Parade of Stars

Good news! I think I’m getting better at cooking and not burning so many things! My roommate, Tania, told me yesterday, “You would make a good Ukrainian wife because you don’t waste food or money and you are a good cook.” I’ll take that as a compliment!

This week is an exciting week at LCC because it’s our presidential inauguration. It’s a big deal; lots of people from the U.S. and important Lithuanian politicians are coming to visit! There are events and festivities every day, including two bell choir performances! The major event of the year is known as the Parade of Stars. It is a weekly competition between all the major countries represented at LCC. The major aspect of the competition is a show where each country is expected to present and show-off their country through a skit or dance. Each country is also expected to produce an art work showing the national treasures of their country and correctly answer a trivia question. I’m involved in the U.S. team and have a part in the skit. It’ll be exciting to see what each country does!

Russia sightseeing

I’m back from a fun and busy Spring break in Moscow and St. Petersburg! It was a very exhausting trip because we walked hours every day and constantly went to different places. The group had mixed feelings about leaving because we were having so much fun. Yet as we came back to good old Klaipeda, Lithuania, we were surprised to realize how comfortable we have become in Lithuania. It was a relief to come back to something that I am now familiar with.
The first two days were spent in Moscow taking a Kremlin and Armory tour, going to a circus, going inside Lenin’s tomb, and going to museums. Once in St Petersburg, we went to a Russian ballet, folk show called ‘Feel Yourself Russian’, various cathedrals and monuments, and many famous museums of art and history. We did so much during that time, it's hard to process everything! We stayed in hostels as a study abroad group. The most common food we ate was pancakes- a specialty!
One highlight of the trip for me was going to a Russian Orthodox church service and visiting the different cathedrals. The use of icons is a major part of their belief system and they make the sign of the cross and kiss them. They believe the icons are like windows into heaven to communicate with God. The services and traditions are very unique. They have a set order of service that is very traditional and has been going on for centuries. There are no benches and everybody stands for hours. There is no sense of time, people can come and go. It was very interesting to see all of this up close and to get a feel for what it is like. The music is sung without instruments, yet is very rich and harmonious.
Now we are trying to get back into the swing of things and are recuperating from a busy week!

Pictures of Russia trip

Visiting the Spilt Blood Church in St. Petersburg. It is absolutely gorgeous with mosaics on every sq. cm


Here I am (very small near the middle) in a room in the Hermitage, the 2nd largest museum in the world. It takes years to see all the exhibits!


St Isaac's Cathedral

Overnight train ride with bunks!

In front of the Christ the Savior church in Moscow

It is a tradition to make a wish here and throw a coin over your shoulder because it is the 0 km marker point in Russia. It is in the Red square near Kremlin and Lenin's tomb.

On the way we stopped at the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania. People come here and place a cross and to ask for prayer. I even found some crosses in Spanish and Korean.

Of course, there are many more, but I'll have to show you rest in person!