Lithuania Day 2

Another exciting day in Lithuania!  This morning Woody Rutter and I headed to the American embassy.  We spent a wonderful hour speaking with people there about our programs and the wonderful effects of exchange programs.  I also learned all about embassy life.  I hadn't realized how very interesting diplomatic life could be!  What a great adventure!

After this visit we headed to the Vilnius Lyceum (a high school) where we rushed in and all of a sudden found out that we were the guest speakers!  Luckily both Woody and I are not at a loss for words.

Here is the outside of the school. It is one of the best schools in Vilnius.  It was originally built by the Soviets and now repurposed to be a high school.  Architecture was not a strong suit for the Soviets.

After we returned I headed to the KGB Museum.  A beautiful building housing so many unspeakable horrors.  The cells and execution chambers are in the basement.  It simply feels bad to be in there.  

We Need a New Word

So I dropped off OldestSon yesterday at school.  It was a long ride there-5 hours but filled with laughing, bad snacks and good music.  We got to school and he was so happy.  I was so happy as well.  His roommates are great.  The room looked as if a bomb had come through.  People were happy to see him and even willing to trot down 4 flights of steps and help him bring more of his stuff upstairs. (POM doesn't carry stuff...).

But as happy as I was my heart was aching.  He was going to stay here.  Enough of the family being complete and my heart being all in one state--hell, usually in one room.  The three kids were not going to be in close orbit anymore.

I always thought there should be a word that explains this feeling.  I am so happy for my son I could burst.  I feel my heart grow when I see him that happy.  At the same time I am happy I am sad and have longing.

It's exactly the same feeling when I was so so so trying to get pregnant and it was taking longer than I had expected and friends would announce they were pregnant.  I was happy for them but yet sad for me.  Not jealous or envious.  Both feelings at once.  I would not ever deny these friends and my son happiness...Wish there was a good word.

Meeting the President!

Wonderful time in this wonderful city!  Today I met the former President of Lithuania--President Adamkus.  He was a true gentleman.  He spoke to the young people gathered at the event about democracy.  After having visited the KGB Museum yesterday, it really struck me how very new democracy is here in this country where so very many horrible things have happened.  The young people here need to embrace and shout about democracy from the rooftops.  It is a very precious thing indeed and his words reminded me of how far they have come in such a short time.

We spoke as if we were friends at one point.  He was explaining how it was to lead such a public life and the effects it had on other people.  He felt bad about the Secret Service agents in the car waiting for him to be done at a party.  I said to him that I am sure they enjoyed their job and that they probably felt lucky to have such a job.  I also told him that the words that he spoke that evening to such a potentially important young group of people could have such effects that he could not imagine.  "You are the president and what you say matters very much to people. These young people will take it to heart and continue this dream of democracy."  Such an interesting talk to have with such an important man.  I very much liked him, his style of speaking and his very warm personality. 
Interesting interesting!

Ahhhh Lithuania!

It's very pretty here. It's also pretty darn cold.  Great flight to Frankfurt which now rates right up there with Charles de Gaulle as one of the worst airports ever.  I took a bus from the plane, walked about a mile, hopped on a train, went down 3 flights of steps, walked about 10 miles and finally got to my gate.

Vilnius is a beautiful, old city with winding, one way street, many courtyards, and walled buildings.  So many beautiful churches.  It's snowing which makes it even more beautiful. Just had meeting this afternoon and went out for dinner by myself.  Ate myself silly and had wonderful beer.  LOVE countries that have good beer.

Uncertain Times

Every once in a while the world stands up and spins around.  This is one of those times.  OldestSon's good friends mother died Monday.  She was not even 60.  Pancreatic cancer-an evil one....taking the life out of someone filled with life.  A sparkly woman, sure of herself and in the thick of her life.  It's unsettling and so very sad.  I watched my son sleep knowing I would have to wake him to tell him the news.  I always think of those peaceful moments before the world spins. 

Yesterday I also received news of two friends from college having cancer.  One, a non-smoker, who has lung cancer, another a mother of five with melanoma.  The mother does not have a diagnosis and is living with an uncertain future.

A boy in town has testicular cancer.  He is 18.  Two surgeries.  Another boy who has a tumor on his brain stem. He is 16.   A former student passed out during a hockey game and it turns out he has an enlarged heart and needed a defibrillator.  He is 20. 

All of this news in the span of a week.  Bad week.  I think of all of the people suffering from this news.  I feel tentative and worried. Hold your people close. 

International Travel Checklist

So it's the day before I leave for Lithuania.  I love to travel but I am a fairly anxious gal so I always like to have a little mental checklist...

1. Be sure to be anxious about a week before you leave.  Grit your teeth while sleeping-take ibuprofen in the morning.

2. Call the credit card companies to tell them you will be traveling.  It is not a pretty sight to arrive in Istanbul at 12:30pm and find out your credit card does not work because they have cancelled it thinking that some major fraud business is happening.

3. Register with the embassy. Probably nothing will ever happen but....STEP program.  Let's the US embassy know where you are at all times.  (Travel.state.gov   It's a good thing to check there before you even decide what country to go to...good things like crime statistics, worldwide warnings, terrorist alerts  then see step 1 again.)

4.  Worry some more.  Think things like, "Oh my god I will be across the world from my people."  Try to calm yourself down by thinking things like, "Well if I die at least the people have a good story to tell--Oh your mom died?  Yes she was on a ferry in Hong Kong..."

5. Pack a BRIGHT suitcase.  In this case black is not slimming it is forgettable and unfindable.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing the Big Green Monster come out of the luggage belt.  I also sometimes spot her getting loaded onto the plane.  Yes, she is bright.

6. Use the same driver, airport, airline, hotel whenever possible.  It makes the unfamiliar bits of traveling more familiar.  It also satisfies the miles whore side of me!  Be sure to keep track of those miles too!  Bought a deep fryer courtesy of Hilton this year for Christmas.

7. Snacks and sleeping pills are your friend!  Both make the time pass faster and help you through that ugly jet lag.  Once on the plane set your watch to your new time zone then once you arrive at your destination spend as much time outside as possible.

8. Don't pack alot.  You really don't need it.  Nobody cares what you are wearing and you barely know anyone where you are going anyway.  It stinks to shlepp stuff around and if you have space in your suitcase you can bring better stuff home.

9. If you see something that catches your eye and you think you might need it buy it.  Regret sucks.  I spent the whole movie Anna Karenina thinking about the earrings she wore in the first scene.  Yes, I should have not hesitated and bought them at the Stanley Market when I saw them. Now I want them more than ever.

10.  Always remember to stop and look around!  You are in a cool, new place!  Often times when I travel I am tired, or miss my family or feel lonely but I always try to take a deep breath and push those bad thoughts away and enjoy the experience!  You won't be there forever!  Carpe diem.

Messy House

It's not that I would not LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a consistently clean house.  It's just that my life tends to get in the way. 

We used to have a cleaning lady and it was one of those good/bad things.  It was good because it was like a slice of heaven to come home and have a sparkly clean house.  It was bad because we would have to have 2 hours of "clutter control" the night before, cleaning our house for the cleaning lady.  I also had guilt and embarrassment at some of the stuff she would have to face.  Cookies underneath the pillows in the living room--happens.  A giant spill of some unidentified object in the fridge--happens.  Thousands of hidden candy wrappers on the tucked in the side of someone's bed--happens.
But all good things must end when one's job is cut to part time and she was one of those good things.

Today would have been a good day to get the house in order. But no. I drank too much last night to do anything but sleep in the morning.  Is is bad to think of your college aged child as your designated driver?  The afternoon brought alumni games and I watched some students play basketball and hockey. 

Now it is 6 o'clock and entirely too late to consider cleaning.  I don't know why but I think cleaning must be done during the day.  I don't know when clean house people get all that cleaning done.  Mysteries of life....