Final days in Vilnius

---

April 2, 2009

We are back in Vilnius. Our first class train ride was wonderful. There are several differences to first and second class. Both compartments were structurally the same with the exception of the first having only 2 beds. These were fully made up with mattress pad, fresh sheets (grey stripped), freshly covered duvet and pillow - all covered over with a spread. There was also the requisite towel. There was a TV for video viewing. They showed a Leonardo DiCaprio film in Lithuanian. You have no need to go to the dining car as your dinner and breakfast are served in your compartment. The common bathroom was also more luxurious. Both first and second class were enjoyable.

Again we were boarded by the Russian soldiers in large group. They maintained the same demeanor. We had not realized that we would be crossing the border the day after our visas were valid. There was some hesitancy on their part but they allowed us through.

John taught class that afternoon (March 31). I went shopping. The malls here are housed in 4 story buildings. The stores are both open and closed generally specializing in one item -i.e. coats, shoes, scarves, bath supplies, etc. There were two department stores similar to ours but are contained in only a quarter section of the building and on only two floors and not complete floors --- one was a Marks and Spencer. There are also many kiosks in the buildings. Their coats are very expensive.

I went to the area on Pilius gatve the street which is the souvenir market place. They allow you to look at their wares and will demonstrate but will not be insistent on your purchasing. It was very easy to look and leave. They were extremely courteous. There is also bargaining here which is not my strong suit. Some brought the price down as I as looking at the item.

I have not seen any begging on the streets of Vilnius nor any homeless. In Russia, we saw soldiers maimed by war, disabled and elderly begging but not in Lithuania. There are many manual laborers here. Many women are street cleaners using their twig brooms to sweep the dirt (and it is dirt perhaps for snow) from the street gutters and pile it on the sidewalks. I have not seen any pick ups of the piles but they are gone the next day.

The women of Lithuania are very attractive. Those in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. take great care of their appearance. They dress beautifully. Their boots are well polished. They have a very dramatic touch with scarves. Hats are prevalent. Their coats are absolutely lovely. Both women and men have generally brunette hair (although I have seen some women in the most unusual orange red hair dye shades.) They also generally have the most beautiful blue eyes some almost violet. It is very striking against the dark hair. The children are as adorable as all children are.

The dogs here are most well behaved. Most of the smaller variety wear dog coats. Some are very colorful. The larger dogs are really large and very furry as the climate demands.

We have been experiencing rare sunny days here according to our law school contact. It has also snowed and rained. It is surprising how much the people bundle up as the weather becomes milder. When we were in St. Petersburg, we were told that they only experience 40 sunny days a year. It is certainly different at these more northern latitudes.

On April 1, John had two Lithuanian lawyers come in and discuss the bankruptcy laws of their country. One spoke in Lithuanian and the other translated for John; I was obviously left in the dark for the hour. The students had many questions for them. The questions related to John’s teaching so he was pleased that he was able to impart some knowledge of the American system to them. It has been a wonderful experience.

We went to a great restaurant with fabulous Lithuanian food. The dining rooms were in carved out caves with hunting murals and equipment on the walls. My Hungarian ancestry has enjoyed the cuisine so much like what my grandmother and mother cooked.

Today, April 2, John has his last class. This morning we went to the original Vilnius University located in the Old Town and founded 1568 by the Jesuits. The current campus was constructed during the 16th and 18th centuries. There are 17 courtyards. The campus is pristine; no trash and no graffiti. The students must take enormous pride in going there. The streets and side walks in the Old Town are unusually clean for a large city. The law school is in another area approximately 9 km from the Old Town. The buildings there are for the schools of law, economics and the sciences. These are very modern high rise (8 floors) buildings. Very boring in comparison to the original university. To get into the law school, selection is made by computer so that no outside influence is used in the decision making. They take the best and the brightest only -- thus it is 75% women.
They told us that the girls tend to work the hardest through high school. Law school is a 5 year study as opposed to our 4 years undergraduate and 3 years of law school. If you leave after the 4th year, you receive a bachelor’s degree in law but cannot practice or take the bar. After 5 years of study, you are required to work in a law firm for two years and then you may take the bar exam. If you flunk the bar and wish to take it over, you have to go back to law school for one year at your own expense (education up to that point is paid by the state) and then you may take the bar examination. The students do not own their books. They use those provided in the law library but these may not be taken home. They photocopy the books and use these as their law books. It must be an arduous process. They were fascinated with the American system.

John did a spectacular job. It is wonderful to see a person so enamored of the study of law. He imparted this enthusiasm to his students and, at the end of the class, he received very loud and long applause. The last session was a question and answer one and the students asked very interesting and knowledgeable questions. Their curiosity was impressive. There were three males in the class and 27 females. John showed the movie the “Paper Chase” in segments over the first 4 sessions. During the last class, he asked a question and then had the student ask a question. On completion of each student’s participation in this process, he gave them the new presidential dollar. The whole process was fun to observe. I wish our children could have seen their father in this role. It is a pity that most of our children do not see their parents in the lives that they live outside of the family.

---