Mr. Clean unveiled

Finally, the long awaited photo of my last RA. You'll have to refer back to my earlier post to get the scoop on Mr. Clean. Although my face may not reflect it, I am really looking forward to working closely with this individual. He is an independent thinker and adds a unique perspective to any group. He likes to remind me of the differences between Eastern Europeans and Americans, especially in our interpersonal interactions. I like to remind him of all the similarities between Americans and Eastern Europeans...

Крузенштерн

Did I mention that we live on a port city? In fact, one of it's claims to fame is that it is the northernmost 'ice-free' port city on the Baltic Sea. Since Erik spent every summer weekend of his growing up life on a sailboat with his family, it's a good thing I get a similar thrill from watching all the boats - I mean ships - sail their way in and out of the harbor here in Klaipeda. We often find ourselves mesmerized by the lights bobbing far out on the shoreline as we imagine the stories of sailors and other crew members coming and going from our home. I am sure it is more romantic in my mind than in actuality, because I am pretty good at that.

Last weekend the world's 2nd largest tall ship was in our port. We had the opportunity to tour this huge and very old (built in 1926) Russian ship that continues to be used for training purposes and is normally docked in Kaliningrad, the port city to the south of us. The sight was impressive, although I was wishing that the sails would have been out for us to see this old ship in all its glory.

Meet the EAST side

It's time you met the 4 lovely students I hand-picked to work with this year. I haven't had much time to email and fill you in on the last month of preparations, student leader training, and move-ins, but I am starting to feel guilty for not introducing my fabulous team of Resident Assistants. Drum roll please...here they are!


This is Tanya from Kaliningrad, Russia. Tanya is a 4th-year student who will be graduating from LCC in 2011 with a degree in English Language & Literature. Kaliningrad is a part of Russia that is located just south of Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, so her home is less than 3 hours away, depending on how long it takes to get through customs at the border ( 30 minutes - more than 4 hours!). Tanya graduated from with an undergraduate degree in Economics this summer through a university back home that she attended through mostly long distance correspondence and going back to Kaliningrad for a week of tests at the semester's end...all at the same time as she was attending courses here at LCC. She is 21-years old and dreams of someday moving to Canada...although she realizes she first needs to pay the country a visit.

And here is Anton. This is his 3rd year at LCC, although he is officially a 2nd-year student. He attended the English Language Intensive course for his first year to improve his English-speaking abilities. Anton is one of a few students we have at LCC who hail from Kyrgyzstan, which is sometimes known as the 'Switzerland of Central Asia.' He attended a May course at LCC before spending the rest of his summer working in Greece. One thing I remember about his interview from last spring was that his family runs a business selling ice cream. His previous communication experience with shop owners will serve him well as he relates and interacts with his fellow peers as anRA. Anton has a laidback style that is somehow super productive at the same time. Those of you who know me can understand how he will balance me out well. :)

Natasha is our RA on 3rd floor. She is a returning RA with plans to graduate this spring with a Business Administration degree. Natasha is originally from Moldova and has spent the last 3 summers working at a tourist destination in Ohio...I think the place is called Rattlesnake Island? Natasha has adapted well to the long, dark Lithuanian winters, although she does mention that she can never get used to the weather here. Not enough sunshine for someone who comes from a fertile country of grapes and sunshine. I don't know if any of our students from Moldova would choose to live through a winter in Minnesota either, though Natasha could fit in well as a sweet midwestern gal.

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And lastly, the 4th RA on East side would prefer to be unnamed and for the time being, unphotographed. I am still waiting on his picture. We both agreed that he would like to be introduced as Mr. Logic (the story about that could appear later), although at the moment he looks more like Mr. Clean. Remember Mr. Clean? This member of our team is beginning his 3rd year as an RA and will be graduating with Erik on May 1, 2011 with a degree in Theology. Mr. Logic (or Mr. Clean) has a creative sense of humor. He constructed a homemade manequin in his pod kitchen to welcome his residents to their new home using a broken chair and other random items he found around the dorm. He calls this unusual resident of the hall 'the nightguard,' and above him hangs a sign that reads, "The Nightguard NEVER sleeps." Oh yeah, did I mention Mr. Logic is coming to us from the country of Belarus, the country that shares the eastern border of Lithuania?

Thanks for your attention. As you can see, we are an odd group with lots of potential, together. I look forward to reporting more as the year unfolds.