Blogs from Siauliai, Lithuania, Europe

Since it was our last full day here, we decided to make an American lunch for everyone. The menu consisted of grilled cheese, tomato soup, a side of mac 'n' cheese and watermelon. All was going well until we realized we had no milk. I got to explore a new part of the kaimas as I jogged with one of the kids to the closest store to purchase the missing ingredient. Some kids really liked our meal, and some not so much, but overall we are calling it a success! The only way to cool ourselves off in the heat was to jump into the river. Several times throughout the afternoon we all swam, splashed around and played games in the refreshing water. It's a good thing we were warm, because for some reason there ... read more

With only two days left at Pamuse we had lots to do today. We also noticed that whenever we preoccupy the kids with activities, they don't act up or fight as often. Luckily, Daina Siliuniene sent tons of toys and goodies for them. The tie-dye packages were the biggest hit! Everyone happily painted pillow cases, while getting squirted by paint. The boys seemed to have even more fun with the plastic gloves and played with them for nearly an hour. After another very hot day in a house with no air-conditioning, Daiva, Julija and I couldn't stand it any longer. We filled up dozens of water balloons and started a massive water war! Everyone from the smallest toddlers to the oldest teenagers joined in on the fun. At night Roma came in our room to chat. ... read more

This morning was filled with excitement when the kids found out we would be having a picnic at Skalų Kalnas, a hill and river nearby. The weather was hot, and after cramming 15 people in a 8 person car, everyone was more than happy to cool off in the river. After spending 4 hours in the sun, we knew it was time to go when we ran out of water and energy. Although we felt exhausted, it didn't take long before the kids bounced back . On a normal basis, these kids only have 2 caretakers that watch them throughout the day. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to keep track of what each of these 30 kids are doing at every moment. For example, one of the youngest girls was innocently digging in the dirt today, ... read more

Exhausted from last night's festivities, we enjoyed taking a day of rest. Roma had told us earlier that we needed to make sure that we took some time for ourselves while staying at the orphanage, because the job is so exhausting and doesn't allow for any breaks. Since today was Jonines (St. John's Feast Day), we started off the day by going to mass at the local parish nearby where Daiva read the first reading. After a beautiful procession around the church, we went to Roma's house. We played board games, listened to music, and baked some goods for our upcoming trip. She is planning on taking us kayaking on Minija River, and showing us around the towns of Nida, Palanga, and Klaipeda. During a last-minute stop to the grocery store, we had a Hollywood moment. ... read more

"Jonines" is a celebration of the summer solstice, or the longest day of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated all night long because there are only a few hours of darkness here. All day we waited anxiously to join in the celebration and learn all about the traditions of this major Lithuanian holiday. Today became even more eventful with the arrival of 2 new kids. The young girl and boy were brought to us by the child safety services after someone reported that they had been completely abandoned by the parents since Monday of this week. Upon arrival, the adorable, yet soot-covered siblings dressed in rag- like clothing were bathed, fed, given new clothing, and then finally introduced to all of us. Luckily, there have been no problems with the transition so far. One of ... read more

The three of us have been here less than a week & have already been interviewed twice by local journalists. They were anxious to hear about the Lithuanian community in America, our reasons for volunteering & our impressions of Lithuania thus far. We enthusiastically answered every question & amazed the journalists by "speaking Lithuanian so beautifully !" After our chat about life in America, we experienced a true reality check. Roma wanted us to see the neighborhood that a majority of the orphans grew up in. We were appalled at the degree of poverty seen in these slums. A social worker in the area took us into homes that were full of stench & soot, naked babies holding moldy dolls & rotten food covered in flies. It was hard to muster up a smile when all ... read more

Today after breakfast, the three of us stayed in the kitchen and learned how to make "kugelis", another famous potato dish, which was served for lunch. I don't think I have ever peeled so many potatoes in my life. In the time between lunch and dinner, everyone was making friendship bracelets-even the caretakers and cooks joined in. For dinner, we helped make a crumble cake which was made with "uogiene" or fresh jam. What we soon figured out was that in Lithuania, and most European countries, lunch is the main meal with the most food, and dinner is either a light dish or dessert. Today was probably not the best day to have dessert for dinner, because the kids went WILD. Kids were jumping from swings, racing chairs down the hallways, tickling us, locking eachother in ... read more

Our weekend of fun adventures finally ended as our first official "work week" began. The house was a little less chaotic this morning since three of the little ones went to kindergarten class, and one of the caretakers took several of the older kids to her home to help dig up potatoes. After an hour of soccer, basketball, and piggy back rides (which is when Jonas thought it would be funny to try to eat Julija's hair), Roma returned from a court case at which she was representing two brothers who live at the house. She called us into her office and began telling us the horrific stories of the kids' pasts. We are going to try to write about one child or family each day. The two boys Roma represented today, ages 8 and ... read more