Life on Exchange: Living in Lithuania

Hello!

It's been an awful time since I last updated with any real content.

I can't wait to blog about how's life so far in Lithuania.

I am living in Vilnius, living in the quaint Old Town with less hustle and bustle from the city. I LOVE IT! Although our spacious apartment is situated by the road side, there is hardly any noise pollution except for the occasional loud and deafening modified motorcycles. 

Our spacious apartment houses 4 people currently - Nick (bf), Soon Heng and Tong Ling. We have a huge living room mainly for hanging our clothes to dry and the most frequent hang-out spot of all times - the kitchen. Nick and I probably spend like 4-5 hours of our time in the kitchen cooking, preparing meals, making coffee/tea, staring at the fridge pondering over subsequent meal plannings, studying, watching sitcoms/movies and other misc stuffs.

Generally, the Lithuanians whom we have met and interacted outside of school context are quite reserved and cool. The girls dress pretty well and adorns themselves with killer high heels/boots despite the uneven cobbled streets that is common over here. The boys, as I heard from a gym staff, are shy but helpful if they see you need any help. The service staff here, especially in the supermarkets, are probably the worst we have seen so far. They are unhappy and usually grumpy 24/7. It's best not to trouble them in any way if you want to have a good day ahead of you. Lithuanians' skin is really fair, mainly attributed by the lack of sunlight all year round and explains why many tanning saloons are widely available here. 

At night, Vilnius turns into a drinking heaven for locals and tourists. Bars and clubs can be found almost anywhere on most streets. The drinks here are relatively cheaper than Singapore, the last I can remember is 8 Litas(Lt) which is about S$4 for a bottle of beer(500ml) and 7Lts for a glass of chardonay. Those are prices found commonly in clubs and bars. Alternatively, buying alcohol from supermarkets and alcohol markets can save you much more bucks. A bottle of a local beer, Utenos, for example is only about 2 Lt which is S$1!!! I am not crazy about alcohol but yeah, it's a plus point for many who love to indulge in alcohol.

My exchange school in Lithuania is ISM University of Management and Economics. It's a small but reputable school, considered one of the best few in Lithuania and in the Baltics. The teaching staff speaks relatively good English, most of them have immense experience in the corporate world and 3 out of my 5 professors are business consultants. Sometimes, it can be difficult for me to understand what they are discussing about especially when they relate to Lithuanian companies. The students in most of my classes are quite participative contrary to belief. However, it also depends on how good the professor is in facilitating the sessions. Project presentations are the worst of the lot and usually would barely scrap a C in Singapore but i guess that's the average here - reading scripts, heads down, talking to the script, lack of eye contact, no interaction, simple slides, spelling errors. No offense, but that's the situation here.

After school's entertainment usually comprises of whipping up good meals and watching funny shows to relax after a day's work. I just finished watching The Big Bang Theory up till the very current episode: The Russian Rocket Reaction (Season 6 Episode 5) and I have also finished The Grey's Anatomy Season 8 Episode 5: Love, Loss and Legacy. My fervent watching of TV series is fueled by the fact that the TV at my apartment is not on cable and thus, there are only 5 Lithuanian channels to browse. None of them are in English. OK, maybe they are, but in badly dubbed English. Female and Male actors both have Male translator's voice. That rips away the pleasure of watching shows on tv. So now, my macbook is my only source of 'TV' entertainment. 

SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT ELSE CAN I WATCH PLEASE!!

On a side note, I think Sheldon is pretty cute despite his geekiness and lack of EQ but that's the beauty of his character! & because somehow, I started watching from season 2 instead of 1, when i track back to season 1, I noticed the vast difference of the cast. Most of them seem to have put on weight! XD Ok, or maybe it's just how they much they have grown. It's like seeing them growing up. 

Season 1 Big Bang Theory 

vs.

Season 5 Big Bang Theory

& Grey's Anatomy as well!!! They have been around for like 6 years? Since 2005. Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang and gang have all aged by 6 years. Really amazing to see the changes in them. 

Season 1 Grey's Anatomy

vs

Season 8 Grey's Anatomy

I am hoping that Gray's Anatomy and The Big Bang theory can continue on with their stories and plots. Please don't end their series. I will be deeply saddened. :O

Ok, lastly, some of my favorite places in my neighbourhood.

The Fresh Food Market in Old Town:

I love to go on grocery shopping particularly to some of the shops in this market because the aunties are so smiley. The fresh groceries are good and cheap!

Coffee Inn:

Reputably the best coffee in Lithuania. I think there's no starbucks here - No americanisation on coffee culture. Anyhow, I love their Almond Coffee, Coconut Coffee and Mocha Ice. But the cheesecake is the reason why I go there everytime.

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That's about it! :3 I still love the comfort of my home. :)

Current temperature: 8 deg Celcius in Vilnius.