My high school principal, who is a known blogger in Lithuania, says that to be liked, blogs must be personal. When I check readership stats, I see that my blog enjoyed much more popularity when it was more personal. I also enjoy blogs with a personal touch. So this year I’m planning to continue posting old and new travel diaries …
New Year at the Baltic coast
I usually try to find something special to do on New Year’s eve, and I was more than happy when a friend suggested going to the seaside. Palanga, one of the main seaside resorts in Lithuania, is a nightmare in summer, packed with families, budget tourists, and party-goers. But it makes a great winter getaway.
Following the Beaten Path: Part 3 – road trip past Nazareth
My friend, Israeli writer and public intellectual Yuval Ben-Ami set off to see what it is like to re-examine his country′s main tourist attractions with a critical native eye (all posts here), and I decided to virtually follow his path. In my blog posts I share my memories on what it was like visiting those places as an expat in …
Following the Beaten Path: Part 2 – Baha′i Haifa
Having read a series of stories by my friend, Israeli writer and public intellectual Yuval Ben-Ami, where he set off to see what it is like to re-examine his country′s main tourist attractions with a critical native eye, I decided to virtually follow his path. In my blog posts I share my memories on what it was like visiting those …
Following the Beaten Path: Part 1 – Western Wall
“Being a tourist, …” “You as a tourist,” “Many tourists say so” – the label ′tourist′ followed me everywhere when I lived in Israel in 2009-2010. Locals seem to be very economical about words, perhaps since the times when words had to be hammered in a rock to be transmitted to future generations. So, when encountering something strange or unexpected, …
Short video about an evaluation of structural funds and equal opportunities
My last project at Public Policy and Management Institute was an evaluation of the impact of EU structural funds on gender equality and non-discrimination. In addition to data collection and presentation, I organized a conference with various stakeholders and contributed to another, quite an unusual output of the evaluation – a promotional video. This was the first time our team …
Dali & Magritte visit a small town near Kaunas
On Sunday I used the last opportunity to visit an exhibition of various minor works by Dali and Magritte at Raudondvaris manor, not far from Kaunas. Thanks to my friend R., who was willing to drive there in this suddenly freezing weather, we reached the recently redeveloped suburban area, which used to be a famous noble clan’s estate (you can …
Seminar on women’s entrepreneurship in London
In September, I had a chance to go to London again – this time to attend an inspiring seminar on promoting women′s entrepreneurship, which was organized by the European Commission and the UK government (summary). In addition to lots of new ideas, I found new Twitter accounts to follow, as the government agencies involved in this seminar, as well as …
My first comic published somewhere else than my blog
Ethnography.com, a blog about anthropological fieldwork, has published by article once. Now they have kindly agreed to publish my ironic take on academic writing. Take a look!
Bar food and beer tour with Marius Plečkaitis
Walking by creepy looking blue lights from a wallpaper shop in the central station area, we are disappointed to see that a tiny shop with an old-school concrete sign is closed. Having spent many years in Kaunas, did I ever go there to buy meat pastries (čeburekai)? Definitely not. But on a tour with a connoisseur guide and a group …