Day 9 - Morning Relaxation

This morning we decided not to go visit Akvila.  Peggy and I have not gotten a good night sleep since the very first night, so we decided to sleep in today.  Well, it is 8:30am and I am already awake but Peggy is still sleeping.  It is strange, it does not feel like we have been here for a week.  Time goes so fast, getting up and eating; calling a Taksi; visiting Akvila; coming back to the apartment; having lunch and maybe 2 hours of down time before going back to Orphanage in the evening.  When we spoke to Elona yesterday at the Law Office, she suggested we don't go 2 times a day.  So the remainder of the time here, we will only see Akvila 1 time a day.  Tonight we will go see her, but after that we will only go in the morning time.  This is what the orphanage prefers, and I think we have more time with Akvila in the mornings.  We were also told that if is nice outside we could play with her.  What do they define as "nice" here?  Currently it is snowing and about 0° C.  This kind of sounds like Eastern part of the U.S.A. right now.

This is for Peggy's co-workers, they will love this story.  We forgot to mention this on the post yesterday.  As we are waiting for our Taksi a Van was pulling out of the courtyard area of our apartments.  The passenger was guiding the van back into the street, stopping traffic, making sure he didn't hit anything.  The passenger whistles the driver to stop, but he still hits a parked car.  This little green car is pushed back maybe 2 feet (slick roads, small hatchback car).  The passenger jumps in and they leave.  Peggy is cringing and wonders why they didn't leave a note or check out to see if there was any damage.  She looks at me to say something; I look back and say "I saw nothing."  She is confused, I tell her there is no visable damage on the vehicle and we are Americans.  Do you want to try to explain to the police about this and possibly be taken to court as a witness?  Do we have time for something like that?  I know this seems like something we should report, but I am sure there are accidents all the time here.  You rarely see a "Brand New" vehicle; they are all older and sound like the mufflers are going to fall off.  So Peggy agrees to what I am saying and we continue on to the orphanage.

One more story I forgot to post in an earlier blog.  Sometimes it is hard to remember everything that we want to post.  I know you all care about Akvila and some of the other stuff is "ehhhh."  But the people here are... how do you say interesting?  A lot of the ladies wear the tight leggings and skirts, but then they have on huge jackets with a hood and scarf.  Don't there legs get cold?  Some of them wear jeans so tight you could bounce a quarter off there behind.  Another lady we saw in the restuarant had on these tights jeans and a turtle neck sweater, but it was a cutoff.  So about 6 inches of her stomach was showing... but it was a turtle neck.  ????  That seemed odd to me; the funny thing was the guy that was with her kept staring at our table.  I wondering if he was thinking (fat lazy Americans).  This is my new joke to Peggy; (in a european accent) "look at those fat lazy Americans."  Now the guys dress pretty normal.  A lot seem to be business types.  Slacks, button up shirts and black shoes.  But there are the few "rebellious" ones we have also seen.  The leather jackets and the dreadlocks (not to sound prejudice here, but there are no "Africans in LT").  So here is this white guy standing outside the grocery store, with his dreads; looking like he should be at a "Sex Pistols" concert; just hanging out with his friends.  Another guy a few days later comes walking down the street as we are waiting for a Taksi.  I see him first and chuckled.  Peggy did not see him until he passed.  He had on black jeans and a leather jacket.  He also had on a leather dog collar and a pirate hat.  Yes, like "Captain Jack Sparrow."  Really?  A pirate hat?  Was he going to the Caribbean to steal some gold?

So before I got on here this morning, I went outside for a smoke.  I am standing under an awning watching these 2 people get out of a cab with luggage and are walking my way.  The lady speaks "Do you speak English?"  Wow, Americans?  I say "why yes I do!"  She then proceeds to tell me she is looking for the International Studies for the University.  Nope not Americans, college students; probably Germans, maybe dutch.  I tell her I am sorry I do not know where they need to go, I am here for an adoption.  She then points at the door and says "oh, there is number 9."  I tell her no, those are apartments and I am in number 9.  She thanks me and gets on her cell phone to ask for help.

Today, once the ladies decide to get up we are going to walk around Old Town Vilnius again.  I need to take out the garbage and that is about 4 blocks away... I have been putting it off, but now it is starting to overflow.  We are going to remember the Camera's this time.  So hopefully when we come back to the Apartment, we will have some pictures to post.