Doin' it the hard way.

Tonight I missed my Pampered Chef can opener.  sigh.  My landlord is a very nice Lithuanian woman who furnishes my kitchen with the basics that are needed.  Below is the can opener that she supplied for my use...

This is a very different tool than what I am used to using back in the states (or even what was in my apartment last year!)  I hadn't even thought to check out what kind of can opener was supplied until I needed it.  I was in the middle of dinner tonight when I looked in the kitchen drawer and found this!  I didn't have time to go to the store to buy one, so I made do with it.  Look at the hack job I did... 

Opened just enough to pour the tomatoes out!  :)

You better believe that a new can opener is on my list of items to buy the next time I go to the store!  :)

Assumption Day

August 15th is Assumption Day, which is a national holiday in Lithuania.  Assumption Day celebrates the day that the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches recognize as when Mary ascended into Heaven.  Lithuania is a predominantly Catholic country, so thus it is recognized across the country.

The nice thing for us is that since it is a national holiday, we had the day off work!  :)  Amanda, Bethany, Levi, and I decided to spend part of our day off in Palanga.  We checked out an LCC van and drove there.  It was a gorgeous day to go to the beach...sunny and 75 degrees!  Perfect!  We had a relaxing time of reading, walking, playing cards, and just talking.  Here are some photos...

Levi, me, and Bethany on the pier

Amanda and Bethany out on the pier

We played Dutch Blitz on the beach!

 

Amanda with the dolphin made from plants

For my fellow Bluffton grads...

Bebro means beaver and Blynine means pancakes

Beaver pancakes!  Don't worry, there's no meat in them!

Bethany and Amanda with their kepta duona tooth picks!

me & Levi with ours!

Levi enjoying the last cheesy bite of kepta duona!

We ate waffles on a stick...mine was covered in chocolate & sprinkles

Enjoying the goodness!

Levi's had whipped cream on it too! 

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Student Life Retreat 2011-2012

On Friday we had our annual beginning of the year Student Life retreat off campus.  It was held at a sauna place about 30 km from Kalipeda.  We had a wonderful day full of work and fun mixed together!  Here are some photos of the day...

The group gathered around the table in the barn discussing Community Day tasks.

Kim shared a great devotional about how we are each like a piece of thread in a sash and how it takes each one of us doing our part to make the sash look like it should.  As a reminder she had a sash made for each of us with our name on it. 

Vaida, Ina, and Alex

We took a nature hike before lunch and found some little frogs.

Vaida also found a little lizard on the hike as well.

A cute photo of me & Olena!

(Thanks to Amanda for her photo I stole from facebook!)

Me & Amanda!  :)

Our delicious lunch...šašlyk - both chicken & pork

Fresh veggies from Vaida's garden

Amanda emerging from the out-house!  :)

Student Life 2011-2012

Vaida and Ina before the sauna

Here we all are cooling off in the pond after the sauna

One of our gals taking a plunge into the water!

Community Life is one tough crew!  :)

The Student Life staff showing their true colors!  :) 

Cheesecake brownies

Amid much pressure (and a sincere desire to do so), I signed up to bring dessert to the Student Life retreat day.  The Community Life team members had shared that they were all pretty big cheesecake fans.  I didn't have time or energy to make a full cheesecake, but I did have enough to make some cheesecake brownies.  They were a big hit!  :)

in the oven

the final product



A sashing!

Whenever someone leaves LCC they receive a sash.  The sash is very important in Lithuanian culture to celebrate significant life events.  John & Katie Unger were here this summer to oversee the final details of the building of Enns Hall for LCC.  They leave to go back to Canada this weekend, so they were properly sashed on Thursday afternoon.

John & Katie Unger

Lithuanian sky!

When I walked to work on Thursday is was drizzly and wet.  When I got a ride home in the evening it was drizzly and wet.  Between the two there was a gorgeous afternoon sky that invigorated me to get through the day!

Looking out from the Neumann Hall patio

Just the sky...breathtaking!

Ina's birthday

During our Student Life training on Thursday we celebrated Ina's birthday.  We didin't say how old she is, so we just celebrated "many" years of a good life! 

Ina be surprised by the celebration!

Lithuanians love to celebrate with flowers.  Here are Ina's birthday blossoms!

And what's a birthday without cake and tea?!