About chatrbd98

Status:

Preparing to Move Abroad 

Currently Lives:

Illinois, United States

Citizen Of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

Lithuania: If Lithuanian wants to grow and prosper:

OK. I am not Lithuanian. However, having made 19 visits to Lithuania over the past 18 years, I have a couple of observations...When I first went to LT, not many people spoke English fluently at all. This was shortly after LT withdrew from the USSR, a situation where the LTs were made to speak Russian in all business, educational, and public occasions. There were far more Russian teachers in the schools than English teachers. Very few people spoke English and I had difficulty communicating. Now that trend is almost reversed and almost everywhere you go, the younger (younger than 40 yo or so) are fairly fluent in English...and I can speak with many more people in English. Over the years, I have become fairly fluent in Lithuanian as well and that opened up conversation with many of the older people (50- 60 yo). Most of the people older population had to use Russian as the official language but at home spoke their native language...probably pretty typical of all of the "iron curtain" countries. But now, as the country is turning more to the west, and the need to speak English for business increases, most of the under 40 population speaks English fluently. My wife speaks Lithuanian, Russian, Latvian, and English pretty much equally well. My granddaughters who live near Kaunas are speaking Lithuanian and fluent English and are beginning to study German. I do understand there are some cultural issues but I think most of them also go back to the Soviet times where many times the only was to get things done was to "bribe" officials and buy whatever was available. However, I have seen great positive change in LT over the years and always enjoy going and visiting and speaking both Lithuanian and English, shopping in "American" style grocery stores and malls, but still taking in the Lithuanian culture and heritage as much as an American is able to. The only thing I don't like is winter time is so dark!!! But the trade-off summer is so light!!!

Lithuania: Lingua franca in Lithuania:

First time I went to Lithuania in 1999, I happened to meet and talk to a Lithuanian English teacher at one of the local universities. At that time she said that at her school they had 8 Russian instructors and 2 English instructors. I was also there last year and happened to talk to her again. She said that now there were 6 English instructors and 1 Russian instructor. Each time I go to Lithuania, it seems more and more of the Lithuanian people are able to communicate in English. Especially those who have come along after the Soviet Union. However, it seems that learning Russian might be beneficial in that most of the former Communist Bloc countries were forced to speak Russian and you would probably be able to communicate with many more people throughout eastern Europe. But, learn Lithuanian if you are going to live in Lithuania.

Lithuania: What are the pitfalls to moving from US to LT?:

My situation is similar to yours. My wife still owns property, apartments, and a car in Lithuania, so we have lodging and transportation. I have been to LT about 10 times at various times throughout the year for a minimum period of two weeks each time. I really enjoy the antiquity of the country, its customs, food, and traditions; and I am fairly fluent in the language, but I am not so sure that I want to visit (or reside there for more than the 90 days allowed now. After a visit of a couple of months, I'm always ready to get back to the US. My wife likes to visit, of course, to see her son and our granddaughters. However, her time is also limited to 3 months now that she is a US citizen.

Lithuania: Halloween Events for Expats in Lithuania:

Can be very emotional...All Soul's Day. Looking out over the cemetary at dusk with the candle lights glowing throughout just after dark and the total calm of the moment are, for me, very powerful.

Lithuania: Length of stay?:

When I went to Lithuania in Dec. 2008, I did not have to present my passport to anyone. I did not get it stamped by anyone. How could anyone know how long I was in Lithuania? Would the airline provide a manifest to the authorities with that information included?

Date Joined:

4/15/2009

Total Posts:

9

Posts/Day:

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