Hello from Vilnius, Lithuania!

Hello everyone! My name is Sara, and I am a student at Columbia’s School of Social Work.  I’m writing to you from Vilnius, Lithuania, where I am spending the summer working in the Office of the President, Dalia Grybauskaite.  As someone who’s worked almost exclusively for NGOs in the past, working in a diplomatic/political office is a new experience for me, but also an excellent one.  So far my work has been a lot of editing and research, but soon the Office of the President will be hosting a conference on "Women Enhancing Democracy: Best Practices" (which CWWL is co-sponsoring).  Women leaders from around the world are expected to attend, and it's a very exciting time.  More on that as it develops!

Vilnius is a great city – a breath of fresh air from New York.  It’s a rather mellow city, with only half a million residents.  I live in Vilnius’s Old Town (Europe’s largest) and I love the crumbling old homes, the flowers spilling over people’s balconies, the winding lanes and the layers upon layers of history.  In some ways it feels idyllic, but this country is also dealing with a host of domestic issues, ranging from emigration to xenophobia.  I’m learning more about the gradations of Lithuanian society as each day proceeds.

I’ve made a lot of local friends thanks to my friendly co-workers and some personal contacts, and Lithuanians are great company: a certain dark humor but a genuine, warm hospitality.  And the history of this feisty little country is fascinating, as they worked so hard to retain their national character and overcome the repression of the USSR.

That’s all for now!  (As for the picture above – I love photography, but I can't claim credit for this one – but I thought it was a great shot of a typical Vilnius street.)