Katie Hoyle and Emilija Sakadolskis

Looking Back With Joy

Katie Hoyle is a co-editor of A.P.P.L.E.’s newsletter, Report to the Corps. Emilija Sakadolskis is the president of A.P.P.L.E. (American Professional Partnership for Lithuanian Education). Articles previously published in the January 2000, Vol. 10, No. 1 Report to the Corps.

“The summer of 2000 will mark A.P.P.L.E.'s 10th anniversary in Lithuania. As we look forward to that event, let’s look back at what happened in the years leading up to this occasion.”  —Katie Hoyle

Ten years of living in Lithuania for the A.P.P.L.E. (American Professional Partnership for Lithuanian Education) summers was an interesting experience for us all. There were life-style adjustments to be made, new ways of coping with everyday life to be learned. In one location we were complaining about the absence of toilet seats, while in another location, we were actually learning how to use those holes in the floor. As the absence of hot water in the showers came to be expected, we perfected the “Hokey Pokey shower.” You know the drill, "You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out…". Surprises appeared in the showers in the shape of mice, frogs and sleeping men.

We spent a lot of time eating. We complained that there wasn’t enough food; we complained that there was too much. Notwithstanding, we spent a lot of time eating. There were sausages and potatoes cooked on the campfire around which later we sang. One time there was a scoop of rice for dinner, and more than a few times we ate pancakes. Did you like the strong coffee, or did you do like me and fill your cup half with coffee and half with hot water? I never knew I liked cucumbers until I went to Lithuania, and how could you possibly eat cucumbers without tomatoes? And what did you think of the buckwheat? Or fish for breakfast? I’ll never forget Phil Taylor’s question my first year in Birštonas, "Could we have breakfast for breakfast?"

Everywhere we went there was an ethnographic ensemble treating us to a concert. The Lithuanian heritage — shared by these ensembles made up of young, old and middle-aged — proved rich, time and time again. Will we ever forget the lovely Lithuanian voices that sang their folksongs, continuing verse after verse, sure of all the words? And then they invariably also treated us to their style of dancing firsthand. American men and women were literally pulled from their safe seats and swung around the dance floor as they tried their best to keep up with a polka. Some of us did quite a good job, others did o.k., and a few of us eased toward the door as the audience participation began.

Just when we thought that we had mastered the art of using the Lithuanian phones at the post offices, the new, much easier to use phone cards came on the scene, and there were access numbers enabling collect calls. On occasion, when we switched towns, there were telephones in our rooms or daily access to e-mail. Through these experiences we caught a glimpse of what Lithuanians experience daily. Like flowers growing in the cracks of old cement, new technology blooms through staid, Soviet systems. Thankfully, the cracks are continually widening. We’ve seen many changes in these short ten years of A.P.P.L.E. seminars, these long ten years of Lithuanian freedom.

I won’t forget the smile on Palmira’s face every time that we entered the dining hall at the Teacher Institute in Vilnius. I won’t forget the beauty of the excitement on Anelė’s face as she herded us off on yet another tour around Vilnius. I won’t forget the peace and sweetness on Marytė’s face the first time that we talked at length as I stood there amazed at her excellent English. I won’t forget the grace and style with which Vilma stood as she translated on many occasions. I won’t forget the many "keepers of the keys" in every place where we lived and every place where we taught.

I won’t forget the way that we were always showered with gifts. We were given flowers for our desks, our rooms, our hair; amber for our necklines, fingers and wrists; linen for our tables; postcards for our memories; leather-bound books in which to write our impressions; adventures for our journals; smiles for our spirits; and songs for our souls.

I won’t forget talent night in Tauragė à

in 1997 when Gita arranged for the American

A.P.P.L.E. group to show our varied heritage and sing our patriotic songs. It started out as a funny kind of thing with the American teachers on stage in crazy costumes. Among others were Ilona Laucius as Ben Franklin and Nyola Romanauskas Vaillancourt as George Washington. True to our American culture, we didn’t know enough of the words to sing without the words in front of us. Nevertheless, as we clutched our papers, our voices were strong. When we began “America the Beautiful” (not our last number), the Lithuanians rose to their feet, tears in their eyes, reverence on their faces. There they stood for the longest time, and there we stood, singing in the midst of pure joy.

I could write enough memories to fill this entire newsletter. I haven’t mentioned watching John Sullivan do the hula or lounging by the cucumber king’s pool. I didn’t tell about the fun of playing children’s games or the excitement of hearing Lithuanians sing American songs or watching them perform the American square dances that I had taught them. I skipped over the description of the beautiful Lithuanian skies and countryside. I didn’t remind you of how often we were feted with wonderful parties.

Maybe it’s selfish on my part, but I don’t remember so much of what I gave. My fondest memories are of the joy I received. Years of working with A.P.P.L.E. have filled my life with joy, over and over again. u

Because the U.S. economy is doing so well, I think that many of us assume that the world around us is doing likewise. Sadly, it’s just not true. The positive economic and social trends that Lithuania experienced in the last three or four years have come to an abrupt halt, and things are spiraling downward.

The Russian economy, government instability and mismanagement, corruption and an unwieldy tax system have all had their impact. I just received an e-mail from a friend and colleague who said that this January will probably be the worst in recent memory. Rumor has it that many government employees were forced to take unpaid leave before the end of 1999, and the 2000 education budget will be slashed another 17%. This is in addition to the sizable across-the-board cut that the budget experienced this past year. We also bear the effects of these decisions. The Ministry of Education and Science cut A.P.P.L.E. financing by 25% for the summer of 2000. No ill will should be presumed, considering the Ministry’s sad state of financial affairs. Some other foreign assistance programs have been cut entirely.

To add to the mix, many foreign assistance programs are closing up shop in Lithuania. The Soros Foundation is discontinuing most of its programs in Lithuania, and the USAID office is closing in September. There are others as well. It’s not because of disputes or disagreements. When these programs were established, there was never any intention to have them last forever. It’s just unfortunate that their discontinuation coincides with Lithuania’s economic recession.

During our 1999 “Children at Risk” conference, an interesting statistic was put forth. One way of measuring economic conditions is to look at the ratio of the top 10% in comparison with the bottom 10% of a country in terms of the population’s finances. In Europe the ratio is about 4:1. Many in the United States decry the difference between the “haves” and the “have-nots” because the ratio here is about 7:1. In Lithuania it’s 15:1, with no sizable middle class. The problems that accompany economic want are mounting. Teen violence, delinquency and suicides, truancy, child-abuse, nutritional and health deficiencies are all on the rise.

Now is not the time to become complacent. Yet this past summer we collected fewer scholarships for Lithuanian teachers than in previous years. We actually had to dip into our non-scholarship budget to cover the difference. During the past year our members have generated some very innovative and creative proposals. Yet these require much more money if we are to continue striving for higher quality and greater scope.

Lithuania has been asking us for more long-term programs, but we can’t make those commitments if we do not have an adequate financial base. We can no longer be content with small donations, although their importance should not be minimized. We all need to go out aggressively and find grant-giving organizations that will fund some of our ambitious ideas.

After ten years we have the expertise; we have the ideas; and we have the human resources to do exceptional things. What we’re short on is the financial means. We ask all of our members to take on the responsibility of finding financial support for an organization whose mission is the betterment of the personal and professional lives of students and teachers in Lithuania. There is no other way. —Emilija Sakadolskis

If you would like to contact A.P.P.L.E. about sponsoring a teacher in Lithuania and help her professional development at one of the A.P.P.L.E. seminars, write to:

A.P.P.L.E.
P.O. Box 617
Durham, CT 06422

They’re on the web at www.applequest.org/index.html.