Grybų šventė Varėnoje - Mushroom Festival in Varena!

Šiandien mes atnaujiname Vilnius Diaries tinklaraštį pasidalindami naujojo ambasadorės pavaduotojo Howard Solomon įspūdžiais iš Grybų šventės Varėnoje. Sekite mus skaitydami ambasados darbuotojų, draugų ir lankytojų atsiliepimus.

Prabėgus vos kelioms savaitėms po mano atvykimo į Lietuvą, turėjau galimybę lankytis Varėnoje, kasmetinėje grybų šventėje. Tai buvo nuostabi galimybė pakeliauti už Vilniaus ribų ir daugiau sužinoti apie turtingą vietos bei Dzūkijos regiono kultūrą. Tokios kelionės į regionus tapo neatsiejama mūsų diplomatijos dalimi, leidžianti ne tik daugiau sužinoti apie šalį, kurioje laikinai gyvename ir dirbame, bet ir pagilinti bei sustiprinti ryšius tarp amerikiečių ir lietuvių. Ambados atstovai kasmet lankosi grybų šventėje ir tai visuomet jiems suteikia daug džiaugsmo.

Taip pat turėjau garbės susitikti su Varėnos miesto meru bei kitais savivaldybės atstovais. Buvau itin sužavėtas turtinga regiono kultūra ir kulinarijos paveldu. Vietos žmonės iki šių dienų yra išsaugoję nuostabias tradicijas, muziką ir liaudies menus. Be to, šventės metu pavyko užfiksuoti keletą įdomesnių kadrų. Keliaujant po pasaulį fotografija tapo mano aistra ir manau, kad čia atrasiu pakankamai medžiagos fotografavimui tiek gražiajame Vilniuje, tiek ir keliaujant po tokias vietas kaip Varėna. Žemiau įkėliau keletą nuotraukų, kurias pavyko padaryti festivalio metu.

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Today, we re-launch our Vilnius Diaries blog with a post from our new Deputy Chief of Mission Howard Solomon about his trip to Grybu svente in Varena. Follow us for future postings from Embassy officials, friends and visitors. 

Recently, after only two weeks in Lithuania, I had the opportunity to travel to Varena to participate in the opening of its annual mushroom festival.  This was a fantastic opportunity to travel outside Vilnius and learn more about the rich local and regional culture of Dzukija.  Such travel to the regions has become an integral part of our diplomacy, allowing us to not only learn more about the country where we are posted, but deepen and strengthen ties between Americans and Lithuanians.  Representatives from our Embassy have traveled to the mushroom festival each year and enjoyed it greatly.

I was honored to have the opportunity to meet the mayor of Varena and a number of other local officials.  I was especially impressed with the rich culture and cuisine of the region, where locals have preserved wonderful traditions, music, and folk arts to the present day.  As I experienced the festival, I also was able to capture some of the sights on my camera.  Photography has become a passion of mine as I travel around the world, and it seems I will have plenty of subjects to photograph here in beautiful Vilnius and on trips such as the one to Varena.  Below are some of the pictures I captured at the festival.

Ambassador McCarthy talks to The Politic about Foreign Service, Being a Diplomat, Lithuania, and the Maastricht Criteria

In December of last year, Ambassador McCarthy gave an interview to Yale’s magazine The Politic, for their series “Diplomatic Discourse,” a collection of more than 100 interviews with United States Ambassadors. More than 50 Yale students conducted interviews over the telephone, via Skype and email, and in person at embassies on several continents. This series presents two topics in detail: careers in the Foreign Service and contemporary issues facing American embassies. You can read Ambassador McCarthy’s interview and explore the series at http://thepolitic.org/diplomatic-discourse/.

A project of this scale and depth is unprecedented. The series strives to be the authority on the perspectives and experiences of the official American representatives to foreign governments. The reporting team asked all of the Ambassadors about their experiences — if any — in the Foreign Service, the person or event that has most influenced them, and their critique of American diplomacy today.  

Here's an excerpt from the interview -- you can read the rest here: 

For Ukraine — and today is an important day, because there are a number of important international personalities there as they further decide how to meet the opposition’s requests — it is an ongoing process. What we’ve said, and what Secretary Kerry said himself just a few days ago, is that in terms of not assigning an association agreement, it was a personal decision made by President Yanukovych. The people of Ukraine did not agree with that decision. What we’re seeing is the unfolding of that process.
Lithuania, just like other EU Member States — and I participated in some of the discussions — is clear that they’ve left the door open, and they continue to say this. They feel that the Ukrainian people should be able to express themselves, and that they should be listened to. They have to decide whom they affiliate with, without pressure. As far as the EU is concerned, they were going to keep the door open, which they have. So they never shut the door by any means.

Experiences of a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow

Before I leave to go back to the States, I wanted to share with all the readers the experiences I have had as a Pickering fellow. The end of my time here in Vilnius also takes me from being a Pickering Fellow to a Pickering Alumni, as it is the final requirement of my contract with the foundation. 

To begin with, The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Programs provide funding to participants as they prepare academically and professionally to enter the United States Department of State Foreign Service. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply. 

2011 GFAF Esther Joe and FAF Kimberly Everett completed their internships in Kuwait City, Kuwait. They had the opportunity to be site officers for Secretary Kerry's visit and to assist with preparations for the Secretary's high-level meetings at the Bayan Palace and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I started to prepare my application for the Fellowship in September of my senior year in college, and the application was due in February. I worked closely with the writing center, our Director of Scholarships, and the Ambassador in Residence at the University of Central Florida. After writing twenty-seven drafts of my personal statement, I finally turned in the application. I was then selected to continue the process through a writing test in which you are given two hypothetical situations or issues and  you must write about them within a certain amount of time while being supervised via Skype. After I passed this test, I was invited to Washington, D.C. to be interviewed... along with 40 other people... for 20 positions. I practiced with UCF doing mock interviews before flying out to the nation's capital. All the people I met there were incredibly impressive and qualified. I was nervous, but prepared, as I sat in a closed room in front of two professors and an Ambassador, being grilled on what the Pickering Fellowship would mean to me. A month later I was notified that I was selected as a Pickering Fellow!

If I’m lucky, I’ll go back to Lithuania someday. Until then, iki!

Even after nearly a month home from Lithuania, I still think about it every day. My experience interning at the US Embassy was incomparable and I really value the opportunity I had to learn about diplomacy as well as the culture, government and history of the region.

My 12-week experience in Lithuania really flew by. I stayed busy and had the opportunity to do a myriad  things, from representing the Embassy at cultural programs and outreach visits around the country, to leading discussions at movie nights, and even dancing around Vilnius for Violence against Women awareness.  I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to several towns and cities, including Kaunas, Kėdainiai, Tytuvėnai, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Rokiškis, Trakai, and Marijampolė. 

I saw inconceivably beautiful cathedrals, frozen lakes and rivers, astonishing forests, and fascinating museums and cultural sights. I learned about an array of things, including the path to the restoration of independence in 1990, the Jewish history, the thriving art scene that exists in Lithuania, and so much more. This internship marked my third trip to Lithuania, but I continue to learn about and love Lithuania more and more with each stay.

My favorite part of my experience in Lithuania by far was the people. There is truly something special about those who I had the opportunity to meet in Lithuania, whether it was local staff and local interns at the Embassy, the attendees of the movie nights and other events, or the numerous students and teachers that I met during outreach visits. There was a human spirit and feeling of hospitality that is unlike anywhere else. Some of my best memories are times spent with local staff at the Embassy, like spinning eggs on the floor around Easter time and even just drinking coffee and hearing their stories. 

I was provided insight about the history, language and culture that would be impossible to learn from a class or museum, and my colleagues at the Embassy really became some of my best friends by the end of it. These relationships are invaluable and they made my internship experience and time in Lithuania all the more enriching.

This was a great opportunity to expand and grow, personally, academically and professionally. What I gained while I was there was more than I could have ever imagined or wished for and I hope that all future Embassy interns and visitors to Lithuania will have a similar great experience!

If I’m lucky, I’ll go back to Lithuania someday. Until then, iki! J

// Sara