DAY BEFORE CLASS TRIP
“Earth to Drew, are you paying attention?” asked Ms. Maloney.
Drew snapped back to attention.
“Huh? Uh……yes ma’ am.”
The flustered teacher continued, “Alright then, as I was saying, next week will be our junior class trip to Lithuania.” Ms. Maloney pulled down a map, “Lithuania is located on the western fringe of the east European Plain. It is surrounded by countries such as Belarus, Poland, and Latvia. Lithuania is slightly larger than west Virginia with…..”
“Pssst. Tyron,” Drew whispered, once again becoming bored with Ms. Maloney’s lecture.
“Yeah?” replied Tyron.
“I can’t wait ‘til the trip next week.”
“Oh I know….Man, it’s about to be our tightest adventure yet!”
“And you know this, man!” responded Drew with zeal.
JUST ARRIVED
“Ok class, well we’re here! Now please, as we make our commute to the hotel, be polite, and don’t stare. You may notice that people will be softly speaking this country’s official language, Lithuanian. Also, because clothing is expensive and the market doesn’t always meet demand, people often wear homemade clothing. Now, please board the bus (which happens to be Lithuania’s main form of transportation) in an orderly fashion. When we reach the hotel, get situated in your individual rooms. Rest up because tomorrow will soon be here!” commanded Ms. Maloney.
SECOND DAY OF YTRIP-SIGHT SEEING
“Labas! Welcome to Lithuania. My name is Arnold Ruutel and I will be your tour guide as we explore this majestic country. As you might know, Labas means hello in Lithuanian. As we move on, don’t be startled if offers you their hand for a handshake. The citizens here are very friendly and handshakes are commonly used to greet someone new.” Explained Arnold.
“They sound a lot like Americans!” Tyron exclaimed.
“I know, but let’s see how different they are from Americans.” Responded Drew.
Mr. Arnold continued, “ Lithuania has a population of about 3.7 million people. The majority of them are of Lithuanian descent. The most worshiped religion is Roman Catholicism…..question?.............boy in the blue?”
“Since the major the major religion is Roman Catholicism, do Lithuanians have different customs and traditions than Americans?” questioned Drew.
“Not exactly. State holidays consist of Christmas, Easter, and All Souls Day. Dating and marriage are typically major events celebrated for up to three days.
Now let’s discuss the government. The current president’s name is Rolandas Paksas. In 1940, Lithuania became apart of the USSR. As of now, Lithuania is fully independent. It has also been a member of the United Nation since 1991….” Mr. Arnold continued to babble on ……meanwhile:
“Man, I’m bored!” Expressed Tyron, “I can’t wait ‘til tomorrow. That’s when the fun begins!”
“For real!” Chimed Drew.
THIRD DAY ON TRIP
“Man this place is stunnarifick!” Exclaimed Tyron.
“Okay class, we’re here at the historically famous Zvemaitija National Park.” Stated Ms. Maloney.
“This park was founded in 1991. The goals of the people who dedicate their lives to improving this park include, preserving the lake system, taking care of cultural events, forming a diversity of ecosystems, and developing recreational activities.” Ms. Maloney went on, “There are many fun things that you can do here like play sports, ride horses, go on hikes, fish, hunt, and visit museums. So everyone pair up and go your separate ways. Meet back by this tree at three o’clock……………Remember your manners!” she hollered after her students.
“Aight, I dunno bout you, but I wanna go fishin!” expressed Drew.
Tyron responded, “Man, bump that! Let’s go buy some fish. I’m starving!”
“Okay well……there’s a food stand right there.” Drew replied reluctantly
The short man with blonde hair, blue eyes and an angelic face politely shook Tyron’s hand and asked him what he wished for.
Tyron eagerly exclaimed, “Ahhhhh man….I want three Big N’ Tasties, six king size fries, a vanilla I ice cream, and a super- size Coke!”
The kind man retorted, “I’m sorry sir, I see your from America, we don’t serve such things here. But we do serve one piece of dark rye bread, topped with cheese, served with on tall glass of whole milk!”
“Ummmmm okay, how much is that going to cost?”
“Oh yes sir, it’s only three Talonu ($1.80).”
“Okay sir; please gimme six of those combos.” Tyron hesitatingly responded.
“Yes sir, right away, here you are.”
“Thanks, good looking out!” Responded Tyron.
“Hey Ty, let’s go sit under the tree and wait for the rest of the group.”
HOURS LATER
“Um, is it just me, or does it seem like we’ve been waiting under this tree for hours?” Asked Drew, who was becoming restless.
“Yeah. Where’s your watch?” questioned Tyron
“I don’t know, besides, wouldn’t the time be different than back in the U.S?” responded Drew.
“Oh yeah! True, true, well, should we try to find our group? Uh….wait, here they come right now!”
Tour guide, “Welcome once again group. Let’s continue our discussion about life in Lithuania.”
“Is this where we left off?” whispered Tyron to Drew.”
“I don’t remember.” Replied Drew. The tour guide prattled on,
“Even though Lithuania is an extravagant country, there are very few natural resources. There are very few natural resources there are modest amounts of oil, untapped sources of thermal energy, and deposits of iron are dolomite, quartz, sand, clay, and gravel provide for numerous raw materials.”
“Doesn’t this sound a little familiar to you?” questioned Tyron once more.
“I don’t know man. Sometimes I don’t be payin attention.” Drew remarked.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Exclaimed Tyron. The tour guide continued to babble on.
“The country has a GNP of .63%. Before 1940, the major economic activity was agriculture. Now, there are many factories that produce modern supplies such as radios, televisions refrigerators…”
“Okay, now I’m sure we’ve already heard this,” stated Tyron, “excuse me, Mr. Ruutel! Weren’t we going to visit another famous landmark?” Mr. Ruttel, “No that would be the other the other group, group #1.”
“Then what group is this?” asked Tyron confused, aren’t you Arnold Ruutel, our tour guide?”
Mr. Ruutel, “Oh, no you’ve had a slight mix-up. I’m Arnold’s twin brother. My name is Andrew Ruutel, and this is group # 2.”
“Oh great! Now what do we do?” panicked Drew.
“I guess we’ve gotta find our group.” Responded Tyron.
“In a foreign country? Man, now we’re really in store for an adventure!” said Drew.
FOURTH DAY
“Dude, we’ve been ridin around on this bus for hours! We gotta get outta here!” whined Drew.
“Ya know what, I’m tired of your crap ok!? I’m reading this brochure that Mr. Ruutel gave us. It says right here that there are three major ways people make money: industry, construction, and agriculture…” read Tyron.
… “And?” interrupted Drew.
“And …we should try to find a job so we can buy a plane ticket and get the heck outta here!”
“How’re we gonna do that?!” huffed Drew.”
“Dang, do I gotta do everything around here?!” Tyron responded with disgust.
“Ummmmm…..excuse me guys, don’t mean to be nosy but me and my friend heard you talking and we think we know a quick, easy way to earn money here in Lithuania.” stated Jasmine.
“Fa real?! How?!” piped Drew.
Jasmine went on, “Okay well, listen closely and you must swear not to repeat anything your told, for this information is G-14 classified!”
“We swear!” the two boys grinned in unison.
“My partner Niccole and I, work with the government. We are part of the underground project to sneak fast food into Lithuania. Seeing as how you guys are Americans (fast food junkies) we could defiantly use you! In fact, our organization will give you $4,222.36 to fly you back to the United States free of cost for you two…” explained Jasmine.
“Ahhh tight dawg!” yelped Tyron and Drew.
“However, you must ship 50 pounds of McDonalds hamburgers to our capital’s building by the first of every month.” Added Niccole.
“Yes, alright, whatever you want!” piped Drew in glee.
ONE DAY LATER
“Sure feels good to be home!” stated Drew.
“Fa sho, it aint no place like home.” Reinforced Tyron.
“True, true….but you gotta admit, that adventure was off da hook!” exclaimed Drew.
“Yup, it was stunnarifick!”
“Okaaay! And even though we got we lost and were almost stranded in Lithuania forever……at least we learned a lot!
“Ha! You can say that again!” joked Tyron.
“Well at least we learned a lot!” repeated Drew.
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