Introduction

So today I am starting a new blog. The reason why I decided to write about my home country is simple: I want to tell the world the truth about Lithuania and Lithuanians. It seems that nobody knows about us! Phrase “Lithuania is in what country” is searched 14,800 times a month in google! We are the country! And we are not Russians! In fact, we are proud members of European Union.

If you want to find Lithuania on the map, look for a small country near the Baltic Sea. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are often confused with each other by the foreigners, but they are three different countries with unique people, languages and customs. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia used to be called the Baltic Tiger because of the fast growing economy. Used to be… before the crisis.

The capital of Lithuania is Vilnius. It is a beautiful city of 0.5 million residents (in Lithuania live 3.4 million people). Vilnius has many parks, green areas and a wonderful old town.

About me. I am just a simple 26 years old Lithuanian girl. I live in Vilnius with my parents (still..). We have a 3 rooms flat in a boring district of Vilnius called Fabijoniskes. We are a typical middle class family. I have the most beautiful cat in the world and I can bake a very tasty apple pie (thanks to Jamie Oliver…). And I am also a belly dancer (amateur). Here is a photo of me (I'm sitting first in the left) and my belly dance classmates:

I have bachelors degree in economics, but I have worked mostly as a journalist and websites editor. Now I have a poorly paid part-time job in a magazine for deaf people. I love my job, but it’s not enough… It seems that to find a well paid job in Lithuania is mission impossible if you are not a workaholic and want to have a personal life. So I still live with my parents and can’t afford even a decent holidays abroad once a year… I hate this situation. But I am positive about the future and now I am starting a few new websites of my own, because I am so tired of working and making money for others.

My life is kind of boring now. Maybe because it’s winter and I can’t do many thing I love (spend days laying in the sun, swimming in a lake, cycling, fishing, drinking wine outdoor etc.). I don’t go out very often now. Sometimes I feel lonely since one of my best friends went to work to London and others are in serious relationships with their boyfriends.

So I hope you will like my blog. It’s not an official website about tourism in Lithuania. I won’t give you detailed lists of hotels, bars and night clubs. I just want to tell what I think is great and… not so great about my country. I want you to know what to expect if you are coming to Lithuania. And of course I hope that my personal thoughts, experiences and stories will help you to know Lithuanian people. We are not "sharp-toothed" and "armed with baseball bats" monsters like Mel Gibson once said, we are… almost normal.