Second glance

The thing that surprises me is that nothing actually surprises me... Everything seems to be so in place, where it needs to be... People are looking differently, but it's like it has always been like that... I just feel that I have been living here all my life:) Well yeah, I'm still not very free to do what I want or to go where I want as I don't know the options, but it all just feels right:)

Still some things that I've found interesting:
- MILK - they import it from France and don't have local milk, so it's quite expensive. Therefore everybody buys milk powder. I also use it in my tea:)
- SHOPPING - people don't go to a super market and buy a bunch of all things. Like the full pack of tea or all loaf of bread. Instead you go to one of the many "kiosk" ladies and buy ONE tea bag and like one quarter of bread:)
- FOOD - it's quite normal, yet spicy:) Most popular are rice, spagheti and local "potatoes" yams. They usually eat it with some stew or meat or chicken or fish. It all looks ok and tastes ok as well:) though as I've said it's quite spicy, but it's something I'll have to get used to:)
- ADDRESS - there is no addressing system, so most often what people write is PO BOX number:) and when you take a taxi you don't say "take me to Vilnius street 5", you say the biggest building near the place where you want to go and then guide the person where he needs to turn:) fun;)

Yesterday we went to the beach. I've made some nice pictures from there, but the uploading procedure is too complicated... The picture is not the way I see it on my computer... Anyway, it's paradise kind of beautiful:) The water is not very warm, there are big waves... It's nice:)

Tomorrow my future boss comes back from Norway and the transition will start... which means that work starts... holiday is over:) I guess I'm ready though:)

First sight

First of all - thank you very much for those who came to say good bye to the airport - it really means a lot to me. I'm quite surprised that I managed not to cry... I was really sad to leave...


So here it is - my first day in Ghana:) Honestly cannot still believe it and it all feels like just one more dream you are going to wake up from. But I guess I won't, right?;)

Cannot think of what to tell you... It's different, really is, but that's why I chose Ghana.

Some things that I find hard (for now):
- it's hot;
- I don't understand sometimes when native people speak English, feel a bit stupid at those times:)

Some things that I find really cool:
- people are very easy going and friendly
- I like that it's so different, like you would see in the movies - lot's of small shops like "kioskas", cars driving like crazy, women carrying stuff on their heads, loud music at night and everybody's chilled:)

I know this post is very random, but that's a bit how I feel right now. My african friends said in the morning "are you still in Europe?":) I guess I am - I still don't understand that this is it - this is my home for the rest of the year...

HOME SWEET HOME

...

I noticed that people like short inputs more. Here's one of the shortest:

NO, I'm NOT ready!

The final dot on i

Tunisia is not the only story to share, but this one is much shorter... I officially have a masters degree in banking:) Lot's of flowers and happy faces of my mother, sister, aunt, cousin and my Mantas:) Not pictured faces are also happy:p

Clapclapclap also goes to my lovely friends - Aurelija, Daiva, Erika and Vytautas, who also had those happy faces on yesterday;)

Tunisia adventure

Officially I spent my last week in Africa - in Tunisia. I personaly don't think about it as African country, for me there is one more "continent" - Arabia and Tunisia belongs to it:) but official things also count:)

So randomly - first week in African land (we've been almost everywhere pointed on the map:)):



Houses of Berber - native people in Matmata and my sister at one of the oasis:) I had a vision that oasis is a small spot of land with three palm trees and a pond, yet it turned out to be much bigger and with many more plants. There are three layer of plants - first they grow palm trees until they are big enough to create the shade. Secondly - smaller useful plants - like bananas and other fruit. And only then grass is added to finish up. Yet the size of oasis is still counted by the number of palm trees. The biggest oasis in Tunis has over 200 000 palm trees. I wonder who counted them;)


At the lake of salt and prepared to ride a camel and gather Sachara's sand to those bottles:)


Amphitheater at El Jem - it could fit in 30 000 of people and at that time the city had only 35 000 citizens:)

At Carthage - the richest city of ruins:) one of the loveliest places in Tunisia. And it's here we encoutered most adventure as we decided to go here on our own with local transportation:) At first it was really scary, as we entered this big "bus" station with lot's of microbuses and men... One of them grabbed us and asked if we're going to Tunis - we said yes and he puts us in one of the microbuses. Then another man comes and we drive off... Us too and two arabs... then we stop in the middle of nowhere and they tell us to leave the microbus and go to the other side of the road... luckily another microbus was waiting there and it was almost full (with women as well;)). So we reached Tunis with no problem and got a taxi to Carthage. Quite interesting to go when you're not sure where you're going:) But Carthage didn't disappoint us at all. Now is just a rich suburb of Tunis, but it used to be a wealthy port. I'm sure you've all learned at least something about it in your history lessons;)


What I love about Tunisia is their DOORS:) Really they are a piece of art. The houses themselves are pretty simple - a white box and that's it. But the doors is another thing - they are usually light blue or write and have different paintings on them. Most common are fish, which are believed bring luck and the "hand of Fatima", which saves from evil eye. These symbols are everywhere, even on the doors of berber people:)

And this is in the town we stayed at - Sousse. It has a huge area, called Medina, which means "the old city". Medina is surrounded by a big wall with towers and inside it there's a market. A huge market. You can find lots of things from clothing to ceramics, jewelry etc. And of course - you have to bargain:) I had fun doing that and even though I bought all my things at least 2 times cheaper than the start price I've found most of the things cheaper in other stores:) But I find it fun;) And I'm sure this practice will be handy in Ghana, right?;)

All in all it's been a very nice week... And if you have a chance - Tunisia is a very nice place to visit;)

Preparation

This process has been taking more than a month now and yet when my friend asked me yesterday "so, are you ready?" I had to admit "no, I'm not"... Moreover I actually think that I would never be ready. I still cannot imagine all those emotions comming over...

But practical preparation will be best done starting this Friday, as I leave to Tunisia for a week with my sister:) I never think of Tunisia as something representing real Africa, but it would be a good start to feel all that hot, check out which clothes work for that weather and what not, etc.:)

I haven't had a proper holiday for two years:) And I have to say I didn't swim somewhere for at least the same period of time. I wonder do I still remember how to swim? It's a bit funny:)

The other funny thing, we come back from Tunisia on Friday (16th) in the morning and in the afternoon I get my diploma:) It's really "busy woman" kind of thing:)

FUN FUN FUN:)

What type of weather am I?

You Are Sunshine

Soothing and calm You are often held up by others as the ideal But too much of you, and they'll get burned You are best known for: your warmth Your dominant state: connecting

What Type of Weather Are You?

Actually I was always thinking of myself more of a rain person:) I should remake the test and see what can make me rain:p Well actually I just selected several "second best" answers and here we go:

You Are Rain

You can be warm and sexy. Or cold and unwelcoming. Either way, you slowly bring out the beauty around you. You are best known for: your touch Your dominant state: changing

I knew I had it in me:) So to sum up - I'm the kind of rain which rains out of nowhere - is warm and soothing...