Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Life in the Slow Lane


Americans living abroad, especially those lacking the local language, can expect to be a little marginalized, which means being thrown into a somewhat more diverse milieu than one might be accustomed to in the U.S.  This may be particularly apt in the case of Lithuania, which is a pretty homogeneous country. 

We have enjoyed our interactions with expatriates from other countries.  And we have had some very friendly encounters with a pair of U.S. Mormon missionaries assigned to Šiauliai.  Earlier this week, we had some fun with a Roman Catholic nun whom we found wandering the streets in search of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, which happens to be very close to our apartment.  The thing is, these people may not conform perfectly to stereotypes formed in the States, and they sometimes offer some slight, often comedic, insight into Lithuanian culture.  The local Hare Krishnas who perform in our pedestrian street, for example, routinely feature an accordionist (see photo above).  And why not?

No comments:

Post a Comment