The (bumpy?) road

There it was: my one and only suitcase, the chosen one. The problem? I had to cram in clothes for both sweaty summers and arctic-level Baltic winters. Oh, and let’s not forget the essentials—like my skincare products because, let’s face it, ‘this is the skin of a killer, Bella.’ Then came the shoes… so many shoes. Winter boots alone were like 5kg (no exaggeration), and of course, I had to pack gym shoes. I mean, I was a gym girlie back then—before I gained 10 kgs. <cue dramatic crying emoji vibes>.

So, this was it—my first time abroad (well, other than the two countries I’d already lived in). You’d think I’d be buzzing with excitement, right? Nah. My mom had enough excitement for me and the other 16 people in the program combined. She was busy packing my one-and-only suitcase with meds, snacks, and an unreasonable amount of loveee.

Meanwhile, I was tackling all the classic ‘I’m leaving for a while’ checklist items: last hangouts with friends, canceling my gym membership (which weirdly made me emotional—like, why?), and eating my weight in hometown food. You know, gotta stock up enough nostalgia calories to last two years.

I could already feel the adventures brewing—and they didn’t wait for me to even leave the airport. After saying my goodbyes trying not to cry while also laughing at my aunt’s iconically ugly crying face, I’m pretty sure I looked like that Squid Game guy—half sad, half nervously excited.

Cue the classic airport ritual: overpriced coffee and standing in never-ending lines. While waiting to board, I noticed the airline crew chatting with people, looking very convincing. Turns out, the plane was overbooked, and when my turn came, they offered me a few hundred euros to give up my seat. I mean, the offer was even more than my ticket price, so obviously, I was like, ‘Where do I sign?!’

The catch? I had to wait for the next flight in the morning. But that’s when I met Mr. Crunchy (no, I didn’t bite the guy—it’s an inside joke). We clicked instantly, and now, years later, we’re still good friends. So yeah, my adventure technically started in the airport… over coffee, euros, and a crunchy new friendship.

Landing and first impressions

The flight? Oh, it was shaky, and let me just say—your girl has a major fear of flying. I was sitting there gripping the armrest like, ‘That’s it, I’m done. Never flying again!’ Then it hit me: this was a three-country program. So, yeah… there were going to be a lot of flights. Great start, right?

Anyway, I managed to survive and land in Lithuania, where I was greeted by a new challenge: no elevators or escalators in the underpasses. Yup, it was just me and my 50kg luggage squad (shoutout to the cabin-sized suitcase and my trusty backpack) versus a ton of stairs. But hey, no biggie—I was a gym girl, remember? It was like doing a deadlift, only this time, no mansplaining in sight.

After some humming, wild hand gestures, and pointing furiously at Google Translate on my phone, I finally managed to make my way to the train station. Next step? A two-hour ride to Kaunas—my final destination.

Now, here’s the thing: I’m from a post-Soviet country, and I do speak Russian. And sure, Lithuania is also post-Soviet, so technically, I could have used Russian. But where’s the fun in that, right? Gotta give a round of applause to the mother tongues! I even learned my first Lihuanian words doing this! So there I was, navigating the adventure with my best ‘international traveler charades’ and a whole lot of perseverance.

My first impressions of Lithuania? Very nice (cue Borat voice). It was peaceful, quiet, and the buses had so many empty seats. Everything was super organized, and the people? So kind!

Case in point: at the train station, two local boys offered to help me with my suitcase. Big shoutout to those guys! Back home, I’d never trust random dudes offering help because let’s be real—they’d probably grab my suitcase and take off. But in Lithuania? I decided to gamble my chances, and it paid off big time. Thanks, boys—you restored my faith in humanity and my arms got a break!

From there, I was half-asleep for the entire train ride, but let me tell you—I was terrified of missing my stop and waking up in some faraway deserted village. The drama! But luckily, I made it to Kaunas safe and sound (cue the victory music).

Now, here’s the cool part: my university had this buddy system where you could get matched with a local student to show you around, be your first friend, and give you all the insider tips. My buddy? A total legend. She came to greet me at the train station with a friend of hers, and honestly, I’ll be forever grateful because we had to tackle yet another underpass with my luggage army. They took me to my shared house, where my new flatmate immediately stepped in to help me carry my stuff all the way up to the fifth floor. Yup, no elevator—Lithuania was really making sure I stayed in gym girl mode. Honestly, 10/10 for the people, 0/10 for elevators.

I’ll wrap it up here for now, but don’t worry, there’s plenty more strawberry goodness to come!