all the way back! The kids were kind enough to walk us home once again.
As we had been hiking, our new friend Ieva invited us to join her and her family at a huge celebration of Jonines (Feast of St. John and a pagan midsummer celebration) by a lake near Zemaiciu Kalvarija. When we finally got home from Panų Kalnas, we got ready for a night of fun. When we got there, w set up our tent for two and set out to find Ieva's family. We found them all right, setting up a HUGE tent (it could probably fit about ten people). Luckily they had room for the four of us, so we didn't have to squish into our tiny shelter. We then set out to the lake, where we wove ourselves wreaths from flowers and various grasses. We ended up wearing these wreaths for most of the night. As we came back to our campsite, we saw a huge bonfire being lit and tons of people dancing Lithuanian folk dances near the blazing fire. We ran to join them, dancing most of the night away. We learned several new folk dances and danced some that we already knew. It was an incredibly fun way to meet new people and celebrate. We went to sleep as the sun began to rise (at 3:30 a.m.). The next morning we were exhausted but really happy to have participated in such a traditional and energy-filled event.
As soon as we got home this morning, the three of us went directly upstairs to sleep for a few more hours. Our host family then invited us to join them for lunch, so we ate delicious chicken and vegetables. We then set out on an exploratory walk during which we picked ground berries (žemuoges) and enjoyed relaxing among grassy fields. We made sure that we always had the Basilica in sight in case we got lost. At one point, I think we accidentally left Zemaciu Kalvarija. Our friend Silvija then invited us to her house, so we walked home and quickly made ourselves scrambled eggs for dinner before leaving for her house. We spent several hours showing each other pictures and chatting.
Tomorrow we'll be at the center again with the kids, so it's time for us to catch up on some sleep. Labanaktis!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Covered in Paint
Vija writing...
Okay, so if you've been following our blog, you've probably noticed that we haven't posted anything lately. That's because we accidently used up our host family's internet minutes. It's not as bad as it sounds - that "free, password-less" internet that I wrote about a few posts ago...yeah, that was their internet. The thing is, our host family didn't even know that their minutes were limited, and they didn't know that htier internet was out there for anyone to use. We had told them we were using some free wireless we had found, and they assumed it was a neighbor's. Needless to say, we apologized and even gave them some money. (They now have unlimited internet access, so we'll be writing our blog regularly.)
Also, we spend this weekend by the beach. Lithuania has gorgeous beaches by the Baltic Seas, with lots of sand dunes. We stayed with Emilija's and my relatives who had rented our a vacation apartment near Palanga (The California or Florida of the U.S.). Our relatives have two girls (ages 2 and 4), so we didn't actually get a break from kids for the weekend, but it was still nice to take some time off.
Over the past few days, we've started to really get to know Zemaiciu Kalvarija - not just its pretty outer shell. We found out more about the kids and their individual situations and how they affect them. Also, the past few times that we have taken the kids outside to play soccer, basketball, or dodgeball (their favorite game at the moment), we have seen drunk men. While we urgently herded them away from the scene, the kids seemed completely unphased, and some of the boys even approached the men and swore at them. This is really distrurbing to us, and we feel like it's only a small glimpse of what really goes on here.
The more time we spend with these kids, and the longer we stay here with the locals, the more we notice how poorly people look upon and treat these kids. We know that they mignt not act like the angels they are to us towards other people, but we definately think that they are underappreciated here. There have been several occasions where people have blatantly put them down for minor reasons.
Today, we came to the center just as the church bells rang to announce one o'clock. There was already a small group of kids on the steps, waiting impatiently for one of the center supervisors to unlock the door. Other than the small group we met at the door, not many other kids came today. We each made a cross that we are going to bring to a chapel tomorrow. (We're going on an 11 km hike with the kids tomorrow...not really sure what to expect.) :) Vygantas, one of the youngest kids here, decided to paint his cross with drops of blue, acrylic (non-washable) paint. He ended up getting his entire sweater dirty four times! Andryte just stayed in the kitchen for about 15 minuts, as he went back and forth - getting his sweater covered in paint, and then getting it washed. The kids found this as amusing as Emilija and I did.
On the 20th, Marija celebrated her 13th birthday, so we decided to give her a present of our own. We carefully selected several small things that we thought she would appreciate, like a necklace, a mini dreamcatcher (aciu t. Mirga), and pencils for writing us letters once we leave. We also wrote her a very nice card, on which Andryte drew her guardian angel. :)
Nothing else very eventful happened today. (Although, we've noticed that some of the younger boys who used to eye us playing on the basketball court have started to come to the center -- which thrills us.) By now, we've become very tired, and the day felt especially long for some reason, so we only played dodgeball for a little bit after we left the center.
When we came home, we made ourselves our regular dinner of pasta and sauteed vegetables, and then went for an exploratory walk around Zemaiciu Kalvarija by ourselves. We didn't just want to see the pretty views it has to offer, but also some of its poorer areas. Thankfully, we didn't get lost, and we got a chance to pick some groundberries along the way. :)
Right now, we're going to finish making all of the kids' personalized bracelets so we can give them to them soon.
Okay, so if you've been following our blog, you've probably noticed that we haven't posted anything lately. That's because we accidently used up our host family's internet minutes. It's not as bad as it sounds - that "free, password-less" internet that I wrote about a few posts ago...yeah, that was their internet. The thing is, our host family didn't even know that their minutes were limited, and they didn't know that htier internet was out there for anyone to use. We had told them we were using some free wireless we had found, and they assumed it was a neighbor's. Needless to say, we apologized and even gave them some money. (They now have unlimited internet access, so we'll be writing our blog regularly.)
Also, we spend this weekend by the beach. Lithuania has gorgeous beaches by the Baltic Seas, with lots of sand dunes. We stayed with Emilija's and my relatives who had rented our a vacation apartment near Palanga (The California or Florida of the U.S.). Our relatives have two girls (ages 2 and 4), so we didn't actually get a break from kids for the weekend, but it was still nice to take some time off.
Over the past few days, we've started to really get to know Zemaiciu Kalvarija - not just its pretty outer shell. We found out more about the kids and their individual situations and how they affect them. Also, the past few times that we have taken the kids outside to play soccer, basketball, or dodgeball (their favorite game at the moment), we have seen drunk men. While we urgently herded them away from the scene, the kids seemed completely unphased, and some of the boys even approached the men and swore at them. This is really distrurbing to us, and we feel like it's only a small glimpse of what really goes on here.
The more time we spend with these kids, and the longer we stay here with the locals, the more we notice how poorly people look upon and treat these kids. We know that they mignt not act like the angels they are to us towards other people, but we definately think that they are underappreciated here. There have been several occasions where people have blatantly put them down for minor reasons.
Today, we came to the center just as the church bells rang to announce one o'clock. There was already a small group of kids on the steps, waiting impatiently for one of the center supervisors to unlock the door. Other than the small group we met at the door, not many other kids came today. We each made a cross that we are going to bring to a chapel tomorrow. (We're going on an 11 km hike with the kids tomorrow...not really sure what to expect.) :) Vygantas, one of the youngest kids here, decided to paint his cross with drops of blue, acrylic (non-washable) paint. He ended up getting his entire sweater dirty four times! Andryte just stayed in the kitchen for about 15 minuts, as he went back and forth - getting his sweater covered in paint, and then getting it washed. The kids found this as amusing as Emilija and I did.
On the 20th, Marija celebrated her 13th birthday, so we decided to give her a present of our own. We carefully selected several small things that we thought she would appreciate, like a necklace, a mini dreamcatcher (aciu t. Mirga), and pencils for writing us letters once we leave. We also wrote her a very nice card, on which Andryte drew her guardian angel. :)
Nothing else very eventful happened today. (Although, we've noticed that some of the younger boys who used to eye us playing on the basketball court have started to come to the center -- which thrills us.) By now, we've become very tired, and the day felt especially long for some reason, so we only played dodgeball for a little bit after we left the center.
When we came home, we made ourselves our regular dinner of pasta and sauteed vegetables, and then went for an exploratory walk around Zemaiciu Kalvarija by ourselves. We didn't just want to see the pretty views it has to offer, but also some of its poorer areas. Thankfully, we didn't get lost, and we got a chance to pick some groundberries along the way. :)
Right now, we're going to finish making all of the kids' personalized bracelets so we can give them to them soon.
More bracelets!!
(Emilija writing...I wrote this on a Word document Thursday night when we couldn't connect to the internet...we're only getting a chance to post it now.)
We woke up and made ourselves a delicious breakfast of eggs, which filled us up enough to skip oiur usual school lunch. We decided to just eat with the kids at the center.
After a chaotic day with the kids at the center, we decided that we needed a more structured and oragnized afternoon. We had the entire afternoon planned, even with backup activities if needed. We thought it would be smooth sailing from there...guess not.
We decided to go to the center early, to prepare examples of a craft we were going to do with the kids today. Instead of going to the center at one (like we usually do), we got there at about 12. The kids usually arrive at one, which is when all of the activities start. We were only in the center alone for a good 10 minutes, when we heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. What was going on?? In the next few seconds, we saw a bunch of kids happily running at us. We were confused as to why the kids were here so early. After we finally calmed them down, we got the kids to sit down and help us prepare anything we needed for the upcoming hours.
Because there were many new kids today, we introduced them to the art of friendship bracelet making. They worked on those bracelets for about 5 hours!! Some kids didn't even do any other projects today, even though we had other activities lined up for them. Because some got bored of making bracelets, we had the opportunity to start another one of our projects. We showed the kids how to make frames out of colorful popsicle sticks - it turned out to be a success!
Some of our 10th grade friends came, and invited us to join in on one of their Ateitininku meetings. We talked a little about our organization in Chicago, and they discussed their previous and upcoming year. After that, they joined us and helped out with the kids. (Actually, they sat there and made bracelets with them.)
After we finally put the bracelets away and ate, the kids, once again, wanted to go outside and play with us. We went to the basketball court and played dodgeball until it started raining. After the local kids walked us home, we made a delicious "spaghetti" dinner (noodles, sauteed tomatos and onions, and LOTS of garlic.) We're finally starting to get the hang of making nutritious and tasty meals.
We have to go pack now because we're going to the beach tomorrow with some of our relatives. We're really excited, and we hope to get some good weather for the trip!
We woke up and made ourselves a delicious breakfast of eggs, which filled us up enough to skip oiur usual school lunch. We decided to just eat with the kids at the center.
After a chaotic day with the kids at the center, we decided that we needed a more structured and oragnized afternoon. We had the entire afternoon planned, even with backup activities if needed. We thought it would be smooth sailing from there...guess not.
We decided to go to the center early, to prepare examples of a craft we were going to do with the kids today. Instead of going to the center at one (like we usually do), we got there at about 12. The kids usually arrive at one, which is when all of the activities start. We were only in the center alone for a good 10 minutes, when we heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. What was going on?? In the next few seconds, we saw a bunch of kids happily running at us. We were confused as to why the kids were here so early. After we finally calmed them down, we got the kids to sit down and help us prepare anything we needed for the upcoming hours.
Because there were many new kids today, we introduced them to the art of friendship bracelet making. They worked on those bracelets for about 5 hours!! Some kids didn't even do any other projects today, even though we had other activities lined up for them. Because some got bored of making bracelets, we had the opportunity to start another one of our projects. We showed the kids how to make frames out of colorful popsicle sticks - it turned out to be a success!
Some of our 10th grade friends came, and invited us to join in on one of their Ateitininku meetings. We talked a little about our organization in Chicago, and they discussed their previous and upcoming year. After that, they joined us and helped out with the kids. (Actually, they sat there and made bracelets with them.)
After we finally put the bracelets away and ate, the kids, once again, wanted to go outside and play with us. We went to the basketball court and played dodgeball until it started raining. After the local kids walked us home, we made a delicious "spaghetti" dinner (noodles, sauteed tomatos and onions, and LOTS of garlic.) We're finally starting to get the hang of making nutritious and tasty meals.
We have to go pack now because we're going to the beach tomorrow with some of our relatives. We're really excited, and we hope to get some good weather for the trip!
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