24th July 2001, Trip to Lithuania

Lost the e-mail about being in Poland.  This is the last one  GBW

Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 21:57:53 +0200

Dear mother... Sorry about the delay in writing, technical difficulties. But let me continue my story...

It was around half past ten that morning that we finally we cleared to enter Lithuania. The 350 km drive to Plunge was spent half asleep for I still was very tired. But the countryside is quite interesting. It is so different from Poland, one could almost taste it.

There were small signs everywhere of attempts at self sufficiency. Small squares of vegetable gardens and grains struggling for life. Only as much land as a man could till by hand or horse. And for the first time since I touched down in Europe, I saw horses!! Fat, draft animals, chained or hobbled out to pasture. No fences held them. Cows staked out in the middle of tall grass, goats tied in the town squares or back yards. All very fat and content to just stand.

The landscape itself was fairly flat. Small rises here and there, but even the distant mountains seemed like mere hillocks. The land itself was lush and thickly green.The pasture grass as tall as my shoulder in some places.The houses were much like those of Poland, but I noticed the very high acutely angled roofs The eves dropped again almost half way down the sides. The towns we passed through were small and close. Narrow winding roads that had the trodden-dirt-like feel to it that is so typical of poor countries.

There are people everywhere, walking mostly. Very few smiles or laughter. No really animated conversations either. Yet they did not have that distracted look that one might find in, Chicago say. Just people content to remain in their own world.
We reached the farm and I was delighted to find it to quite novelish, (my own word here) The main house was constructed ENTIRELY from wood. It seemed to spring from the very heart of a cool grassy hollow in the earth. Scented by a hundred different flowers, it looked over a grassy area, not a lawn but more, I suppose, a natural garden, ungroomed, except to keep the grass short. This was broken only by a few ancient trees, a large rock and a statue. On the rock were engraved the names of the people who'd lived on the farm and the years they had been there. The statue was of Sibylle's grandfather. He'd been quite something of a hero in his day. A military man and leader, he'd been the highest commander of the Lithuanian Cavalry before his capture and subsequent death in Siberia. From what I understand it is His name that the local workers respect so deeply and why they clamor to work for Sibylle's mother.

Beyond the house, four buildings formed a yard. A house, where I live, opposite a very large barn, and ended by two buildings which I am not sure what they do. I know that the workers take their breaks in the one building, but otherwise it is a mystery. Behind the large barn stands the Indoor arena. On the West end of the arena is Sibylle house and the "Lodge". Both actually are directly attached to and over look the arena.

In the early mornings when I start, and my horse, Lelija, is screaming for her friends, I see a head or two pop into the window, and then disappear. I am sure to return to sleep. And behind the arena, end to end, is the "Mare" barn.

The land spreads in every direction, and ends each time in a forest. It is a very large farm, and I have not seen the half of it. Only the pastures and immediate fields.

There is a constant hum of activitiy here. From around eight in the morning til six at night, there are farm hands putting up hay, or cleaning stalls or village boys mowing the grass. Alina is always surrounded by an army of women and children picking berries of every sort, and collecting vegetables. But other wise they all seem very withdrawn, even with each other. A distrust almost. One of the farm hands, Kazimirius, would not look me in the eye, and I mentioned it to Sibylle in passing, how odd it seemed, since then he makes a point to nod at me, and I've even coaxed a smile or two out of him. Now this is not to say that they don't talk at all, or that there is an uneasy air about the place. It is merely to say, they are completely different from the Africans of my youth who loved to work in large groups. They held yelled conversations over whatever they were doing at the time. Teeth flashing in laughter, someone, if not two or three, always shattering the quiet with loud voices. And if there was nothing to talk about, someone was humming or singing. The difference is all I am commenting on.

Darius, the young man that works with me as a trainer,of course doesn't speak English. We have however begun to have...well, not conversations, communication maybe. He is extremely handsome, in a gypsy way. Shy eyes that are very gray. He is married with twin boys who are three. Our conversations have been about everything imaginable, but mostly about horses. He loves to jump, as do I, so we've compared favorites.His wife is angry because he made a lot more money as a panel-beater, but he said that whenever he was working on the cars, his mind was going crazy for horses. He is twenty nine and has been riding since he was nineteen. Not long by European standards. But he is actually very good. Like any of us needs a little help, but defiantly has a love and feel for the horses. I feel bad that he works so hard to receive his one lesson a day. And often the work is not even with the horses themselves. If he's not helping me, He bucks hay, or helps with other heavy labour, odd jobs, then is allowed to ride at the end of the day when I'm sure that his limbs are like lead for weariness. Long after I have cleaned up and am writing at the door to our house,Darius is finishing up this or that, or checking that the other workers have finished their jobs right. It's after that that he comes and we sit on the front step, watching the last light leak from the clouds. That's when we get to talk. In Lithuanian the answer to "thank you" is "please". The Lithuanian words sound like this " Achoo Preshu." If you say it fast it sounds like a sneeze and blessing. I have picked up a few words. Mostly to do with the horses, and I am still trying to get a working knowledge of the language at least, but it is not going to be easy!!!It is unlike any other language in the world, I'm told. And the rules of grammar are entirely whacked out. Learning the root word is not enough often. There is a different affix for different tenses according to the ending consonant. Also it depends on the ending of the word before it. I can't even explain how in depth this all gets. One example maybe. The names of men, first and last, change depending on the form of address, and the last letter in the name. Darius' name is Darius, but when you address him directly it is Darou, and to write to him, say, it would be Darie. I can't even pronounce his last name so I won't continue with the illustration. But perhaps you see the complexity. And that is just on the males names. On all nouns, though, the affix changes. I have to stop, I am just further confusing myself thinking about it. For now, I'm able to use one word along with gestures to get my point across. Well, I believe that is about all that I can write for now. You are up to date I hope, and no longer think I am still in Poland:>

I love you mum ma, and hope that you are having a blast!!!! Let me know when Ouma is coming so I can write her a special e-mail. Give grandma my love, and a big kiss. Dad and Squashtoo. Keep me posted on Squash's Football thing...


LOVE - ME!!!