Hey people,
It's been a couple weeks since I've written here. A couple of rather enjoyable, often crazy weeks, in fact. There is much I could say on a personal level, but I'll save my blathering on about self-discovery and trials for more personal forms of communication. So, good blogosphere, I treat you now to a summation of life lately.
Classes have been rather light lately, and my schedule has remained relatively open. I never have class in the mornings, and only ever for two or three hours in the afternoon. At first this free time drove my busybody crazy, but said busybody quickly found means to busyness. I've spent a delightful amount of time in prayer and reading my Bible, which at such a disorienting time and place is a divinely orienting thing. I've spent time at the gym, fulfilled my Canadian reputation playing pick-up floor hockey, and digested a nearly daily dose of political satire and news (thank you, Mr. Stewart and Mr. Colbert). But that's just the free time.
I was approached rather last minute to join a team for the annual KVN comedy show here at LCC. For those unfamiliar with KVN (join the club) it is essentially the Russian version of SNL. Except it's a competition between two teams. Competitive comedy, with a week to prepare. Talk about pressure. But, at the same time, talk about fun! Countless hours over the past week and a half were spent rehearsing, planning, editing, mixing, revising, and laughing. Though I must admit that, due to my late arrival on the scene and my profoundly un-Russian sense of humour, many of the jokes I delivered made little sense to me. But I'm thankful they were found funny upon delivery..
Our big show was last night, though, and it was certainly a success. We laughed, we cheered, we panicked, and at the end of it all, we won! My team was comprised of a Canadian, Albanian, Latvian, a few Ukrainians, Russians and others. So even if we hadn't won, the experience of working and laughing with all these wonderful people is one I will not forget.
I've started a practicum/internship/volunteer placement at a local school for children with developmental disabilities. I went in for the first time yesterday with my professor, who helped me navigate the halls and language differences. But I go in on Monday by myself. I'm really excited to begin, but I definitely got the impression that this school is a challenging place to work, and my time there (especially with so much broken communication) will be a challenge in many ways. But I'm ready. What's the worst that can happen? Perhaps I'll be confronted daily with challenging or uncomfortable situations. Likely, in fact. But, hey, I came here to experience and learn. Hard to do that sitting in your room twiddling your thumbs. So here goes nothing!
Well, world, I must now bid you viso gero (good bye). I'll be back with more in the coming days.
And thanks so much for reading this. You, sitting there reading this right now. Yes, you. You rock. God loves you. So do I.
jmb
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Here and Now
Hey People,
It's a chilly Saturday night in Klaipeda. Not too much going on. Just some reading, Russian TV dramas with roommates, and further experiments for dinner. The quiet time is nice, though, after a positively dizzying two weeks. As far as any sort of summation goes, I'm not sure even where to begin. My thoughts (and emotions) have been so strong but scattered that, for now, I'll provide you with a brief recap of my Lithuanian life thus far.
On the morning of Monday, January 3rd, I left Toronto, Canada. On the evening of Tuesday, January 4th, I arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania. I (and two travel companions) were promptly ushered into a taxi with a driver who spoke no English and hurried across the city to our three-day-hostel-home, just in time to head out for dinner with 18 strangers (fellow American students from various places, with a few Lithuanian helpers) to order from a menu we could not read food we had never eaten. Wild. But great.
The following two days were spent in Vilnius -- walking for miles, snapping pictures, eating out, mangling basic Lithuanian phrases, meeting new people, and all the while still meeting each other. It really is a special experience to be thrust into such intimate quarters with people you've never met, especially with the added expectation that these new faces are to become your close friends throughout the adventure. But I've been blessed to meet some great people and have some solid companions as we all embark on this adventure. [to see more of Vilnius, see my bookFace page]
It's fun to mangle words.
So by Thursday night we were in Klaipeda, greeted by staggering wind and sleet. But it was great to finally get settled in the place that will become our home for 4 months. In a funny way, it wasn't until classes began on Monday that my life began to slow down. The past week has been one of rather serious adjustment, but also some great exploration and fun. To be truthful, this adventure thus far has been a roller coaster of excitement and apprehension, anticipation and anxiety, but if you are really interested in those details then perhaps we could talk directly. But above it all, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and all the lessons I have learned even in this short time. Simply put, fearful uncertainty is being slowly replaced with bold certainty in God's faithfulness and my own need to be challenged.
Classes in this context have a much different feel, but I am excited for what I will learn from that very context, in addition to the material itself. I'm taking three psychology classes (Abnormal Psych, Theories of Personality, and Research Statistics), and Introduction to Lithuanian. I was also just approved for a practicum/internship at a local institution. Though there is much to be determined, it will likely be at a local orphanage. So in the meantime, any prayers for that endeavour are much appreciated.
It is now quite late. I acknowledge that my recapitulation has been rather brief and somewhat vague, but I assure you that more details (and pictures) will come with time. I have many things starting up this week, and I'm very excited to become more involved with this new community (both on campus and off).
If you are reading this, then I assume that you care about my adventures in some way. For that I thank you very much. It can be an isolating thing to be so, well, isolated, but support from all of you is a great encouragement. So thank you. Or, as they say it here, Aciu!
Sudie! (Go with God)
jmb
It's a chilly Saturday night in Klaipeda. Not too much going on. Just some reading, Russian TV dramas with roommates, and further experiments for dinner. The quiet time is nice, though, after a positively dizzying two weeks. As far as any sort of summation goes, I'm not sure even where to begin. My thoughts (and emotions) have been so strong but scattered that, for now, I'll provide you with a brief recap of my Lithuanian life thus far.
On the morning of Monday, January 3rd, I left Toronto, Canada. On the evening of Tuesday, January 4th, I arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania. I (and two travel companions) were promptly ushered into a taxi with a driver who spoke no English and hurried across the city to our three-day-hostel-home, just in time to head out for dinner with 18 strangers (fellow American students from various places, with a few Lithuanian helpers) to order from a menu we could not read food we had never eaten. Wild. But great.
The following two days were spent in Vilnius -- walking for miles, snapping pictures, eating out, mangling basic Lithuanian phrases, meeting new people, and all the while still meeting each other. It really is a special experience to be thrust into such intimate quarters with people you've never met, especially with the added expectation that these new faces are to become your close friends throughout the adventure. But I've been blessed to meet some great people and have some solid companions as we all embark on this adventure. [to see more of Vilnius, see my bookFace page]
It's fun to mangle words.
So by Thursday night we were in Klaipeda, greeted by staggering wind and sleet. But it was great to finally get settled in the place that will become our home for 4 months. In a funny way, it wasn't until classes began on Monday that my life began to slow down. The past week has been one of rather serious adjustment, but also some great exploration and fun. To be truthful, this adventure thus far has been a roller coaster of excitement and apprehension, anticipation and anxiety, but if you are really interested in those details then perhaps we could talk directly. But above it all, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and all the lessons I have learned even in this short time. Simply put, fearful uncertainty is being slowly replaced with bold certainty in God's faithfulness and my own need to be challenged.
Classes in this context have a much different feel, but I am excited for what I will learn from that very context, in addition to the material itself. I'm taking three psychology classes (Abnormal Psych, Theories of Personality, and Research Statistics), and Introduction to Lithuanian. I was also just approved for a practicum/internship at a local institution. Though there is much to be determined, it will likely be at a local orphanage. So in the meantime, any prayers for that endeavour are much appreciated.
It is now quite late. I acknowledge that my recapitulation has been rather brief and somewhat vague, but I assure you that more details (and pictures) will come with time. I have many things starting up this week, and I'm very excited to become more involved with this new community (both on campus and off).
If you are reading this, then I assume that you care about my adventures in some way. For that I thank you very much. It can be an isolating thing to be so, well, isolated, but support from all of you is a great encouragement. So thank you. Or, as they say it here, Aciu!
Sudie! (Go with God)
jmb
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Hello from Lithuania
Hey people,
I write to you now from that distant land of snow and ice and kepta duona. It's a little land with a lot of spirit, in a part of the world few of you may ever consider, with a language few on earth can understand. After a week of moving and seeing and gawking and leaving, we have finally arrived in our new home. At Lithuania Christian College International University. In Klaipeda, Lithuania.
So, far from home in a corner of the world I barely even know, with people I do not know speaking languages I do not know, I'm going to spend my semester. It's a rather frightening prospect, such extreme unfamiliarity. But it's also undeniably inspiring. Challenging. Exhilarating.
So here it goes. I have much I could say already, but I will save some of my thoughts for the clarity of retrospection. For your visual stimulation in the meantime, if you are interested, pictures are available on the Face Book.
Thanks for stopping by! That's all for now.
jmb
I write to you now from that distant land of snow and ice and kepta duona. It's a little land with a lot of spirit, in a part of the world few of you may ever consider, with a language few on earth can understand. After a week of moving and seeing and gawking and leaving, we have finally arrived in our new home. At Lithuania Christian College International University. In Klaipeda, Lithuania.
So, far from home in a corner of the world I barely even know, with people I do not know speaking languages I do not know, I'm going to spend my semester. It's a rather frightening prospect, such extreme unfamiliarity. But it's also undeniably inspiring. Challenging. Exhilarating.
So here it goes. I have much I could say already, but I will save some of my thoughts for the clarity of retrospection. For your visual stimulation in the meantime, if you are interested, pictures are available on the Face Book.
Thanks for stopping by! That's all for now.
jmb
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