Day by day

I call this the Metro Shuffle
Sveiki! A Lithuanian greeting, which means 'Health!'

Seems I never get the chance to write here. When I log in, there are friends to catch up on  and, by the time I'm done, I've forgotten what I wanted to say. Oh heck, who am I trying to fool? Honestly? I arrive on my blog, stare at the screen, trying to convert the week into words; thus scattering what little cohesive thought I started out with.

With this in mind, I'm going to attempt this in daily (or thereabouts) nibbles.

Last week, our focus for the week was on Tat's visit with the family in Lithuania. Jurgis enjoying his time there was one thing. It had been a dream of his for most of his life. She first stayed with Dalius and Oksana. The message I got was - I'm happy. In short, they were wonderful. I'll get the details later, as her pc died on her when she arrived in Lithuania and she hasn't been able to get it fixed yet.

From there, she went to stay with Teta Irena, Vaidas, Sonata and the boys. She was online more there and having a ball. When she was due to leave, she said it felt like she was leaving home all over again. I can't begin to express my thanks to all who made her visit there such a wonderful experience!

On Monday, I had no students (cancellations - joy!). It was good though. We were able to video chat with Tat via Skype and I finally got to meet the family. They're every bit as wonderful as Jurgis and Tat said they are. I can't wait to meet them in person!

On Monday we also go word that the front house is finally getting a tenant, but only for 15 days out of every month. That should be odd to deal with. Jurgis knows him, a nice enough guy, our landlord's business partner. We'll see how that goes. It does mean that Romany is once again restricted to just our half of the property, poor thing, though we do take him on walks more often now.

Tuesday started with a cancellation as I was walking out the door. I do wish they'd cancel before get all dressed up! That left me home for a couple of hours - good time to catch up with some correspondence. I later left for my next student after calling her to confirm the class. One bus, two metros and a 10 minute walk later, I was at the entrance to their office block and my delightful ringtone went off. I love getting calls because I love the tune! Anyway, it was the secretary. She needed to cancel.Ugh! Perhaps I just dreamed the earlier confirmation call.

Wednesday, I got to chat to a long lost friend (ok, not so long or lost) *and* my little girl! That was good. A surprise email made my heart skip happily : )

Thursday ~ dreaming of green pastures and soft, rolling hills ~

I dreamt last night that I was leaving an institution, a nameless, faceless multi-storey block with small, impersonal rooms. I was sitting on the bed talking to an elderly, long-dead friend and explaining why I was giving her a scarf, as I don't wear scarves and won't be needing it.

Two men came to blows in the metro car over the last half-inch of space and had to be separated by security. One guy, the shorter one, was told to get off. I felt for him, as he wasn't the instigator, but I guess the security guy felt he would be easier to control. The guy who was trying to pull punches was huge. Either way, they were both in the wrong. If the metro is full, you wait for the next one. The trains come through with only a minute or so between them during peak hour. It's not as though they'd have to wait a long time. The photo up above is where I decided to wait for the next one, but, believe it or not, there are those who'll still try to squeeze into that.

It was a surreal kind of morning. I swiped my security card through at the bank, only to be told "User blocked" - the kind of words that generally cause heart stoppage and panic. The nice lady at security consoled me with information that I'd be getting a sparkly new card. Whew! Apparently, they'd stopped that particular type of card. I got a temporary card and made my way to the student. At the back where the coffee machines are, there was a lady moving tables  and arranging mountains of diapers... in a bank? Turns out it's someone's baby shower. I waited. I got a message from an anonymous lady to call my student. Apparently he had a) lost my number and b) overslept, so there would be no class. Great! That gave me time to organise my new security pass. It's not a pretty yellow one like the old card, but it does announce me in bold letters as a "Professor". One very badly taken photo...


More good news this evening : ) The news isn't mine to tell and we're waiting for confirmation anyway, but it's starting to look as though 2011 is shaping up to be a good year. Ahh... nice!

I'm off to bed now. I woke up this morning feeling as though I was drugged and that feeling hasn't changed much. Does it show? =Þ

Oh... before I go... a few of you are TUT enthusiasts. Have you heard Mike Dooley's latest talk? It's awesome! If you can't find the talk, let me know and I'll upload it. It is available online at a few locations, but not for download. I saved it so that I can listen on my little ipod : )

Life is good... in Lithuanian

Photo taken by Jurgis at Marceliukes Kletis
As you know, I'm trying to learn Lithuanian. So far, I'm enjoying it. It's completely different to any language I know (yeah, I know SO many haha!).

One lesson I really enjoyed and which I've been meaning to blog about for a while now is the simple:

How are you?
I'm fine, thanks!

Lithuanians take the "I'm fine" to a whole new level and one I really like.

First, to break it down:
Kaip = How
gyventi = the verb 'to live'
good = gerai

So a question would read:
Kaip jis gyvena? = How's he doing? or How's he living?

The answer... ?
Jis gyvena gerai! = He's doing well! or He's living good!

Taip, Gyvenimas yra Geras! (Yes, Life is Good)

Asta, as I'm still learning, please, please feel free to correct me : ) There may well be grammatical issues with this post.

Plots and plans

Photo taken by Jurgis in Vilnius
Our 'temporary' stay in Brazil (it was meant to be a maximum of 2 years) is nearly at its end. We have, in our 11 years here followed a few different 'dreams'. I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe there is a path I must follow and it isn't always the path I choose, though that doesn't necessarily make it a bad path.

Jurgis' documents went to the translator yesterday. Not as easy as it sounds, as there are virtually no translators from Portuguese to Lithuanian. She promised speedy work, very unwillingly - it's extended family... say no more. This weekend, we spent hours scouring the internet for rentals in Lithuania. Last night, Tat, bless her, sent me a site where I could exchange English for Lithuanian lessons.

Roughly summed up, Jurgis is applying for his Lithuanian citizenship and through that, his EU passport. We're working on getting my application done with his. I mean, our 24 years of marriage has to count for something, right? Anyway, we've decided to go ahead and move to Lithuania. To get to Lithuania, I need to go via the UK anyway to get a visa and a visit to Tat is in order, naturally. Our goal is still to live in an English speaking country, the UK in this case, but for the interim, Lithuania is pretty, green and clean. I will carry on teaching and Jurgis will hopefully keep his current translation clients and agents. If not, we'll make a plan. We've uprooted with nothing before and heck, if we could make it in Brazil, we can make it anywhere. Shhh... no one is to mention the glaring fact that, in Brazil, at least one of us spoke the language ; ) 

Yes, we've plotted and schemed before and no, it didn't always go our way. I know those detours and roadblocks like the back of my hand by now. This time, things seem to be falling into place. We're making more progress now than ever before.

And yes, I'm playing the lottery this week =Þ

A quick blog to prove I'm still alive

It's been a somewhat crazy time since I last blogged. I never even got to visit all the PP entries on Friday.

Friday evening, I was asked if I wanted to go with Tatiana to see the Lithuanian dance troupe's presentation at the 40th annual Cherry blossom festival in Campos do Jordão, a small town in the mountains about a 3 hour drive away from here. I went... camera in hand. We met the bus at 6:30am. The day was overcast and damp. I loved the event though... the kids were amazing. Ok, they weren't really 'kids'. Most were Tat's age and over. The 'team' spirit was wonderful.... on the bus, regardless of the hour of starting and all the way there. Once we arrived, there was  a short time where a few of us wandered through the gardens.

The dancing was incredible... energetic, fun, colourful. The dancers actually 'looked' as though they were having loads of fun, such a rare thing to see. I'll blog that day separately... if I can rescue some photos. I discovered at that event how bad my photography really is *sigh*

We arrived home after 10pm, ate some delicious chicken Jorge had prepared (how sweet) and collapsed.

Sunday, Jorge and I had to go into Praça da Republica to collect a leather item which was in for repair... it wasn't ready. I was so annoyed. It is an all-day event for us to go in, involving a long bus ride and a fairly long walk. I took some more 'realistic' São Paulo photos, which I'll put up at some point. So many people tell me we live in 'paradise' ; ) We got home tired, but it was a good day otherwise.

Sunday night, I got an e-mail from Felicity's sister, speaking of her day with Fel. It tore at my heart... I knew the end was near. Monday, I got stuck into the dance photos, as I want to be able to have them online in time for the next dance practice. I checked mail rather late. Felicity was gone. My day just crumbled. I have been struggling to pick up from there... so there you have it... my 'quick' blog, where I was going to talk about how I had nothing to say for myself.

Technorati Tags: dance,lithuania,cherry blossom,republica,fel,death

Weird conversation

Photo by Jorge on his trip to Lithuania

Jorge is a strange character. His usual reaction to death or the announcement of someone's death is a super-tactful, "Sh*t happens." Apologies for the expression. I'm quoting very literally. I say, super-tactful, because he has been known to insert some black humour at that point, unless checked. I've always believed that this is because he has no earthly clue how to deal with the subject. Emotion of any sort in himself or anyone else makes him incredibly uncomfortable.
This morning, he called an elderly spinster who apparently knew him and his family when he was just a tiny tot here, before they moved to South Africa. She also knows the Lithuanian lot well. The lady, Irene, was talking about another lady (I forget their connection) who is recently widowed and having a hard time adjusting. She's 70 and her husband was 75. This got Jorge talking about death and then, graves. He has this dream of returning to Lithuania to buy the land his grandfather owned.

This was different. He now wants to find out exactly where his grandfather was buried here in Brazil, so that he can take a handful of soil from his grave to his grandmother's grave in Lithuania. He then wants to renovate her grave because it has been neglected. Those who know Jorge, will know that this is really strange talk from him. He never met his grandparents. In fact, he only recently met his aunt for the first time, his uncle having passed on before he made it to Lithuania.
We have never, as a family, given much credence to burial places. I believe that the grave is empty. It is merely a symbol... a marker. The spirit of the person lives on in our hearts and lives. A meaningful tribute, to me, would be to plant a tree or something in their memory. Jorge is about as unsentimental as they come, so this kind of talk had us wondering if he was feeling... uh... well. Is my husband getting sentimental in his old age? He is, you know... in many ways. Then there are days when he totally blows that 'persona'. Confusing guy....

Technorati Tags: jorge,graves,death

Meeting the president

A couple of days ago, we were told that the Lithuanian president is 'in town' and that he would be coming to our 'village'. For those who have been around a while, you'll know I don't live in a village, but in the Lithuanian community of São Paulo... very much city, except for the village-like atmosphere. Tickets to the presidential lunch were being sold at R$100 each (that is around US$63 ) per person. Naturally, we didn't go. We heard later that he would be coming to the village today to speak at the church. This church is Catholic, but unique here, as they have regular services in Lithuanian.

But... I had shopping to do. Jorge went off to the meeting. After French plaiting Tat's hair, just for the heck of it, I called Jorge to ask him how I'd get the house keys to him. He said just to call him when I got to the church, and he'd come out to collect them. We arrived at the church to see the speachifying was in progress, so I snuck in to give Jorge the keys. Once there, I saw him standing with the camera, not taking photos. That's not on! I grabbed the camera and went to the front, snapping away, not taking in a word of the speeches, as he spoke in Lithuanian and the interpreter spoke very badly... not very clearly and I need clear Portuguese.

Meet the president....  I have to confess at this point that I have absolutely no idea what his name is!! Edit: Just looked it up. Meet Valdas Adamkus, President of the Republic of Lithuania!

 

He commented on the Lithuanian spirit that was very evident in the crowd he viewed...

He was a riveting speaker - as I was told. The lady is the interpreter...

The car.. well... just another car, really...

This little girl was cute as a button. So full of life and enthusiasm, in her Baltic amber necklace. Her mother kindly gave me permission to photograph her.

The president apparently loves children : ) This photo was taken over the shoulders of the crowd pressing around them.

The motorcade escort...

The sun was high. I found this trio of girls crammed onto a tiny porch. The little cub scout and Lithuanian mascot wanted in on the photo.

Jonas, Jorge, and Vladis - the 3 cousins

In all, it was a festive day. Tat was asked to join the Lithuanian club dancers. She sure looked the part with her plaited blonde hair and fair looks. The dancers are apparently going to Lithuania next year on a sponsored dance tour. We eventually made our way to the supermarket for long-overdue shopping. Tat got many comments on her hair today. It was odd, really, as it is a style she wears quite often. Today, she looked Lithuanian : )

A more formal write-up of today's happenings can be found here.

A photo on the presidential site of the dinner arrangement we missed can be seen here.

Technorati Tags: lithuania,vila zelina,president,Valdas Adamkus,President of Lithuania,Prezidento Valdo Adamkaus,Lietuva

A Lithuanian Easter in Brazil

We, as a family, don't celebrate Easter, so for us, it was a pretty ordinary weekend, except for my insistence on trying to make hot cross buns without the right spices and... the eggs. I went to the little Lithuanian shop that we usually buy all our sweet treats from. They make the most magical Torta Holandesa and pies of all sorts.

We were in the shop, so that Tat could buy a dessert (the Torta Hollandesa) for my birthday dinner when I spotted these gorgeous eggs. We asked the lady about them. They're hand-painted Lithuanian Easter eggs. When painting the eggs, there is apparently a little ceremony that goes with it. The design on the egg is meant to represent the coming of spring and the growth of the wheat. I got us each an egg. Apparently, the eggs give prosperity. We could do with some : )


We found this photo in the Lithuanian online newspaper (from Lithuania). Needless to say, I don't understand a word of the newspaper, so I couldn't read more about the eggs. I assume they would say much the same as what the little Lithuanian lady told us here. These are hardboiled eggs. She swore that they would last many years if kept unbroken. We won't get the chance to test that... they broke on the way home. What a pity.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.... those who celebrate Easter and those who don't.