The People of Lithuania

Returning to America, I had a sense of loss.

Over the past three months and ten days I had a marvelous opportunity to meet and fellowship with so many astounding, beautiful, determined and resilient people in Lithuania.

What struck me most is their natural beauty, which I believe is related to their close ties with nature and the wonderfully healthy land they live on. In the Photo to the left my friend and interpreter had a deep desire to visit the Village of her birth, States, about 50 Km east of Kretinga near the popular Baltic seaside resort of Palanga. She had not been there since childhood some 50 years ago. Yet she had this strong desire to see and feel the land on which she was born, and to pick flowers and eat natural berries in the forest of her youth.

The country has suffered many conquests , and lived through the brutality of the German occupation, and then the pedantic and agonizing pain of fifty years under the Kremlin.

Through it all there emerged a well educated (98% literate) and well bred population of joyful people. I lived with these folks in their homes in several of the large cities: Vilnius, Kaunas, Siauliai, Palanga, Klaipeda, and Druskinikai. One memory of Klapedia which stands out with me was sitting in the kitchen of the home of the elder sister of my friend. We chatted though I speak Lithuanian only a little. I wanted to know if she could tell me what it was like during the WWII years. This dear lady was very reluctant to speak. I believe that fifty years of strict imtimidation by the Soviets have served to give those people who lived it a great reluctance, and a natural fear of speaking out and expressing an opinion about their intolerable situation. Further, I believe it is like a former prison inmate once told me when I asked about his experience 'doing time', "Look, I did it, and it is done. The last thing I want to do is to relive it with you." At any rate, I understood why Theresa, my friends sister, did not want to share her memories with me. She did share many photos and the small blue note books of music and native songs. She had written down all of the words and music in a neat, crisp hand. Many of these songs were not in print during the past 50 years. Out of great love of her people and to hold on to her Lithuanian tradition and culture, Theresa had preserved her heritage. I was in tears as I listened Theresa and her little sister sing out in wonderful harmony many of thse great and moving Lithuanian tunes. It is this inner determination which kept alive the Lithuanian people in an oppressed and occupied land.

I sat in her kitchen looking out on a major road, H.Manto Gatve [renamed Tito Gatve] along the stretch in front of the busy prot entrance road of Danes Gatve. leading to the Klapedia piers just beyond her home on Vytauto Gatve. She has lived here a long time, and she did share with me that the times of German occupation 1941-44 were very busy times for the port. The main entrance to the port is about a 10 minute walk from her home;just down this street and to the right is Tito Gatve leading to the main entrance.

Also, the soviets made great use of the same port when they forced out the Germans near the close of WWII. I could picture in my mind the German trucks and military appartus moving past her home marching toward those ships awaiting them at the pier, just a short walk from her home. Theresa's husband who died in the 1960's worked his whole life at this port. I have read so much about the war, and here I was right in the place where it had taken place. I walked all over the down town and along the piers at the waterfront one somber Sunday morning, and just took in the history of the place, and its people. I wondered what they had gone through, and how they managed to survive it all, and still come out as kind and generous and beautiful people.

It was hard to grasp; a great irony and justaposition was before me. Here I was sitting in a warm loving home, and thinking of those cold, malicious, fearful olive drab, green tanks and war machines rumbling past this peaceful home; marching toward the destruction of people who are so kind and good.

Every home I visited was filled with people always there to give you food and drink, and a warm hug. Where ever we went, we brought a bottle of Congac for our host, which is a tradition amoung Lithuanians. We, in turn, were greeted at the door with smiles and hugs and kisses, and ushered to a bountiful table of food. Every Village home had a wonderful and productive garden, and folks were proud to show you what they were growing and share the fresh produce with me. The best part was the loving people to share all of this with me.

This same experience was true in every city and in every home I visited. It was a thrill for me, and it caused me to become very emotionally attached to these folks.

One very important aspect of the Lithuanian culture and Psyche is their love for the land and natural beauty. Let me tell you about the food too, because it is tied to their nature. Breakfast is usually black bread, agurkas [we call them cucumbers in the US], tomatos [pomadoros], cheese[sauras] a wide variety of sausage meats, and honey [medus] and of course cava[coffee] very strong, and not brewed, but seeped in boiling water. Most importantly is that all of these items are fresh. Lunch may be Sepalines [ a ground potato filled with cheese or meat, and smothered with trasty gravy. This is often served with cold or hot Borscht. Dinner may be fish or foul. Most always lunch and dinner are served wih lots of fresh pickels, tomatos, and sometimes sliced meats that I never was really sure what animal they came from, but they were all good and all very healthy.

In Kaunas we lived on V.Kreves and the IKI [large chain supermarket] was a short walk from our home. In front of IKI was a large outdoor market that was always well stocked with fresh foods. Daily we took a walk at around 6AM. Played a little tennis and basketball at Danavos Parkas, and then went to the market. We rarely went into IKI. Most of our food was purchased in the open market stalls. Everything there was fresh daily. One day I went, and an elderly gentleman had backed his car in. His trunk was opened, and in it sat two 20 liter milk tins. This gentleman had been up since very eaarly morning milking his cows, and now he was in the market selling his fresh milk. He had some empty plastic bottles in his back seat. I asked him "Kaip tai kainuoja" [how much] he produced two liter and one liter empty bottles. I pointed to the two Liter. For 2.5 Litas I had fresh milk for the week. I loved to bargan with the vendors prices for food every day. Seems strange, but somehow it made it taste fresher, and better.

Lithuanians often spend time in the "Village". I got the impression that many were closely tied to the village of their birth. Again, tied to the land. Once, I went to the home of a very wonderful school administrator [director]. Her condo was in the city of Kaunas across from Oassi, my favorite sports center in the city. Yet almost every weeekend she went to her "village". I was invited to her birthday party which was held in her village home. The home was outstanding. The setting was beaucolic. The house was very large, and well constructed. Structures there must withstand extreams of weather, Winters get as low as -20 C, and summers can be as high as 30C or more. The house was perfectly situated on a pastoral pond in a valley of a deeply wooded birch forest. Everyone was so festive.

In general, Lithuanians love Festivity. During the warmer months every city and town in Lithuania puts on a "Town Celebration". I was fortunate enough to be in Kaunas in June during Kauno Days, and again in July for Jonises Day. If you look on my You Tube Site [http://www.youtube.com/user/willbethar] you will see a short clip called "Dancing in the Park". This was filmed at the Jonises Day Festival. Also, take a look at the wonderful video sent to me by aGBone "LITHUANIA-Journey to the Center of Europe". GBone is a native, and he is rightfully proud of his country. This video says more about Lithuania than I could ever tell of my experiences in this short article.

I will have more to tell later in the Historical piece of the cities I visited. Also, there is much said here in the photos. For now, I urge you to watch the videos, and I hope I have given my readers a sense of the wonderful feelings I experienced in getting to know Lithuania and Lithuanians.

Lastly,I want to impart that the magic of Kaunas and other cities does not lie in the beautiful old city buildings and churches. The magic is in the hearts, souls and eyes of the people who are the direct decendents of the folks who built all of those marvelous places. It is a miracle, and a blessing from God that this culture has survived to give living testimony to the strength, power and grace of a beautiful country, Lithuania populated with very, very beautiful Lithuanian people.