Back in the old country ;)

It's been three days now since I came to Lithuania. It has been very nice to stay in one place with people I love, people who raised me. I must admit though, I do feel restless. It must be because of my lifestyle during the first half of this year as well as the way I am. My wanderer spirit and my mind which craves new knowledge and movement. Being in a familiar place is almost too comfortable. It's strange being back in a civilized society. The toilets flush without needing to pour water buckets down them, when you go to buy food, you don't have to haggle about the price. I understand everyone speaking around me. The weather is cold. It's all such a shock to my system now. Although all of these things are familiar to me because this place is where I grew up, it's my childhood, it is also very unfamiliar because the life here seems to have stopped. It is the same as I have left it last time I went away. It has not changed and I'm not sure I like that. Change is good, it usually signals improvement, continuing bettering of the situation. Usually, that is.

Anyway. Being back in Lithuania is good for me but only in small doses.
I have been looking for a flight to Finland to see my lovely friend Eeva but Ryanair is silly and only allows to book flights here to there, a week in advance. I am excited to go there though. It will be nice to see someone whom I spent some time in Cambodia with since that country holds many fond memories in my heart.

I am excited to go to London also. I get to visit my dear friend Lorenzo and some other people as well as my cousin, her husband and their new addition to the family; beautiful baby Rebeca. It will be nice to be back in London. Some great memories from my first trip out there with my best friend Claudia before starting my Europian odyssey. Good times going out with the girls and getting to know my cousin for the first time really since being an adult. Last time before that I was a mere child so we didn't really get a chance to connect.
The second time I was in London, I got lucky and saw Andrea Bocelli singing Chistmas Songs for the opening of the Christmas lighting ceremonies in downtown London.
I nearly missed my flight out of London the next morning after getting on the wrong train on the way back to my hotel near Gatwick airport. Good times :)



Anyway, so here I am in Kaunas just hanging out with my grandparents, hearing their old stories from the war, from when they met, from how they lived with their kids and many others. It's very nice. Humbling.

I'm taking some nice walks around the city with my diedukas and seeing my old school, my old neighborhoods, streets that I walked on countless times... It's all very cool. As I am taken back in time when as a little girl I walked just like that, hand in hand with my diedukas. So nice.







I broke my two months of not drinking anything and I had a mini shot of some good Lithuanian trauktinė, which is similar to brandy but much stronger and not as sweet. It was to celebrate my grandparents being married for 60 years as well as me being here. How could I say no to my own grandfather taking out his finest liquor and wanting to say a heartfelt cheers. It had to be done. Still, I have no desire to go out and get wasted with my friends. People grow up sometimes I guess :p



The photo on the left is when my grandparents were just married, my grandmother at 19 and my grandfather at 26. The picture to the right of that is from my grandfather's 80th birthday celebration which the whole family came together for. They are just as in love now as they were back then, only weathered by years, raising children and the burdens of everyday life. It's beautiful and so rare these days.



                                                            My grandparents' cat Mike.
                                                            She once used to be mine...
                                        She used to sleep with me when she was just a baby :)
                                                            Well now she is their baby.

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