COOKIES!

On Wednesday evening, my RA's and I made cookies for the entire West side of our dorm! We made well over 100 cut out cookies - with frosting and everything! I invited the students on my side of the dorm and take a study break and come get a cookie - not as many people came as I was expecting, but all the cookies were eventually eaten!

 Baking

Frosting

Ready to eat!

early Christmas

I asked Vaida, a friend from Student Life, to make a felt necklace for me about a month ago - she wears one of her own (and makes other felt items) that I really like! She was kind enough to pick colors specifically for me and today sent me an email saying that she had something for me.... I went to pick it up and it is so awesome! I don't wear necklackes in general, but this one is special. I wore it tonight to a Student Life Christmas party because I was so excited about it (and everyone was teasing me about screaming about it in the office today too!)

the sauna

Today my RA's and I went to the sauna! We used the remainder of the retreat money we had been given for the semester, and took the ferry across to the Curonian Spit, and walked to the sea to the sauna. The sauna is a very popular thing to do in Lithuania, and there were lots of other people there - mostly older men and women. We sat in the sauna for a while to get really warm, and then ran out to the sea and jumped in! It was so cold but so refreshing! (And maybe a little bit crazy!)

Walking to the sea - the air was so fresh in the woods! And the sun was out for the couple hours we were there! Bonus!

Proof that we jumped in the sea!

Before going back into the sauna again....

me in a sauna hat

Afterwards... all bundled up again.

last day of Chapel

Today was our last day of Chapel for the semester. Some Study Abroad students from the States were a part of our worship team this semester, so I invited all of them to participate today, since it would be their last chance! It was a great time of worship together. I will miss them all dearly, but look forward to getting to know more students next semester also!

L-R: Shaban (sound extraordinaire from Kosovo), me, Anna (singer from States), Shelby (singer from States), Ina (singer from Albania), Amanda (guitar and singer from States), Alex (guitar and worship leader from Ukraine), Aliya (drummer from Russia)

Saltibarsciai

Saltibarsciai is a cold beet soup that is traditional in Lithuania. One of my RA's suggested that we make it for our staff meeting tonight, and she coordinated all the ingredient gathering and supervised us while we made it. The soup includes cucumber, beets, dill, green onion, hard boiled eggs, kefyras (thick sour milk). Then we roasted potatoes with garlic and salt, and added those to the soup along with sour cream as a garnish. It sounds weird, but it's actually quite good! The sweet beets and eggs and salty potatoes balance out the kefyras. I can't eat kefyras plain, but in this soup it's delicious! 

cucumbers, dill, green onions, beets and eggs waiting to add kefyras

waiting to eat

Ira, who coordinated the evening's meal

tree lighting

Last night I went to the Klaipeda Christmas tree lighting in the Old Town Square. There was a program with children singing, dancing, the mayor playing the trumpet (he's quite good) and of course Santa. At the end, they lit up a big tree in the center of the square. There were also fireworks right over our heads! It was a festive evening - cold, but fun.

Choir of small children

The mayor playing the trumpet WHILE holding his kid! Quite talented!

The tree

Can you find Santa in this picture? Also, the street behind him was full of people who had come to see the show/tree lighting

My evening companion (Susie)

Christmas program

On Friday night we put on the annual LCC Christmas program. The whole event was organized by one of our Student Life colleagues, Olena. She did a great job of coordinating the whole show! My part was directing the choir - my first time leading an adult choir by myself - I think my music education skills were definitely put to use in this part of my job! We sang 5 songs - O Come All Ye Faithful, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Angels We Have Heard on High, Silent Night, and Freedom is Coming (the traditional Christmas program closing song at LCC). We had about 35 people in the choir, and I thoroughly appreciated their willingness and enthusiasm, even with the limited amount of practicing we did. I was a bit nervous about how everything would come out yesterday at the program, but it ended up being very worthwhile - I enjoyed getting to interact with some students that I never would have known otherwise.

Adjusting the lights for the choir before the program started

Joseph and a real baby, who started crying in the middle of a song :)

Shepherds and angel with a huge stuffed sheep

the program included national carols from several different countries including Ukraine

and Moldova (these three girls are on one of my floors!)

the choir!