Tag

lithuania

Culture & Immersion, Narrative

Avoid the Area Around the Station

Since the first time I moved here I was told to avoid the area around the station at night. The Vilnius City Train Station is a commanding building with large blue sign shining in blue “GELEŽINKELIO STOTIS”. It stares you dead in the eyes from the bottom of the hill, deep in no-go territory. This place is harmless in the daytime; floods of people flow through here considering most buses end at the Station, and it being so close to the center. What is it about this place that has tantalized my curiosity? What went on here to make my family friends and…

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Culture & Immersion

How to Find X in Vilnius

So you moved to Vilnius from out of the country only to realize there’s four grocery stores and they all sell basically the same stuff. Small business is a tiny speck on the backs of giant company’s that sell everything, but that what you’re looking for… I’ll try my best to help you find that vintage record player but you’ll probably become a master accordion player before you find such rarities here. Assuming X is something somewhat common in you’re country, I’ll do my best to show you how to find X in Vilnius. First off, a lot of sites…

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Culture & Immersion

How to be Lithuanian: Eat, Smoke, Drink & Play

God knows why you chose to take up this mission, learning how to be Lithuanian. But you’ve already committed yourself by reading this far. Nope, no going back… It’s your duty now, might as well throw away your Miller Lights, doobies and Mickey Dee’s, ‘cuz we do it different. We have black bread, basically non-alcoholic beverages made from black bread and lots of potatoes, so grab your hoe and shovel, we’re getting Lithuanian! Lithuania is a big farm with two very large farm cities (the capital Vilnius, and Kaunas) and some farm ports, and yea… the rest is legit farmland. To put Lithuania’s…

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Travel

Nida Lithuania and why you Must Go there

Nida Lithuania. Besides being the name of a pretty Lithuanian girl, she’s a lot more than that. Say that to any Lithuanian, or that you’re going there and you’ll be the envy of their eye. Not only is it the village in which my grandfather, Viktoras Miliunas, wrote his novels, it’s a part of my childhood. She’s a gem that won’t let you down when you visit her… Nida used to belong to Prussia since it was captured by the Teutonic knights around the mid 1200’s. Eventually after the second world war she was assigned to Lithuania. With that said Nida Lithuania has a look…

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Culture & Immersion

How to Jazz in Kaunas

If you like jazz and you can handle a lot of it, then this post is for you. Hell, this entire weekend is for you, just get your butt over here. It all starts here in the town hall of Lithuania’s second largest city, Kaunas. Every year towards the end of April. [huge_it_maps id=”10″] It’s Thursday, the opening day for Kaunas Jazz, and you know what that means? Of course you do, jazz takes over the city! It’s hard not to walk into any cafe or Restaurant and not see these posters or flyers hanging about. What started as a festival…

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Culture & Immersion, Travel

Explain Lithuania to Me

Ever feel like just saying “I’m from ______ (insert city)” doesn’t get across what that city means to you? Living in Medellín I get asked from which large piece of dirt I originate and I don’t know whether to answer them United States or Lithuania. There’s the country I originated from, and the country I would have came from if it weren’t for war and communism (I technically had to prove that to earn my Lithuanian citizenship). How do I explain Lithuania?   Don’t get me wrong, I love the USA and the opportunities she’s given me for 25 years. Likewise, I’ve always had…

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