And then there are the roundabouts!

The new school year started here in Lithuania and September 1 is traditionally a big celebration. Students in grade school just go to school for a fair of sorts, there are no classes on the first day. For the first time this year, students from the local colleges/universities gathered in the afternoon for a parade through downtown.  It was quite fun to be a part of!

(The staff and faculty walked with students, in their full regalia.)

In our house, not much new going on currently.  Along with the beginning of the school year at LCC comes many work hours, some nights, and events during the week and weekends for Aaron.  And we (Aaron and I) have lived through a couple waves of culture shock for both of us; poor sleep, bad allergies (for Aaron), and small incidents that have found us not responding in the way one would hope.  To think that we would not have bumps along the road with this grand move of ours would be naive, and those who know me well know that I can be a bit naive...:)

Since life has been pretty consistent the past couple weeks, let me tell you about some of the slight changes daily routines here.  I'm sure many of you reading have lived or traveled abroad and can relate, but the notable adjustments for me a grocery shopping/cooking, laundry, and driving.

Back in GR, I have not had to monitor the need to clean our clothes by the weather, but now I check the forecast for the next few days to determine the laundry day (or 2 days).  Why you ask?  Well, we hang our clothes out to dry here!  It is quite therapeutic, as a friend of mine (thanks Sarah!) told me shortly before we left.  It's quiet, the clothes smell good, and it means there is sun and a breeze! When the sun starts shining less and less, and the weather turns much, much colder, then we can move our clothes inside to the attic for drying.  There is a dryer (which is super-rare here), but I'm pretty sure that's only for special occasions:)

Groceries.  My trips to the grocery store have thankfully become less stressful.  I still try to go on my own, because I sure can't do all the mental math required to convert litas to dollars while trying to make sure I am buying sweet cream vs. sour cream.  The grocery store closest to our house, Rimi, is brand-spankin' new.  It's very nice, my friend calls it the Target of stores here in Klaipeda.

And I'm learning to shop like a European...sort of.  Folks here shop for a day or two or three. Portions are definitely adjusted for that mentality.  I tried to shop like a North American, but it really didn't work.  There are still 6 of us, and everyone seems to be eating there weight in toast, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream.  So, we head to the grocery store at least twice a week and have developed our own list of staples (see the afore mentioned list).

Annie's comment about the grocery store, "It is big, but not as big as Meijer.  And it doesn't have very many toys."  Jackson LOVES the grocery store, maybe because there is a park right outside (some LT kids play while their parents shop), and there is a new building being built right next to the parking lot.  He still loves the super-big trucks!

My favorite place to stop is the small dried fruit and nut shop in the shopping center attached to the grocery store.  There are 2 ladies that work there, and they have taken to our kids.  We are learning Lithuania from them (cherries are vysnios:), and they are learning a bit from us (more!).

And driving.  Our van is a manual, so I am back to my clutch-driving (sometimes stalling) days. You're always supposed to drive with your lights on (which Quincy has to remind me to do).  Roads are narrow, pedestrians have the right of way, and the signs are all different, it's a lot to take in. Quincy has a better idea of where things are than I do, so he usually helps to navigate our trips (a little scary, I know).  And then there are the roundabouts!  I've only been honked at once, that seems pretty good...I tell the kids they need to be quiet before we enter one so I can concentrate;)

On the kid side of things, among my favorite things these days is Jackson's tendency to call all his favorite things "super," (as you can tell, it has seeped into all of our vocabularies).  So, in the morning, he puts on his super-pants (which are all athletic pants) or super-shorts (also athletic).  His new coat has a super-pocket (which is a sideways pocket on the front).  And he can run super-fast and he likes to blow super-bubbles;)  He also would like a super-big digger for my birthday...I so love parts of age 3!

(He just put his play-dough noodles on the stove, so proud:)

Quincy daringly tried out a soccer league with our friend's son; turns out he was too old, but it was still a growing experience for him in a few ways;)  He will be starting drum lessons in the next couple weeks (very excited), and is enthusiastically cheering on Lietuva in the FIBA world cup most nights. Today he told me he is contemplating whether he should focus his athletic attention on soccer (he has a strong desire to be the next Tim Howard) or basketball (for obvious reasons;).

(Watching the Lietuva-Mexico game.  Lietuva won!)

Annie is looking for a girl her age to play with and still hasn't learned anything this school year (despite my best attempts!).  She also would like to learn to play the violin, so we are looking for a teacher, and lost yet another tooth.

And Nala, well, she continues to make friends.  And scream.  Usually not at the same time:).  She is picking up Lithuanian and will often respond to others with aciu (thank you) or labas (hello)!

And Nala loves Nutella on her toast (and her face) in the morning:)

Happy day to you all!
Much love, bw