Today, My friends left for NZ. It was a beautiful sunrise as they drove to Riga, bound for Hong Kong and then NZ. Then winter hit with harsh winds and driving snow. Kinda reminded me of Russia--snow covered black ice. With my bus pass in hand, I caught the bus to downtown Klaipeda. Loads of changes for those who know it. Many new coffee houses near the river. The Klaipea Hotel has a new name. Walked past a dark Karklu. Then I met Simonas at the IDeal store, Robin, Kim and Marlene at LCC. Had dinner and a wonderful reunion with Robin for supper before meeting up with Ieva for English lessons at Rytas Orphanage. Ieva is a third year college student who takes time teaching English to students there and after spending time with her, I know why her students appreciate her. It is people like her that make this cold, harsh climate warm.
I tried cooking today. I made burritos with beans and even found Mexican cheese advertised with the phrase "the cheese that bites you back." I even found jalepenos...they kept me warm. Tomorrow, I will meet my new students and prepare for the adult fellowship.
Three of my students were SLI students last summer--two were in Jude's class and one in Erwin's class and two others came from yhe Kazakhstan class. Wow...this class has a unique diversity from Albania, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarussia, Ukraine, Moldavia and Kalingrad. The book I am teaching is Between Shades of Gray, an historical fiction surrounding the deportation of Baltic people to Siberia. The author, Ruta Sepetys, spoke at the university and answered questions from the students. It was very exciting and I can't wait to hear the students' perceptions about it and the book.
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