I will survive!!!

Okay. Got a little dramatic with the title, I'll admit. As I generously hinted at in my previous post, today we will be talking about Valentines Day, winter in Klaipeda, and maintaing perspective! So, boys and girls, let us begin.

Valentines Day. Oh dear. So the above image is of my friend Kirill and I. Here at LCC, we have the great and beloved tradition of hosting Blind Date. As an eager and excited study abroad student prepared to get super duper involved, I said an enthusiastic yes to participating (that was sarcasm...). Essentially, the evening began with four different rounds of interviews, just like the game shows on TV. Lucky me, I was chosen to continue on the the rest of the competition out of the three girls in my draft. A total of four couples then proceeded to dance for two WHOLE minutes to various pop songs of our generation. Of course (because I have just such mad sick awesome dancing skillz) Kirill and I won that round. All four couples then did voice-overs for about three minutes of a cheesy teen chick flick. Again, Kirill and I remained the superior couple. Finally, we were asked questions about our partner. The above image is of one of the few times Kirill or I was wrong (probably me actually... ). Nevertheless, we won! That meant that Kirill and I were treated to a lovely traditional Lithuanian meal downtown.

No, mom and dad, I will not be coming home with a husband. But I did step out of my comfort zone a bit. And isn't that was studying abroad is about? I was shockingly reminiscent of Elaine (from Seinfeld... duh) during our dancing, spoke like a stuffy-nosed nerd during the interviews, and made a general fool of myself the entire night. All that being said, I made more friends and memories through that night. Although saying no would have been easier, little opportunities such as this are good for me. So I've decided that I need to be much more willing to say yes. Yes yes yes!

MOVING ON!!!

Winter in Lithuania is just cold, okay. Snow, wind, rain, ice, hail (I think)- we got it all. So surviving the winter was a challenge for me. From January until March, it's generally very dark and snowy. Many of us study abroad students would consistently diagnose ourselves with seasonal affective disorder. We felt lonely at times, a little depressed, and lacking in motivation. This happens at Taylor as well sometimes. I'll admit, I really struggled for about a month and a half there. It was as if the Lord was giving me a break though. Time to forget distractions, remove myself from the hustle and bustle of college life, and return back to Him. I had time to think, pray, plan, and reflect on many things that had previously been clouding my thoughts. I realize now what a blessing that time was. In evaluating our experience in cross-cultural class yesterday, I mentioned how I recognize more clarity in what I desire to do with my life post-graduation. Of course, I'm not positive. Can you really ever be positive? I'm pretty sure that's God's job. I am, however, more excited about the future than I have been in a long time. Maintaing a positive perspective and searching for the Lord during a time of (literal) darkness was not easy, nor would I say that I was completely successful. My God, however, came to me. And I know that He always will.