Spring has
finally arrived to Vilnius…and yes; I think it’s for real this time! Never mind
that its timing is late….I leave in a week! But never the less it is a welcome
sight for sure. Despite the previous deplorable weather, Charlie and I still
managed to have our share of fun the past few weeks. First and foremost, at the
begging of May, Gerben had a birthday! Happy Birthday Geb! Unfortunately, over
that weekend, he was up to his eyeballs in schoolwork for the end of the
semester, so we made a last minute decision that I would come to Holland for a
short visit! 
Of course,
as usual we had a ball and the weather (unlike Vilnius) was great! To celebrate
his birthday we went out for Mexican food and to the movies which was really
fun and the following day visited his parents for some nice family time and
dinner. I got to hear stories about when he was a tiny kid (apparently he
hasn’t changed too much! Haha), and we all spent the evening eating cake and
chatting. Good times. There was also a May fair going on and the whole center
of the city was filled with people, food stalls and carnival festivities. We
took advantage of that by riding on the Farris wheel, which I haven’t done in
ages! What a treat!! We also glorified our sunny days by walking in the park
and adoring all the spring-time baby ducks…at least that’s what I did ;)
Of course
the visit seemed too short, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye I was
headed back to Vilnius. To be honest, the week I returned was a quick one in
which I had just enough time to attend my classes, keep up with my assignments
and attend to those pesky life responsibilities before leaving again for the
weekend, this time to Riga, Latvia!
Man oh man
is that a cool city! , So much so, that I regretted my decision to stay only
for a weekend almost immediately. The old town and city center are really
lovely and the city has a nice promenade walk along the river, which goes right
by the edge of downtown. It was the European Cultural Capital in 2014 and I can
really see why. The central market is
spectacular and consists of 4 large tube-like buildings divided into sections according
to what is being sold. Along with countless stall outside selling fruits and veggies
you can find just about anything you can imagine! Needless to say I spent quite
some time wandering around there stocking up on snacks for later!
The reason
for my visit however, was not to sight see but to participate in the 25th
Annual Riga Half Marathon! I had made reservations at a hostel right in the
middle of the old town and a ten-minute walk to the race start/finish, which
was perfect because it was a huge event! By far the largest and most well put
together run I have participated in so far, boasting around 25,000
participants. There was a parade of
nations the day before and a pasta party to fuel up for all the runners. I
found some fellow Americans who were also running and we had a nice time in the
sun marching around the city with our flag and many others.
Sadly our
nice sunny weather didn’t last and when we all lined up at 8:30am Sunday
morning for the race, it was pouring rain, which continued mercilessly the
entire 21km. The central streets were closed to traffic and runner friends and
family were huddled under umbrellas all along route. 
The puddles were hard to
miss but the support was incredible. To be fair, I didn’t actually mind the
rain too much at the time. Running has really become such a culture these days
and it really packs some serious motivation. There is a distinct runners vibe
that fills me all the way to the tiptop when I take part in these kinds of
events. It makes me feel proud and excited and nervous all that same time. We
cheer each other through the race and high-five people we don’t eve n know at
the end because although our times greatly differ, we all just pushed our
bodies over the same pavement to the same finish line and that makes us part of
each other, armature or professional regardless.
The puddles were hard to
miss but the support was incredible. To be fair, I didn’t actually mind the
rain too much at the time. Running has really become such a culture these days
and it really packs some serious motivation. There is a distinct runners vibe
that fills me all the way to the tiptop when I take part in these kinds of
events. It makes me feel proud and excited and nervous all that same time. We
cheer each other through the race and high-five people we don’t eve n know at
the end because although our times greatly differ, we all just pushed our
bodies over the same pavement to the same finish line and that makes us part of
each other, armature or professional regardless.
So although it was such horrible
weather, I was mostly just pleased to be a part of the mob and loop along side
thousands of other runners just as excited as me to be there. Maybe we are all
just crazy, but my my, it is truly a spectacular experience. Honestly. (However,
what I DID NOT enjoy, was coming back on the bus to Vilnius with a backpack
full of soaking wet running gear! But that’s a minor detail really…)
When I arrived back in Vilnius, I
had yet another week of classes and life as usual. We had our last community
yoga class, which was great! Thanks to everyone who participated! You were
amazing yogis and I will miss our Friday sessions and all of you! Special
thanks to Miriam for filling in for me when I was out of town adventuring; I
couldn’t have done without you dear! :D That Saturday a group of us had a nice
picnic at the park, until we got rained out (crazy crazy Lithuanian weather!!),
but it was fun while it lasted! We all brought snacks and talked about the
semester flying by and about our exams and all kinds of other things. Thanks
everyone!
On Sunday I participated in the
Vilnius Half Marathon! It was a much smaller event than Riga, but the weather
was considerably better so I was happy as a clam. I even had to put on
sunscreen! What fun! 
On that note I would like to add
that for the past four months, Vilnius has been good to me. I have really
enjoyed my stint in the Baltic region and would come back for a visit in a
heartbeat; however, I now feel that familiar rumble inside. Soon it’s time to
move on (again!) and I am anxious to return to Holland. As you all know by now,
it is my oyster. My Zen. The bee’s knees if you will, and it is where I feel I
can conquer the world and submit to it equally. My heart is there. Of course
this may change over time, but for now I find myself dreaming of tulips and
windmills and wooden shoes. Yes, I would like to get back to that now. J
Love and miss you all as usual! xoxo 
