The first month

It has been a month since we landed in Vilnius. We spent August orienting ourselves to the weather, time change, food, language, measurement system and life here. The transition is expanding our view of the space around us and inside us.

Weather has been perfect, seems like we have ordered it. Like in the old days, we took a 10-day kelialapis (a typical employment provided vacation in the Soviet times when most big employers had summer housing for their employees and families usually got 10-day slots to go there). We spent 10 days by the Baltic Sea in a small town called Pervalka. Pervalka is located in Kuršių nerija (Curonian spit). On one side of the spit is Kuršių marios with fresh water and on the other side is Baltija, the Baltic Sea, and sand dunes.

Kuršių nerija is a magic place to visit: serene and peaceful small towns surrounded by pine forests, narrow roads, bike and pedestrian paths and the sound of crashing waves. We went to the beach every day. Kids really enjoyed jumping in the waves and building sandcastles.

sand dunes

in the sand

by the Baltic Sea

at Pervalka beach

Walking on the Baltic Sea shore you can find amber if you are lucky. We collected a few nice stones and visited an amber museum in Nida. Nida is special to me (and many Lithuanians). I went there as a kid on those 10-day kelialapiai. It is the furthest town on the west side of Lithuania that you can reach, and it is where Lithuania’s territory ends on the Curonian spit and borders Kaliningrad. Thomas Mann had a cottage in Nida that he bought after he received a Nobel prize for literature. He picked a perfect spot in Nida – the cottage is located on the hill, from one balcony you can see a fisherman’s house and tops of trees (an Italian view), from another terrace you get a glimpse of sand and feel like in a desert. The pine trees provide a shadow on hot summer days and that special seashore smell and sound. We sat there for a while sipping coffee, eating ice cream and holding the moment for a bit longer.

a tribute to Vytautas Kernagis, beloved singer and songwriter

Back in Vilnius we got used to our place, the new home for a year. We live in an awesome condominium unit that our Madison friends bought for themselves and allowed our family to be the first occupants. The unit is large by Lithuanian standards, there are three bedrooms, spacious kitchen and living room area, two full bathrooms, walk in closets, and a huge terrace. It has very modern appliances, lightening, air ventilation, etc. A huge difference from our 100-year old house. We love it, although the first time I tried to cook eggs I needed Vaidas help with Youtube videos on how to turn it on. Don’t worry, we have figured it out and are not hungry.

We are in Paupys, a new neighborhood development next to Užupis where Vaidas spent his student years. Some things/buildings/streets are the same, but there are lots of new developments, establishments, public spaces, bike and pedestrian paths. We all walk a lot. Nothing seems far when you walk narrow winding cobblestone streets surrounded by 500 year old buildings. We average about 10 kilometers a day (each of us). No need for gym, just good walking shoes.

Talking about food. I can’t speak for kids or Vaidas, but this is my nirvana. Varškė (farmer‘s cheese), varškės sūris (cheese variations), crunchy cucumbers, tomatoes, dill, apples, blueberries, bread, silkė (herring), rūkyta mėsytė (smoked meats) and chantarrels. We forraged some mushrooms and we bought them at the farmer‘s market and grocery stores. The excitement of kids finding first edible mushrooms in the forest and cutting them is priceless. I am not even mentioning deserts. They are worth the flight.

at mushroom foraging competition

chanterelles for dinner

Curonian spit porcini for dinner

pine tree forest (hint, this is where mushrooms grow)

The school has a kitchen food is prepared from scratch and they sent us a menu for the month. I want to show it to the MMSD (Metropolitan Madison School District). A typical day has breakfast with small open sandwiches and porridge, lunch includes soup and entry (meatballs, fish) with lots of vegetables and there is a second lunch/snack before 4 pm that may be a rice pudding, something with varškė, pancakes or muffins. Breakfast is served around 9am after the first lesson and the afternoon snack is offered right before kids can leave school – many go to extracurricular activities either at school or outside of school and the parent and teacher community decided that it is worthwhile to feed the kids before they get home for dinner. So dinner is really the only time we need to prepare food and sit down to eat as a family.

My transition at the Lithuania‘s Data agency went smoothly since I already know the people and worked there before. Vaidas is now set up with a mobile phone, access to electronic government services and a bank account. It took a bit to get all the paperwork to get electronic access, but we are all set up.

The hardest transition has been for kids at school. It is all different, in Lithuanian, and no Madison friends around. Andrew had physics in Lithuanian on the first school day about oscillation. During fizinis (physical education class) both kids had to play kvadratas (a game with a ball a bit similar to a dodgeball) learning the rules as they played. Teachers write in cursive. On the third day I reached a tipping point after hearing endless complaining at home and called the school to ask how the kids are doing. Apparently, they are doing pretty well at school and teachers applauded how well they speak Lithuanian, ask clarifying questions, are curious and responsible. At home, we were getting the raw emotions and feedback. I think we will all be OK, just need to be present and honor the struggle.

on the way to school on September 1

Today is a sunny and warm Sunday. Our street is closed – Vilnius marathon runners are passing our building toward a finish line. I hear lots of encouraging and supporting applauds and shouts. Running a marathon isn’t easy, it requires preparation and practice, the distance is long, and it is an accomplishment to reach the finish line. What a meaningful metaphor for our first month here!