first impression

First of all to the landscape. Lithuania is amazing!! There are so many beautiful places, cute sculptures everywhere and a breathtaking atmosphere at the lake. The only  thing I miss in Lithuania are of course the mountains and my bicycle to explore the whole city and the surroundings. Whereas I love the chestnut trees and the wonderful tree lined streets. Now in autumn, coloured leaves are falling from these trees and the nature turns into warm colours- really beautiful!
 
It is said that Lithuanians are very closed people. My own experience show me that there is a little truth behind but they are also very, very friendly and helpful people. The only problem is the language and if you meet people without knowledge in English they are not as kind as others. Maybe it is because they feel helpless or embarrassed but I think in other countries it would be similar. :)
Nevertheless I have seen many young Lithuanian people which are always dressed very well.   

Lithuanian Food! OHH It is sooo good! But far too heavy and too much potatoes :)
I think we have tried nearly every traditional food and I enjoyed all of them. 
The best restaurant in the boulevard to drink a cider is the "Kapitonas Morganas" because the waitresses are very friendly and can speak a few words in English.

The Festival in Šiauliai
Nice market, lovely costumes and really enjoyable music from different genres were surprising for me. I liked the atmosphere in the city and the crowded streets, which were still very clean. 

handicraft on the market

friendly girls - "of course you can take a photo" :)

good mood everywhere

All in all I can say that these first two weeks were very interesting and varied. I got to know a lot of new people and places. Furthermore, it is the first time for me of living alone and this in a country I have never been to before. I am looking forward to my further experiences in Lithuania and I hope and think that I will have a very good EVS time here.

Our flat

I live together with a Liudvikas Jakavičius-Grimalauskas (30 years old and from Spain) and Anne Sophie Kersaho (22 years old and from France) in a small flat in Vytauto Street. 

I was the first of us who came to Lithuania on the 1.September.2014. My journey to Lithuania was without any complications. First I went to Riga by plane and then with the bus to Šiauliai. This was really funny because I did not know how to pronounce Šiauliai and the bus driver must have been very confused. But finally I arrived here and my Mentor Sonata was already waiting for me and welcomed me friendly. 
Anne Sophie arrived one day later and we had one week time to get to know each other before Liudvikas came. We are three very different characters in different ages but till now we had a really great time together. :)

We all work together at the Didždvario Gymnasium in the Radijo Klubas and we really enjoy the work there. For me working in a Radio is very new and unusual but Anne Sophie and Liudvikas had some experiences in it and so I can learn a lot from them. 

Anne Sophie (left) and Liudvikas (right)
with our two new friends from
Germany (middle)

The bright side of being a EVS - volunteer

Trainings
All EVS volunteers get the chance to join different trainings during their project. Before going to the new country and project a pre-departure training is organized by the national agency. This training is somewhere in our home country and helps you to think about your future and your new life. Meeting new people from your country who are going to live in whole Europe is an amazing feeling. 

On Arrival Training.
If I would have to describe these three days with one word I would have to say that it is impossible. There are too many emotions and great experiences we have made. It was an unforgettable, amazing, funny, motivational time with so friendly and open minded people. We were 19 young people and each of us was completely different. Different countries, languages, stories and experiences but all of us had something in common; a new goal. 
Everybody came to Lithuania to meet new people, get to know a different culture and to learn from other people but also to learn more about ourselves.
At the on-arrival training we had time to think about our projects, our first time in Lithuania, ideas how we can prevent getting problems or how we maybe can solve them. We motivated and inspired each other by talking about everything. After three days together we grow together like a family and I am so delighted to meet all this wonderful and unique persons. 

To the training itself I can say it was like coming home. We lived in a wonderful hotel, called Vila Nora near Vilnius. Usually it is a Hotel for special events like weddings and so it was a real honor for us to live there. Everybody had a own king-size bed, which was recovering for all of. 

And the Food. OH MY GOD! The food was so delicious and far too much.
Breakfast, coffee break at 11am, Lunch, coffee break at 4pm, dinner in the evening and sometimes we got some snacks or potatoes to cook on our campfire. 

Moreover we made a trip to Kernavės where we visited the museum, walked together through the beautiful landscape and made a nice picnic on one of the "hills". :) Of course for me as an Austrians these hills are a little bit strange and they don't fit in the rest of the landscape, but I really love the wonderful view to the river and everything!! Again it was a good opportunity to talk to each other and make a lot of photos together. 

But we even had to talk to locals and try to get information about different topics. It was really enjoyable and everybody made own experiences. Many of us had problems to get answers because of the language but they learned to handle every situation and that was the main issue. 

the German-speaking group :)

I have learned so many different things in such a short time. Every person gave me a lot of motivation and it was extremely interesting to see there point of view. :)
I really have to say that I already miss them :)