Lithuania Incoming StudentsSMPF1

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DISCOVER 2Introduction 2Lithuania What is it? 2It started a long time ago 3Did you know that Vilnius is European Capital o Culture 2009? 3Want to know who is amous in Lithuania? 4Second religion 4Where to go and what to see i you want to discover Lithuania 5

Vilnius 5Kaunas 7Hill o Crosses (Kryi kalnas) 7Curonian spit (Neringa) 8Kernav 8Birai 8

DEVELOP 9Wondering about higher education system in Lithuania? 10Do you know what grade system is in Lithuania? 11Which higher educational institution to choose? 12Want to be mobile? 15Want to learn the Lithuanian language? 16

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PRACTICALITIES 27Need a lit? 27Want to get in touch? 28Short o cash? 29Finding where to live? 29Wondering how much it will cost to live in Lithuania? 30Want to nd a job in Lithuania? 31Your country is closer than you think 32Feeling sae? 32How to make your stay and studying legal in Lithuania? 33Want to know how to get a Lithuanian Student Identity Card? 33Where to nd help during your rst days at university? 34

ENJOY 17Interested in arts, theaters or music? 17Movies 18What is so special about Lithuanian music? 18Lithuanian customs and traditions 19Want to taste local ood and drinks? 20Lets celebrate public holidays and estivals together! 21Want to spend your leisure time in nature? It s not a problem! 22Not active enough and want to be t? 24Going shopping or want to send a letter? 25Party, party, party! 26Want to know at least several phrases in Lithuanian? 26

STUDY IN LITHUANIASTUDY IN LITHUANIA

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Hi! Whats up?Maybe youre thinking about studying in Lithuania? Maybe youve already decid-ed? I this is true, t hen you are the one Im thinking o as I write this little bookI was so surprised and ascinated with this country that I wanted to share myeelings, experiences and knowledge here with you I will show you how excitingLithuania is and how I ound it through the joy o discovery, the possibilities odevelopment and the beauty o enjoymentSo lets discover Lithuania together

Lithuania.What is it?Statisticallyspeaking

Area: 65 300 km2Population: 3, 39 millionLanguage: LithuanianCurrency: Litas (EUR 1 = LTL 3, 4528)Religion: Roman Catholic Church There arealso communities o Eastern Orthodox Church,Evangelical Lutheran Church, Evangelical Re-ormation Church, Old Believers, Judaism, Islam,and othersCities: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipda, iauliai,PanevysEthnic composition: Lithuanians: 835%, Poles:

67%, Russians: 63%, Belarusians: 12%, other:23% In total there are 115 ethnicities in LithuaniaClimate: between maritime and continentalAverage temperature in July is 23C, and aver-age temperature in January is -49CLandscape: a at country with lowland plainsthat make up to 75% and lots o green orestsForm of government:Parliamentary DemocracyHead of state: President, the Executive Branch:Government (appointed by the President), theLegislative Branch: the Seimas (UnicameralParliament, direct elections)Member o UN, NATO, EU, Schengen zone

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that Vilnius isThe 2009 EuropeanCapital of Culture?

Absolutely! And the best inormation you can nd about thisevent is on the website http://wwwculturelivelt/

...It started long time ago I think that knowing a bit o countrys history will make it easier or you todiscover Lithuania as a small country with a rich heritage and it will also rather

impress your new Lithuanian r iends

1009 Lithuanias name was mentioned or the rst time in QuedlinburgChronicle13th century Lithuania was united by the rst and the only King, Mindaugas1387 Lithuania, the last pagan country in Europe, became Christianized1410 The United Army o Lithuania and the Kingdom o Polands deeated theTeutonic Knights Ater this battle, the Teutonic Knights would never be a seriousthreat again1569 - The Grand Duchy o Lithuania and the Kingdom o Poland unied andbecame the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth1773-1795 The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth disappeared rom the map,as Russia, Prussia and Austria partitioned the countr y1918, February 16 th Lithuania declares Independence

1939 Ater the treacherous Molotov Ribbentrop pact and the onset o theSecond World War, Lithuania lost its independence During the Soviet occupa-tion, 200,000 Lithuanians were exiled to Siberia1990, March 11th Lithuania declares Independence or the second time In1991, Russia tried to take Lithuania back by orce, but it did not succeed and theinternational community recognised Lithuania as an independent country Aterthis recognition, it became a member o the United Nations2004 Lithuania became a member o NATO and the European Union2009 Vilnius is named the European Capital o Culture

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Dont be surprised when all o the suddenit seems that Lithuania has gone crazy!Suddenly, there are people in the streets,cars blaring their horns and kids hangingout o car windows waving Lithuanian agsand everyone is singing Whats going on? Itsimply means that the Lithuanias nationalbasketball team has won a big game Yes,believe me, they are crazy about basketballand it is wort hy o being called their secondreligion By the way, ootball is populartoo, its just that Lithuanian ootball teamshavent won that big game yet But staytuned to the 2010 World Cup!

Want to know who is famousin Lithuania?

Lithuania has lots o amous people and the best way to meet

themis to make riends with a Lithuanian Maybe youve neverheard o Arvydas Sabonis, arnas Mariulionis, ydrnas Ilgaus-kas, aras arnas Jasikeviius, or Olympic Gold Medalist VirgilijusAlekna You can be sure that every Lithuanian (and pretty much allo Europe) knows them Lithuanians take great p ride in their sportheroes, but Lithuania is more than just basketballLithuanians have some celebrities in culture sphere too Every Lithu-anian o course knows the extraordinary works o M K iurlionis(18461914) Composer and Artist as well as prominent They alsohave prominent theatre directors Oskaras Korunovas and EimantasNekroius and lmmaker, writer, curator and the godather o Ameri-can avant-garde cinema, Jonas Mekas, the opera star Violeta Urmanawho perorms at amou s theatres and concert halls all over the world,but ew actually k now that the star soprano is Lithuanian

Perhaps the most amous Lithuanian today is the Lithuanian Presi-dent, Valdas Adamkus As the winner o the European o the YearAward, it was the rst time a representative o a new EU memberstate received such an honour

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VilniusMy rst impression o thecapital charming, tidy andunorgettable: so many

beautiul churches romeach window o our at youcould see at least one I lovedwalking through the Old Townalong Pilies street, especially inspringtime The amous sites:the Town Hall, the Cathedral,Gediminas Castle and Gedi-mino avenue they never ailto impress I also enjoyed manypleasant and relaxing parks inVilniusYou will nd more details,things to see and what to do

there on the website o VilniusTourism Centrewwwvilnius-tourismlt

Where to go and what to seeif you want to discover Lithuania

Sure, I could tell you lots places o interest to see in Lithuania all by mysel, buthere I would like to share reviews rom my oreign riend Daniela Toi rom

Austria, who was studying at ISM University o Management and Economics inVilnius during the spring semester o 2008

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DISCOVER Hill of Crosses (Kryi kalnas)

15 km north o iauliai you will nd this little hill ull o thousands ocrosses all k inds o crosses made rom everything A little peculiar,

denitely mysterious and downright impressing at the same timeVisit there, and discover its stor yThe place where exactly it is you can nd on the website o iauliaiTourism Centre http://ticsiauliailt/ Kaunas

It is not worth seeing it youwill hear that rom quite a loto people rom Vilnius a littlecity to city jealousy perhaps?However, we took the bus toLithuanias second largest cityand it was certainly worth itWe enjoyed walking down the

amous Laisvs Alja, (FreedomLane) with its old buildings, nar-row streets and many shops Asit was a national holiday, we alsocould explore quaint little mar-kets along the Old Town withits national ood (the honey isespecially very delicious), musicand handcrated souvenirsCheck the website o KaunasTourism Centrehttp://visitkaunaslt

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KernavLithuanias oldest capital cit y Today Kernav is amous or itsarchaeological excavations andits ve impressive hills It is anice destination to enjoy a walkthrough the hills and a picnic atthe riverMore detailed inormation orvisitors o this archaeological andhistorical place can be ound atwwwkernaveorg Curonian Spit

(Neringa)PICTURESQUE! Imposing sanddunes, beautiul shing villages andpine orests - a MUST SEE when youvisit LithuaniaJuodkrant The Hill o Witches(Ragan Kalnas) is a little park withwooden statues o witches and othercreatures very nice or tak ing unnypictures and taking a walk through theorestNida Neringas capital with its lovelylittle houses and garden cas Just sitdown and enjoy the beautiul scenery(The only drawback bring someinsect repellent ;-))You can nd more inormation atwwwvisitneringalt And one o my

tips: visit Klaipda on your way toNeringa wwwklaipedainolt

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Ater the discovery o Lithuania, you probably will be interested in the waysyou can develop both your cultural as well as your educational knowledgeThe Lithuanian education system satises all the requirements o EU educationpolicy and is accredited in all countries

DEVELOP BiraiThe capital o beer is

located at the very north oLithuania Birai doesnt onlyoer lots o breweries andtasty beer but also a marvel-lous landscape with quite aew lakes Stillit is denitelyworth participating at thebeer tasting estival at theBirai Castle very amusingand unny!You can check or more enter-tainment and visiting placesat wwwbirzailt

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Wonderingabout the highereducation systemin Lithuania?

First o all, you neednt worry about the quality o higher education in Lithu-

ania A Lithuanian diploma is recognized in all countries which have signedThe Lisbon Convention, which means, its good I can tell you that there are twotypes o higher education institutions in Lithuania: universities and colleges Asin many other countries, they are divided into state or non-stateI you are interested in studying at college you should know that studies thereare undergraduate, rst cycle, ocused on practical ac tivities and aimed atacquiring a proessional bachelors degree and/or a proessional qualication,testied by the proessional Bachelor diploma or higher education diploma Theduration o studies is 3-4 yearsThe education system at universities is a bit dierent Studies there are or-ganised in three cycles: 1st undergraduate studies (Bachelor), 2nd Masterand specialised proessional studies; 3ed Doctoral, post-graduate, residencystudies The university studies that encompass the rst and the second cycle arecalled integrated studies

Clock this:Start o school year is usually September 1stThe School year is divided into two semesters: spring and allUsually one semester takes 16 weeksHolidays:Christmas (as o December 25),Winter (end o January beginning o February),Summer (two months)

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And nally, I want to highlight the most important t hingsabout the whole studying procedure First o all, you

should know that Lithuania uses its national credit systembased on student work-load with an average o 1,600working hours per academic year One credit correspondsto 40 hours o student work (in classes, laboratories, inde-pendent work, etc), or to one working weekMore inormation is on the website wwwsmmlt

Do you knowwhat grade systemis in Lithuania?

You will probably be interested to know i you

passed your course in Lithuania or not Thereare dierent grading systems in dierent or-eign countries so Lithuanias might be new oryou, but its simple Check out the t able below

Requiredknowledge %

Grade DenitionECTS

equivalentPass/ailsystem

95-100 10 Excellent A

Pass

85-94 9 Very good B

75-84 8 Good C

65-74 7 Highly satisactory D

55-64 6 Satisactory E

50-54 5 Sufcient E

40-49 4 Insufcient FX

Fail30-39 3 Insufcient F

20-29 2 Insufcient F

0-19 1 Insufcient F

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State universities

Name City Address Webpage

LithuanianAcademy oMusic and

TheatreVilnius Gedimino pr 3 http://lmalt/

MykolasRomeris

UniversityVilnius Ateities g 20 http://wwwmrunilt/

The GeneralJonas

emaitisMilitary

Academy oLithuania

Vilnius ilo g 5 A http://wwwlkalt/

VilniusAcademy o

Fine ArtsVilnius Maironio g 6 http://wwwvdalt/

VilniusGediminasTechnicalUniversity

Vilniu s S aultek io al 11 ht tp://wwwvgtult/

VilniusPedagogical

UniversityVilnius Student g 39 http://wwwvpult/

Vilnius

University

Vilnius Universiteto g 3 http://wwwvult/

VytautasMagnus

UniversityKaunas K Donelaiio g 58 ht tp://wwwvdult/

LithuanianUniverity

o PhysicalEducation

Kaunas Sporto g 6 http://wwwlkkalt/

KaunasUniversity o

MedicineKaunas A Mickeviiaus g 9 http://w wwkmult/

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Which highereducational institution

to choose?Ater you nd out about the main aspects oLithuanian higher education system, the secondquestion would probably bewhere exactlydo you want to study? You can nd universitiesand colleges in our dierent cities o Lithuania:Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipda and iauliai as well ascolleges in Panevys, Teliai, Utena, Marijampol,Alytus and Rietavas You can nd more detailsabout the available English courses and otherimportant issues that concern studies or oreign

students on the websites o higher educationinstitutions in LithuaniaAlmost all study programs are in the Lithuanianlanguage A oreign national seeking access tohigher education in Lithuania must show pro-ciency in the language o instruction by passingthe pass/ail test that is administered by VilniusUniversity (wwwlskvult) However, a certainnumber o programs leading to a degree areavailable in English, German, French or RussianYou can check the detailed list about such avail-able programs at wwwsmmlt

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KaunasUniversity oTechnology

Kaunas K Donel ai io g 73 http://internetktu lt/

LithuanianVeterinaryAcademy

Kaunas Tils g 18 http://wwwlvalt/

LithuanianUniversity oAgriculture

Akademija,Kaunasregion

Student g 11 http://w wwlzuul t

KlaipdaUniversity

KlaipdaHerkaus Manto

g 84http://wwwkult/

iauliaiUniversity

iauliai Vilniaus g 88 http://wwwsult/

State colleges


VilniusCollege o

Technologiesand Design

Vilniu s Antak alnio g 5 4 ht tp://www vt dk o lt /

VilniusCollege

Vilnius J Jasinskio g 15 http://wwwvikolt/

KaunasCollege

Kaunas Pramons p r 20 http: //wwwk aukolt/

KaunasCollege o

Forestry andEnviron-mental

Engineering

Girionys,Kaunasregion

Liep g 1 ht tp://wwwk maik lt/

College oReligiousStudies

Kaunas Papilio g 5 http://wwwlcnlt/

KaunasTechnicalCollege

Kaunas Tvirtovs al 35 http://wwwktklt/

KlaipdaCollege

KlaipdaDariaus ir

Girno g 8http://wwwklklt/

KlaipdaBusiness andTechnology

College

KlaipdaJaunysts g 1/

Bijn g 10http://wwwklvtklt/

LithuanianMaritime

College

Klaipda I Kanto g7 http://wwwlmclt/

iauliaiCollege

iauliai Auros al 40http://www

siauliukolegijalt/

PanevysCollege

PanevysLaisvs a 23/

Klaipdos g 29http://wwwpankolt/

AlytusCollege

Alytus Merkins g 2bhttp://wwwakolegija

lt/

MarijampoleCollege

MarijampolV Kudirkos g 61 /

Sodiaus g 1http://wwwmarkolt/

Utena

College Utena Maironio g 7

http://wwwutenos-

kolegijalt/

emaitijaCollege

Rietavas L Ivinskio g 5 http://wwwzemkolt/

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Non-State colleges


Vilnius Lawand Business

CollegeVilnius Laisvs pr 58 http://wwwvtvklt/

VilniusBusinessCollege

Vi ln ius Kalvar ij g 125 http://w wwkolegi ja l t/

VilniusDesignCollege

Vi ln ius Kauno g 34 http://wwwdizainokolegijalt/

Vilnius Co-operative

College

VilniusKonstitucijos

pr 11http://wwwvkklt/

VilniusManagement

SchoolVilnius

J Basanaviiausg 29a

http://wwwvvklt/

Collegeo SocialSciences

Klaipda/Vilnius

Nemuno g 2/Ulon g5

http://wwwsmklt/

V AGraiiunas

ManagementSchool

KaunasKstuio g 57a/

Laisvs al 33http://wwwkvklt/

KoplingCollege

Kaunas Raguvos g 7 ht tp://ko legijakolpinglt /

WestLithuaniaBusinessCollege

Klaipda iluts pl 2 http://wwwvlvklt/

KlaipdaBusinessCollege

Klaipda Tils g 46a http://wwwklvklt/

Non-State universities


ISMUniversity oManagement

andEconomics

Vilnius/Kaunas

Arkli g 18/E Oekiens

g 18http://wwwismlt/

Business LawAcademy o

VilniusVilniu s Kauno g 34 http: //wwwvvtak ademijalt/

InternationalBusinessSchool

at Vilnius

University

Vilniu s Saultek io al 2 2 ht tp://wwwt vm lt /

Vilnius StJosephs

SeminaryVilnius Kalvari j g 325 http://wwwseminari jalt/

EuropeanHumanitiesUniversity

Vilnius Tauro g 12 http://ltehult/

LCC Interna-tional Univer-

sityKlaipda Kretingos g 36 http://wwwlcclt/

BishopVincentasBoriseviiusSeminary o

Teliai

Teliai Katedros a 6 http://wwwtkslt/

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Want to be mobile?Search for possibilities

to get scholarships!State scholarships:These scholarships are designed or students, lecturers and researchers o highereducation and research institutions to come or studies or research stays toLithuania These scholarships are divided into three sections, or which you canapply:Study/research stay scholarships, these scholarships are or a great variety ostudy elds

Scholarships or Lithuanian (Baltic) studies, these are ull time studiesLithuanian language and culture summer courses, usually these courses lastthree weeks to one month For more inormation about scholarships and re-quirements, you should check out the website wwwsmplt under the AcademicExchange section

Other possibilities to study in Lithuania can be ound in your countryvia these multilateral programmes:Erasmus programme http://eceuropaeu/education/index_enhtmNordplus programme wwwnordplusonlineorgErasmus Mundus programme http://eceuropaeu/education/external-relation-programmes/doc72_enhtmFulbright program http://usulbrightonlineorg/homehtml

NorthLithuaniaCollege

iauliai Tils g 22 http://wwwslklt/

College oManage-

ment,Law and

Languageso iauliai

Region

iauliai Dvaro g 87 http://wwwkolegijacom/

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the Lithuanian language?I you want to study the Lithuanian language, you can even receive a scholar-ship There are two main scholarships or Lithuanian (Baltic) studies, Lithuanian

language and culture summer courses Requirements or the grants are ound atthe website wwwsmplt under the Academic Exchange sectionI you want to learn t he basics o Lithuanian you can communicate with thelocals or just to understand what the signs and posters saythere are other waysto learn Lithuanian:You can learn Lithuanian either through intensive language courses in summeror winter beore the study semesters or you can take a ull Lithuanian languageprogram This you can apply via the Erasmus intensive language courses pro-gram (EILC) or the state scholarship programSome universities like Klaipda University, Vytautas Magnus University, iauliaiUniversity, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Vilnius University, Lithuanian ChristianCollege and others have departments o Lithuanian language, which run allkinds o Lithuanian language and culture courses or oreigners as well Moredetails about the tuition ees, scholarships and more detailed inormation about

the exact things you will learn during such courses are ound at the websiteso Lithuanian Ministry o Education and Science (wwwsmmlt) and EducationExchanges Support Foundation (wwwsmplt)Remember, studying Lithuanian language is challenging and un: ater all, it isone o the oldest and most conservative o languages in the world

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Interested in arts,performance or music?

There are various cultural venues where you can see popu-lar perormances o drama, ballet, opera, modern dancesor other concerts To discover what suits you best, visit thewebsites o theaters and concert hallsBut in case you decide to have a nice evening watching aperormance on the spot without any clear vision o whatyou would like to see, visit wwweblt where you will ndnot only perormances held in all o Lithuania but also oth-er entertaining events that are going on at that moment Iused this lots o times and enjoyed discovering Lithuaniasgreat theatre talentI also think this is the best place or you to check out whatto see in a particular region or city o Lithuania I you aremore interested in museums, you can visit the websitewwwmuziejailt to nd the ones that you would like to visit

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There are lots o cultural events held in Lithuania You can choose where to go

and what to see according to your taste: rom jazz concerts, drama, theatre playsand classical European cinema to rock concerts, modern dance perormancesand amateur video estivals

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What is so specialabout Lithuanian music?

First o all, I think that Lithuanian olk music is very unique It is based on thesongs, which include romantic, wedding, as well as work and more archaic war

and partisan songs The songs are polyphonic played on utes, zithers and otherinstrumentsYou should also know the most amous classical music author M K iurlionis(1875-1911) who created about 200 pieces o symphonic musicDuring the 1980s the most popular music st yle in Lithuania was rock In ac t,Lithuania was known as the Rock Capital o the Soviet Union The most populargroups were Antis, Foj and Bix, and their songs are still played every dayAnd nally, you will discover that nearly every Lithuanian can sing just watchTV Lithuanian music you hear on the radio can be best described as pop musicLithuanians are proud o such artist groups as SKAMP, Jurga, Happyendless andMilky Lasers that became popular internationally and put Lithuania on the mapor quality music

MoviesI thought so Fortunately, most movies shown in Lithuaniancinemas are in their original language and have only Lithu-anian subtitles The single ticket to a movie usually costsLTL 8-16 (Eur app 3-5)

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Unlike Halloween, Lithuanians celebrate the next day, All Saints Day, a day omeditation and calmness when people remember their relatives and riendswho have passed away and go to cemeteries with owers and candles This is

especially tranquil at night, when the cemetery is dotted with lit candlesChristmas, as you can imagine, is a cheerul and joyul time or a whole amily InLithuania, Christmas begins at the stroke o Christmas Eve (Kios) where ami-lies soberly gather round the table and sample the traditional twelve meatlessdishes Christmas day is welcomed especially by children, because GrandatherChristmas has dropped o a ew presents under the Christmas treeNew Years Day is oten an all-nighter celebrated with riends and usually veryloud with reworks, champagne, dances and songsThere are two other Lithuanian customs, not necessarily connected with esti-vals, but very important in everyday lie Please remember that when you entera Lithuanians home, you should take o your shoes Also, be punctual When aLithuanian invites you to do something, try not to be late

Lithuanian customsand traditions

Lithuania is a Catholic country, yet some o its traditionshearken back to Pagan times So whats interesting? Well, themost important easts or Lithuanians are: Easter, St Johns dayor the Day o Dew, All Saints Day, Christmas, New Years Day,and Mardi GrasMardi Gras, known in Lithuania as Ugavns, heralds thebeginning o Lent Its also the time when people ask winter toleave and spring to come Somewhat like Halloween, childrenusually prepare and don masks and go to neighbours to askor sweets, moneyor pancakes Pancakes are k ing during thisday and there are all kinds o entertainment going on in thecountryside with games and songs that welcome springEaster is the day when the whole amily gets t ogether, goes tothe church on Easter morning and ater wards, has a big break-ast with lots o painted eggs, which are cracked against eachother to see who has the strongest eggSt Johns day, or Jonins, is a very popular summer east whenpeople celebrate the longest day and the shortest night by

being in nature, searching or a blossom o ern, jumping overre and singing Lithuanian songs And i you happened to benamed John, or in Lithuanian Jonas (or i youre a girl Jon) youre especially popular on this day, and will no doubtwear a wreath so everyone knows your name

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Want to tastelocal foodand drinks?

Believe me, nothing else can char-acterise the nation better than itscuisine Lithuanian cuisine has a nediversity o dishes, especially rompotatoes and meat The most amousLithuanian dish cepelinai (zeppe-lins), is a kind o big dumpling maderom grated potatoes with meat in-side As the humple spud is the basiso much o L ithuanias cuisine, a loto dishes are cooked rom it Amongthem are kugelis (a potato pud-ding cake) and or the adventuroustypes, there is also a potato sausagecased in a pigs intestines dish called

vdarai Soups are also a staple inLithuania One o the most attractiveLithuanian soups is altibariai (coldbeetroot soup), which is made rombeets/beetroot, ker (a ermentedmilk product), greens and boiledeggs This dish is most popular whenserved on a hot summer day Onemore dish I recommend is Lithuanianrye bread And i theres a best snackor beer in the world, its sure to bestrips or chunks o ried rye breadwith garnished garlic and cheese that

you can get in any bar or restaurantBut remember, the best places totaste real Lithuanian ood are thesame ones that are popular amongthe locals

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Lets celebratepublic holidaysand festivals

together!What is more enjoyable than celebrating?There are lots o occasions to celebrate inLithuania Below I wrote you the list o ofcialholidays in LithuaniaJanuary 1st New Years DayFebruary 16th Day o Re-establishment o theState o Lithuania (1918)March 11th restoration Day o Restitution oIndependence o Lithuania (rom the SovietUnion, 1990)First Sunday and Monday o spring with ullmoon -EasterMay 1st International Labour Day

The rst Sunday in May Mother s DayJune 24th Day o DewJuly 6th King Mindaugas Crowning Day(Statehood Day)August 15th Assumption DayNovember 1st All Saints DayDecember 25-26th ChristmasMoreover, there are even more occasions tocelebrate For example, birthdays are cel-ebrated especially heartily You can also enjoyspending your time and taking part in thevarious estivals held all over Lithuania, all yearlong You can check the dates and programs at

the below links:Days o Vilnius http://wwwvilniusestivalsltKaziukas Fair (This estival is held in all biggercities The air is traditionally held on the Sun-day nearest to St Casimirs Day, March 4, theday Saint Casimir Jagiellon died)Street Music Day (http://wwwgatvesmuzikalt/)Kaunas Jazz Festival(http://wwwkaunasjazzlt/)Rock Nights (http://wwwrocknightslt)Blues Nights (wwwbliuzonaktyslt)Sea Festival (http://wwwjurossventelt/)Klaipdas Castle Jazz Festival (wwwjazzlt )

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Want to spendyour leisure in nature?Its not a problem!

OK, my riend, there is one cherished thing to do when you

are recovering rom partying all night in the clubs H eadout o town and spend time in nature - it will make yourminds resh, and cleanse your souls Chances are, onceyou nd a spot, you wont be completely alone, becauseheading o to nature is one o L ithuanias most popularthings to do There are plenty o tips on how to spend yourweekend its something youll treasure orever Maybewant to spend a weekend in a countryside?Go to wwwcountrysidelt

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Not an active enough lifeand want to get fit?

There are lots o possibilities i you like spor ts and wantto get t You can always nd some gyms and SPAs nearyou Most o them are rather new, modern and well-

equiped, and have pools, saunas and jacussis There youllnd not only body-builders but plenty o others doing allsorts o sports But the best way to get t is to do whatmost Lithuanians do take a walk, theres usually some-thing cool to see

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Going shoppingor want to senda lettger?

The surprising thing I ound in Lithuania wasthe opening hours o shops I imagine you will

be happy about it, to o For example, shops inthe city centre where you buy clothes, shoes orother stu usually work as ollows: I-V 10 00-2000, VI 1000-1800, VII 1000-1700 and inshopping malls I-VII 1000-2200 Great, isntit? You can always shop at the most populargrocery stores Most o them work rom 800 till2000, 2200, 2300, 2400 or even 24/7 and thatdepends on the place where they are locatedBy the way, while visiting a shopping centreyou might buy a post card or your motherThis is easiest done by going to the nearestpost ofce You can nd the address and work

hours at wwwpostlt, but they usually workrom 800 to 1900

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ENJOY

ENJOY

Want to know at least severalphrases in Lithuanian?

Hello [Laa-bas] Labas

Thank you [A-chyoo] Ai

Goodbye [Vee-so ge-ro] Viso gero

Good luck [Sehk-mes] Skms

What is your name? [Kwo yous var-doo] Kuo js vardu?

I am sorry, Excuse me [Atsi-pra-shau] Atsipraau

Please [Pra-shau] Praau

Beer [A-los] Alus

My name is [Ma-no var-das] Mano vardas yra

I am rom [Ash esu ish] A esu i

Can you help me?[Ar ga-le-te man

pa-deh-ti]Ar galite man

padti?

I do not speak Lithuanian[Ash ne-kal-boolye-too-vishkay]

A nekalbulietuvikai

I love you [Ash tave meeloo] A tave myliu

Shall we dance? [Pa-sho-kima] Paokime?

Whats your telephone number?[Koks tavo telepho-

no numeres]Koks tavo teleono

numeris?

Party, party, party!Students love to party a lot, especially when they are in a oreigncountry In Lithuania, you can nd plenty o good places to have abeer or a cocktail, to dance and listen to good music But remem-ber, no smoking inside This can be tough on smokers but everyplace has a smok ing room its called, Outside, and you can joinall the others there, at the entrance Ater spending your time incaes, bars, pubs or clubs, you can always reward your waiter orwaitress with a tip Depending on how rich you are, leave some-thing but not more than 10%

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Need a lift?I you want to travel somewhere abroad, you can go by bus or

train or by plane There are three main Lithuanian airports but alsotake care o how much stu you want to bring to Lithuania by us-ing the website wwwcustltAirports:Vilnius wwwvilnius-airportltKaunas wwwkaunasairltPalanga wwwpalanga-airportltTrains: wwwlitrailltNow I can tell you how not to get lost in this country Lithuania isa small country: you can cross it in less than 7 hours by bus andeven aster by car There is a list o links where you can nd all t heinormation you needThere are dierent kinds o transport in every city: buses, trolley-

buses, micro buses and taxis While travelling by public transport,you have to buy single tickets at kiosks or the driver will sell youone Monthly tickets are sold only in kiosks Note that in Vilniusand Klaipda there are now electronic tickets I you want to travelto other cities, use local buses or trainsPublic transport and local buses:Vilnius wwwvilniustransportlt (local t ransport), wwwtokslt (busstation)Kaunas http://transportaskaunaslt (local transport), wwwkautralt (bus station)Klaipda wwwklaplt (both)iauliai wwwbusturaslt (both)Panevys wwwpanevezioautobusailt (both)Taxi: wwwetaksiltYou can also rent a car in all airports in the biggest car rentalcompanies: http://wwwaddcarrentalcom/, http://wwwavislt/,https://wwwhertzlt, http://wwweuropcarlt/

PRACTICALITIES

You already know many acts about Lithuania itsel, its traditions and specialties

and the whole system o higher education You might also need some inorma-tion about practical issues that concern daily lie in this country Here are sometips or you

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Want to get in touch?It is very easy to get a phone card here I got mine ina shopping centre or a small ee There are plenty o

choices, so go to the websites and check the pr ices andservices they oer I personally recommend you to buypre-paid cards, and these are provided by wwwextralt,wwwezyslt, wwwlabaslt and wwwpildykltAnd sure, how could we live without the Internet nowa-days? Well dont worry, you can nd really easy access tothe Internet Areas where you can nd wireless internetconnection can be ound in the website wwwwilt

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Finding a place where to liveThere are two ways to live: in dormitories or private apartment Prices are shown inthe part Wonder how much it will cost to live in Lithuania?, but pay attention notall universities and other higher educational institutions have dormitories, so youmight have to search or a private apartment

Short of cash?There is always a way how to get some Opening a bank account is not difcultin Lithuania For common requirements in dierent banks which provide ser-vices in Lithuania you should check on the Internet wwwlbalt underMembers section

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Prices or ood:Meat LTL 20/kg (EUR 5,79/kg)

Bread LTL 4 (EUR 1,16/kg)Milk LTL 3 (EUR 0,87)Cheese LTL 4 - 20 (EUR 5,79)

Prices or services:Haircut or man LTL 15 50 (EUR 4 15)Haircut or ladies LTL 50 120 (EUR 15 35)Single public transport ticket LTL 055 2 (EUR 0,16 0,58)Monthly public transport ticket LTL 12 (EUR 3,5)Fuel LTL 4/litre (EUR 1,16/litre)Taxi LTL 2 - 3, 5/km (EUR 0,6 1/km)Ticket to cinema LTL 10 16 (EUR 3 4,5)A glass o beer in a bar LTL 7 (EUR 2)Average receipt in restaurant LTL 30 (EUR 9)Club entry LTL 15-35 (EUR 4 10)

Wonderinghow muchit will cost

to live inLithuania?

To help you imagine how much every-thing costs, I will give you several ex-amples with approximate prices Thoughkeep in mind that due to ination pricesmay have risen

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Want to find a jobin Lithuania?

It is not going to be easy I think First o all, it ismuch easier i you know the Lithuanian languagebut you probably do not Secondly, you shouldcheck about the documents required or the be-ing able to work in Lithuania or oreigners onwwwmigracijalt and some suggestions o workplaces You can also check or work possibilitiesat the state job centres website wwwldblt or theprivate job centres websites I you are interestedin what taxes to pay, check it on wwwsodralt

Average cost o accommodation depends on its location

Dormitories usually cost rom 80 200 (EUR 23 58)Private apartments in Vilnius - orm LTL 400 2000 (EUR 116 580)In Kaunas rom LTL 300 - 1300 (EUR 87 - 376)In Klaipda rom LTL 250 - 900 (EUR 73 - 260)In iauliai rom LTL - 800 (EUR 58 - 232)In Panevys rom LTL 150 - 600 (EUR 44 - 174)

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Feeling safe?Do not worry! L ithuania is a regular European countryYou can eel quite sae here but, as in all other coun-

tries, you should know how and where to take care oyoursel In case o emergency, you should call 112 ,which is the emergency phone number or ambu-lance, police and re brigadesIn case o health problems you should go to the near-est health care centre I would recommend you take aLithuanian riend with you in case there are problemswith communicating with doctors in English, anddont orget health insurance, which is obligatory iyou want to get a temporary residence permitI you are a resident o the European Union, Norway,Iceland, Lichtenstein and Switzerland, you can takeyour European Health Insurance Card which guaran-tees help o public health centre in case o emergency

problems The other way is to get private insurance,but get advice about this rom your embassyin LithuaniaWater and electricity? Water is taken rom deep under-ground in Lithuania, and is resh and clean Electricityis 220Vs, and the plug is o general East European type,but you can get adapters at any electronics storeI you are a disabled person, do not worry, most shops,public places, universities are adapted or you Also,Lithuanians are riendly and ready to help in caseo anything

Your country is closerthan you think

Need to talk with someone rom your country? Go toyour countrys embassy The embassies addresses are atwwwurmlt under the Foreign Representations sectionYou can also visit some oreign culture centres such as:Nordic Council o Ministers Ofce in LithuaniawwwnordenltAmerican Culture Centre wwwusembassyltBritish Council Lithuania wwwbritishcouncilltGoethe Institute wwwgoethede/vilniusItalian Culture Institute wwwiicvilltPolish Institute wwwlenkukulturaltFrench Culture Centre in Vilnius wwwcentrerancaisltAgain, there are plenty o internet caes and even caesthat have ree wireless internet access So just ask

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Want to knowhow to geta LithuanianStudentIdentity Card?

When you will come to Lithuania,you will have to get permission or tem-porary living You do this at the Ministry o

the Interior, Department o Migration(wwwmigracijalt) But it is always recom-mended to check all the aspects o regis-tering beore leaving your country at theLithuanian embassy in your country andto talk with the representative rom theinternational aairs department o youruniversity in Lithuania i you have somequestions once youre hereNow, talking about VISAS, absolutelycheck to see i you need one in the nearestdiplomatic mission or a consular institu-tion o the Republic o Lithuania You canalso do it at wwwurmlt under Consular

Issues section There you will nd inorma-tion about which countries citizens needto get a Lithuanian VISA, as well as detailsabout ees and how and where you canget your VISA

How to make your stay andstudying legal in Lithuania?

When you will come to Lithuania, you will have to get permission ortemporary living You do this at the Ministry o the Interior, Depart-ment o Migration (wwwmigracijalt) But it is always recommendedto check all the aspects o registering beore leaving your country atthe Lithuanian embassy in your country and to talk with the repre-sentative rom the international aairs department o your universityin Lithuania i you have some questions once youre hereNow, talking about VISAS, absolutely check to see i you need one

in the nearest diplomatic mission or a consular institution o the Re-public o Lithuania You can also do it at wwwurmlt under ConsularIssues section There you will nd inormation about which countriescitizens need to get a Lithuanian VISA, as well as details about eesand how and where you can get your VISA

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Do not forget!

Find out i you need a VISA, and i you do, get it

Take care o your health insurance

Get a permit or temporally living

Have a place to live

Contact the international relations coordinatorrom your educational institution to get

inormation about the documents you should

bring with yoursel

Optional: register or an intensive

Lithuanian language courses

Finally, be prepared or the

best period in your lie

CHEK LIST

Where to find helpduring your first daysat university?

Do not be araid to ask or help when you come to uni-versity or the rst timeThe rst person that could help you is the internationalrelations coordinator with whom you had contact be-ore arriving This coordinator should be able to answerall questions that concern academic issues The otherperson that will help you with other questions and con-cerns is your mentor/buddy that should be appointedbeore your arrival Usually, Student Association canalways help you solve all the problems, i have any or totell where to look or the solution Moreover, you shouldhave an introduction lecture in the beginning o studieswhere you will nd out all the impor tant inormationabout your studies at your particular university or otherhigher educational institution

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Prepared byEducation Exchanges Support Foundationin cooperation with aismEdited by Aleksas Apynys

Education Exchanges Support Foundation

Geleinio Vilko g 12, LT-01112 Vilnius, LithuaniaPhone (8 ~ 5) 261 05 92Fax (8 ~ 5) 249 71 37E-mail ino@smpltwwwsmplt

2008 Vilnius

This project has been unded with support rom the European CommissionThis publication reects the views only o the author, and the Commission cannot be heldresponsible or any use which may be made o the inormation contained therein

DISCOVER. DEVELOP. ENJOY.STUDY IN LITHUANIA

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Lithuania Incoming StudentsSMPF1

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