Lithuanian Fulbright Scholar Discovers San Diego--from Mindaugas Briedis

Our today's dispatch is from Professor Mindaugas Briedis from Mykolas Romeris University who is currently finishing his Fulbright Visiting Scholar stay at National University in San Diego, California. 

My Fulbright stay in San Diego lasted for four months and it is hard to grasp the entirety of experience that I’ve got. Perhaps the easier way to tell about it is to divide my story according to Fulbright goals.

The basic goal of the Fulbright was twofold: to get academic experience while being a cultural ambassador for my country. It is amazing how those two modes of stay worked perfectly in my case. As I lived in the very heart of San Diego (downtown), every day after my work I was able to enjoy countless outdoor activities – sports, beaches, hikes, etc. Evenings were dedicated to movies, books, glimpses of the night life of San Diego and, of course, reflection.

At National University I met many friendly colleagues who helped me during my first steps in online education. Surprisingly, I was able not only to watch others working, ask questions and get information, but actually to design an online class and teach it under the great supervision of prof. Paul Majkut. It is true that I have got compliment letters from all (!) of my students. This was certainly a great encouragement for my ambition to learn how to teach online.

Although the first month of my stay was pretty tough (perhaps because of all the paperwork that needed taking care of--banking, lease, social security number, etc.), later I got into a rhythm and found time for my next academic goal – research. National university provided me with all resources needed, thus I could work on my research on online education in humanities. I will present the results of the research at a conference in March and eventually publish the presentation in English.

These were my formal academic goals, but I also want to tell you how much I loved being amongst the people of San Diego in many creative ways. As I am an avid guitarist, I looked to continue playing in California, and we formed a temporary band with other professors at National and played three gigs at a retirement home, Christmas carol at the university and at the gathering of San Diego musicians. Great pleasure! Another great event was organized by San Diego Fulbright panel – we had a nice dinner, music and warm talking in one of the +Balboa Park venues

During all those events I was able to share my experiences with many great friends (students, professor as well as city folks) who also gave me a lot of excellent advice. Thanks to them. I visited most interesting areas and museums in San Diego and travelled California (six national parks – from the desert sands to mountain ice!) for a week. I lived downtown, so always felt the pulse of the city, but also found my solitary refuge with great books and movies as well. I can confidently say I am happy and looking forward to the future – I have determined to tie my life with Fulbright opportunities.

Lithuania's Honorary Consuls: Dennis Garrison

Another installment in our series profiling Lithuania's Honorary Consuls in the United States. Thanks to Aiste Zalepuga who conducted the interviews with each Consul and collected additional materials. 

Dennis Garrison is Lithuania's Honorary Consul in San Francisco. He received his undergraduate education from Illinois Wesleyan University and his graduate degree in business from Illinois State University. Formerly a Certified Public Accountant and college professor, he has worked in the  Sports Club business for the past 33 years.

San Francisco, California is the fourth most populous city in the state and the fourteenth most populous in the United States. Today, it ranks within the top 35 tourist destinations in the world. The large area around San Francisco is also the center of technological innovation and venture capital, including Silicon Valley, home to the world's largest technology companies and thousands of small startups. It is the leader in high-tech innovation and development, responsible for thirty-three percent of venture capital investment in the United States. Moreover, the surrounding area includes some of the world's most highly regarded universities, including Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley, both of which are renowned research centers, which produce highly qualified graduates in technology, medicine, law and business.

A moderately sized Lithuanian community also exists within Northern California, and as Lithuania's Honorary Consul to the region, it is Dennis Garrison's job to promote Lithuanian social and artistic events there. "Right now, we have a growing Saturday Lithuanian language club for children and adults," he informed us. "Opportunities for education, research, and employment are also outstanding. Certainly, this is the best area in the world for innovation in technology related fields. While opportunities for exporting Lithuanian products here are limited, the exchange of ideas and technologies for the development of new products and jobs in Lithuania are available."

Garrison first visited Lithuania in 2001 to assist in the development of the Forum Palace in Vilnius. While there, he traveled to a variety of schools in the country's rural areas and helped to establish summer programs for the children. "My wife and I have developed friendships with over twenty children that we stay in contact with and support whenever we can," he said. "We have hosted Lithuanian college students in our home and traveled to Lithuania often. We have friends in most major cities and many small towns."

Honorary Consul Dennis Garrison and wife, Sally, at a summer camp in Dubingiai, Lithuania

In San Francisco, he works to ensure proper representation of Lithuanian culture. As Honorary Consul, he is also a member of the Consular Corps. In other words, he is responsible for helping to support the Embassy in Washington, DC, the General Consuls in Chicago and New York, and the other Honorary Consuls in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Often, Garrison finds himself as a liaison between Lithuanian government official and business delegations who visit San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. On a daily basis, his duties range from assisting Lithuanians with any passport issues they may encounter whilst in the United States to researching Americans' relatives and ancestors in and from Lithuania.  "Certainly, I also make an effort to recognize the accomplishments of Lithuanians in athletics, especially basketball," he adds.

Lithuania's Honorary Consuls: Daiva Navarrette, Los Angeles, California

Today, we begin a new series profiling Lithuania's Honorary Consuls in the United States. Thanks to Aiste Zalepuga who conducted the interviews with each Consul and collected additional materials. 

Daiva Navarrette has been serving as Lithuania's Honorary Consul in Los Angeles for three years. She was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and studied Economics at UCLA. After obtaining her degree, she worked for more than 17 years with investments and financial markets. 

Los Angeles, with a population of more than 18 million, is the 2nd largest city in the United States and the 11th largest globally. Among the biggest economic and culturally rich centers in the world, it is the epicenter of the entertainment and media industries. However, the city has also recently experienced a boom in tech startups, and boasts strong textile, garment, fashion, auto, defense, and advertising industries. International trade is significant as well. In fact, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are two of the busiest in the world. And tourism too plays a vital role in LA's economy; more than 41 million people visited the city in 2012. 

Much of the world knows of Los Angeles as the home of Hollywood, as a place dominated by the entertainment industy (television, motion pictures, video games, and music). In truth, though, while Hollywood's presence is certainly visible and no doubt contributes substantially to LA's economy, it is not without competition. Few people are aware, for instance, that some of the most rapidly growing and promising industries in Los Angeles are, in fact, technology startups (noted above) and the green sector.

Lithuanian Beer and Bread--in San Francisco!

This week, we have asked Morgan Kulla, a retired Foreign Service Officer who served in Vilnius in 2010 and now lives in San Francisco, to share with us the inside scoop on Lithuanian food and beer in California. It's not a coincidence that we want to talk about beer: Don Russell aka Joe Sixpack, an award-winning beer writer, will be traveling Lithuania and advancing beer diplomacy this week -- but that, of course, is a completely separate story. 

Morgan Kulla:
I first came to Lithuania in 2010 for a short assignment in the Public Affairs Section at the Embassy.  In addition to everything else, I loved the bread and the beer.  When I went home to San Francisco, missing all things Lithuanian, imagine my surprise to find a selection of Lithuanian breads and several types of Lithuanian beer – all within blocks of my house! I have introduced many friends to my favorite Lithuanian bread sold here: Vilnius Amber Rye.