March, 31st.

Today we had interesting experience. After the lesson of Lithuanian we helped the nature department to construct a barrier fence for frogs and toads along the highway. Usually a lot of frogs die under the cars wheels trying to cross the roads. The barrier fence stops them and collects frogs in the buckets. The ranger checks the buckets during the day and helps the frogs to cross the road without any harm.

Vilnius

Nice city.

Bebrusai

Training camp an Bebrusu Dvaras was about getting to know new people from other projects, inside and outside activities, learning Lithuanian and cooking traditional Lithuanina food, learning to learn and lots of fun.

Back to Plateliai

Yesterday in the evening I got back to Plateliai after finishing on-arrival training and spending weekend in Vilnius.

Meeting in Molėtai.

During the three days of training we did lots of interesting: active games, quests outside, sauna, Lithuanian language lessons, presentation of our programs and plenty of informal communication.
Tomorrow is the last day of on-arrival training.

Volunteers meeting.

Today I moved to the on-arrival training of the volunteers near Molėtai. I went on a train Plungė - Vilnius, than met the other guys and by bus we got here, to Bebrusų dvaras.
Training is ok. We played "Survival of the egg", but our team lost, because the egg in the end was broken.

Monday, March 23rd.

Finally got our bank cards, continued to help the school band with Ukrainian and Spanish songs and had our first Lithuanian language lesson.
✖✖✖

Saturday, 21.03

Yesterday we were invited by Aušra and her husband to their homemade sauna in the old hunter house in the middle of nowhere. They also treated us with various local food: cheese, meat, nuts and candies.
But the most exciting part of the night was of course wet sauna.
It was so relaxing when we had those procedures of birch branches massage. Everything was so authentic. Now we are experts in some local traditions, in which sauna plays a great role.
Su malonunu!

Work hard.

Plungė

Plateliai

Kaunas

Earth day.

Today Plateliai Gimnazija celebrated the Earth Day. Of course, me and José joined. We went to school, where they had the competition of the best birdhouse made by school students. After all the students went on the Earth Day parade, even the children from kindergarten took part in it. Students were playing bells and drums, carrying handmade symbols if earth erc.
Then we went to the office to work on our countries presentations. After we had to сhose some representative song and help the school music band to play and sing it, because in a week they're going to have a concert including one Ukrainian and one Spanish song.
I prepared 3 song for them to chose:

Predictably, the've chosen "Chervona ruta", which I also really enjoy.
Finally, I had a middle distance run in the Šeirės forest for 5km.

Wood-tractor-sawmill

Continued our manly hard woodwork.

The wood day.

Started the day with carrying firewood from a big pile to the basement and finished with collecting branches in the Plateliai park. The second part was really boring. At least, now we are experts of different kinds of wood and know how to prepare the park to the season after winter.

17th, March.

Today we continued working in the woods with houses for birds and bats. Found lots of rubbish in the forest after winter, took it away. Deepened our knowledge of bird nesting, now we can install birdhouses in the right places and directions.

Birdhouses day.

Today we worked with Nature Department of Žemaitija NP. We helped to clean or repair old birdhouses and install the new ones in Šeirės forest near Plateliai. Actually, we also installed wooden houses for bats, because there are a lot of bats on the territory of ŽNP. We learned the methodology from our experienced colleagues Sigis and Gitana. Now me and José know more about birds nesting and life of the bats in the woods. Also we found small but unexpectedly deep lake - Piktežeris. Tomorrow we will continue with our work in the woods.

Market day.

We had market in Plateliai today. It was really small but we managed to buy some traditional Lithuanian cheese and homemade bread. 
After I made some exploration of the peninsula, where was the old settlement of Plateliai. Found very picturesque landscapes and beautiful places. 
José had first sunbathing session at our balcony, when the sun was on top and it was quite warm as for this season here in Lietuva.

March, 14th. Hitchhiking failure.

In the morning me and José decided to visit Telšiai, of course by hitchhiking. We had a positive experience here in Lithuania before, so we thought that would be easy. We had got comparatively fast from Plateliai to the highway, but there happened something strange. More than 2 hours we spent on the road and nobody out of more than 100 cars stopped. So we hitchhiked back to Plateliai, which was easy again.

Friday, 13th.

Today we were introduced to our teacher of Lithuanian language, together we've made a plan for our formal and informal lessons. Also she showed us local school, which was very nice, but with not so many children. Also we met with the officials of local kindergarten, multifunctional center and library, from which I took English-Lithuanian dictionary.
We did our second try to open bank account. José applied for it, but I need to wait for an approval from Vilnius and maybe I'll get my card in a few weeks.
Unexpectedly, we were told that we need to make vaccine injection not to get encephalitis from the insects in the forest. Now we have to think over it.

12th of March. Bank failure.

Went to Plungė to open bank accounts, but the bank wanted to charge 30€ fee from us, which was not acceptable. So tomorrow we have to go to Plungė again to complete the bank mission. In the evening José found an old  mobile phone at the hills of Plateliai. It was charging but did not work properly, so we will put it into the recycling garbage. Saved the Mother Earth from the poisonous piece of plastic with chemicals.

11th of March. Holiday.

Today Lithuanians celebrate the Day of Independence Declaration, so nobody works, neither we at our volunteering. So we decided to go by hitchhiking to the closest town Plungē. This was the first hitchhiking experience in my life, and we did it quite well. On the road to Plungē we were kindly picked up by Vitalija, a women who works in the administration of recreation in Plateliai. On the way back we changed three cars and got home. Plungē was mostly sleeping in the morning, only the church of Šv. Jonas was opened. We explored the downtown, visited very beautiful park and Palace of Oginski. In the park we spotted lots of huge crow's nests.

It's a bike! Exploring the park.

After visiting very special Museum of Shrovetide masks and national traditions we finally got a bicycles to explore the territories of the Žeimaitija NP.
The landscapes were beautiful, bikes were new citybikes with inner rear gears. So, me and José did some 25km around the lake, most of which on a bike lane and were really satisfied with that.

Meeting with Žemaitija National Park officials.

Today we finally met with our colleagues in the office of the Žemaitija NP.  After we explored territories around lake, visited Tourism Infocentre, Cold War Museum, abandoned military camp and local school.
Our first job was to help to clean the dam at Babrungas river from branches and other small obstacles.

Exploring Plateliai.

Yesterday we arrived to Plateliai, and today we started to explore the village. We've been to the local Church for a short time on a Sunday mass. Then walked through the park and the outskirts of Plateliai, where we saw two young roes. Also got some product supplies in the grocery. 

Lithuania. The start.

From now I am going to write at cycletoexist about my time in Lietuva on a project of European Volunteer Service. I've been for 2 days in Kaunas, meeting with my colleagues all over the Europe.