mrbreeze
From: Lithuania
3/21/2008 08:31 EST
I consider it my duty to warn you about the way things are done here. I live here, and know. First, when you come to live here, you MUST register where you live in order to get a permit to stay. BEFORE you rent a place you MUST make sure your landlord will alow you to do so at that address. This is a formal procedure which means they have to go to city hall and openly declare you. If anyone tells you otherwise they are a liar. It is a big deal for a landlord to do this, and it is not easy to find one who will. Mostly because he admits that he has rental income and this puts him on the books. If he does do it, add %18 VAT tax to your rent. You will get a slip of paper that says you have been registered and it is your proof. You need this, it is the law. Lithuania will not think twice about deporting you at the drop of a hat. Second, when you rent ask this... When the fridge breaks, who pays for it? When the pipe blows at 2 am who do I call, and who pays? Guess what? They want you to pay. Watch how fast the landlord runs when you ask these questions! Is the place heated with gas? Forget it, you will go broke in winter. Most places are furnished... watch your ass, because he will look when you move out and it better look the same or he will want to be paid. Most places have centeral heat and is controlled by the Gov and they shut it off in April no matter how cold it is! Do not trust ANY Lithuanian business AT ALL. They bring the art of screwing people to a whole new level. I could go on, but that is enough. YOU MUST REGISTER, or you will get deported!
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noelcor
3/21/2008 15:45 EST
I worked for a year teaching Eglish in Vilnius but I registered ith no one.Was I illegal? How long can you can stay in Vilnius as a tourist? I agree with you totally about Lithuanian landlords-you have to be very careful with them as they will screw you for everything given the chance
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mrbreeze
From: Lithuania
3/22/2008 04:49 EST
You can stay 90 days. I do not know the law for anybody other than Americans, they cut a lot of slack for E.U. people.
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mrbreeze
From: Lithuania
3/22/2008 05:50 EST
When you taught here did the " school" you worked for always ask you to work for free? Send you around town picking up books, telling you to go here, there, but not want to pay you? That is a standard Lithuanian business practice. Happened to me. How about paying you? They say you get paid on the 1st, then tell you they can pay from the 1st -11th? How about not giving you anything to teach with? or, having you make copies of the book? Sending you across town to sign out a tape for a lesson, then you have to bring it back taking 3 hours of your time.
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mrbreeze
From: Lithuania
3/22/2008 06:22 EST
I regret coming to LT. I wanted my kids to experience their culture and family. This place will suck the life from you. It takes the good from you, and leaves you only negative feelings. The people here are cold, mean, they have no sense of common courtesy. They do not say thank you, your welcome, nobody smiles, they are rude beyond belief. They slam doors on you at the store, knock you over with their carriage, and it really gets to you after awhile. It is not the Russian's fault either. I have been to poor countries and they still have some basic level of manners. This place sucks, and I would urge anyone to think twice before coming. There is a reason why LT has the highest suicide rate in Europe. This place is dark, down to your soul.
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mrbreeze
From: Lithuania
3/22/2008 08:28 EST
P.S.
You can't do business here without 3 lawyers, your ass sewn shut, and a valium the size of a football.
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noelcor
3/24/2008 13:12 EST
Mr Breeze, I think you are being slightly harsh about Lithuania.As for the two language schools I worked for, I had no problem geting paid when it was due.The resources with one school were somewhat limited but overall my experience with the 2 schools was a good one. I wasn't asked to travel endlessly around Vilnius but I did have some in-company classes.
As for Lithuanians, yes they are quite pessimistic as a nation even the younger generation.I supose my experienced was coloured by the fact that I had a relationship over there with a girl I deeply loved and I never took much notice about the bad manners in shops etc.In actual fact, I am desparate to get back to Lithuania to be closer to my ex girlfriend.This may not sound too sensible a motive but that's how I feel about her.There are warm hearted Lithuanian people and luckily I met a good few, particularly my private students.I would have to say that I found Lithuanian students very grateful of the teaching efforts you made to help them with their English
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noelcor
3/24/2008 13:16 EST
And yes Lithuania has one of the highest rates of suicide in Europe( I think the Finns have the highest rate).But I suppose your experience depends on the people you hang around with.If you are lucky and meet open friendly, you tend to ignore the overall general pessimism that pervades the place.
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mrbreeze
From: Lithuania
3/25/2008 04:26 EST
It is a culture where everybody cheats on each other too. The things I have said are widely excepted as fact by the countless Americans who have been through here.Lith girls call their lovers " friends" that is the dead giveaway.
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Ziema26
From: United States
7/23/2009 11:42 EST
Noel,
I think you and I have a lot in common...
And, actually, Lithuania does have the highest rate per capita in the world, last time I checked.
Jen
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sbdagape
10/15/2009 20:34 EST
I'm sorry you feel that way about Lietuva. I have spent quite a bit of time there with my in-laws and have several observations. First of all, Vilnius is full of immigrants, so the culture there is not true Lithuanian culture, nor hospitality. If you want to really experience the country, go out to the country (there's enough of it) and talk to the farmers and rural folk. Secondly, be aware that Lithuanians consider the American tendency to smile at and talk to strangers to be "fake" and "deceptive". They generally don't talk to strangers or make small talk in the grocery store, but that is just their culture. However, if you actually befriend a Lithuanian, you can be sure the are a true friend and will be loyal and honest with you. In contrast to people here in the US who will smile to your face and stab you in the back. I, for one, look forward to retiring in that beautiful and fascinating country.
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Abakan
From: Lithuania
10/15/2009 23:40 EST
The problem with the suicide rate is that no help is being provided. There was an article in the paper a couple of months ago on this subject. If a person is caught trying to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, for example, then he or she is taken to a mental health facility and released the next day, when the attempt is likely to be repeated. In the West such people are medicated and kept long term. Due to the financial crisis, this is not likely to change in the immediate future.
As to Mr Breeze, what you are seeing is the result of not speaking the local language. When you do not speak the local language, it is very easy to imagine that everyone is out to get you. For example, boyfriend/girlfreind is vaikinas/merginas which are ultimately from the roots for child and girl. If you look at the Lithuanian explanatory dictionary, then the meanings given are a young, single man/woman, not boyfriend /girlfriend. And the meaning boyfriend /girlfriend is not given for these words in Alkonas/Anglonas. which latter gives boy/girl for vaikinas/mergina and gives mylimasis (dear, loved one), draugužis (dear friend), bi?iulis (close friend) for boyfriend and draug? (friend); mylimoji (dear, loved one) for girlfriend. But in colloquial Lithuanian, vaikinas and mergina are fairly exclusively used for boyfriend/girlfriend. But if you don't speak Lithuanian and don't have a living source for the language, then it is very easy to make such a mistake.
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Ziema26
From: United States
10/21/2009 12:13 EST
I think it is in human nature to mistakenly generalize about other cultures and people. Not all Americans are "fake" when they smile and then stab you in the back. Just as not all Lithuanians are untrustworthy. With enough time, you can find fault in every country -- every people -- every person.
Regards,
Jen
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Abakan
From: Lithuania
10/21/2009 13:35 EST
The problem is that culture shock exacerbates the situation. When you are part of a society, you can fairly accurately guess when a cashier's mistake is honest and when it is directed at you. When you are an outsider, it is much easier to assume that the cashier took advantage of the situation and much hard to rectify the problem. After enough of such incidents, it is easy to see such behaviour in innocent actions, like someone laughing. (Are they laughing at you?)
And it does not help that most Lithuanians see their language as very difficult to master (Why else did they spend 12 years learning it in school?) and feel totally unprepared to teach it to another. They can't see the forest for the trees. Thus the question can arise, is a person refusing to teach an outsider so that they can hide something. Maybe they have a lover(s) on the side? And then if you use a poor translation tool, you can go crazy reading the results.
When I came here, I used the guiding principle that whatever the system and customs, it works for the locals and therefore I have to accept it without criticising it. The only time I lost my temper was trying to call someone for 2 hours on a pay phone which were given the lowest priority at that time and so calls were seldom put through and frequently disconnected. I think that would frustrate just about anyone.
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