Way home from Berlin

Thoughts while sitting in a cafe in Sauliai:
One thing I relaized that since coming to Europe, I have become so independent. I am not scared to make mistakes, because I have to make them everyday and I am actually starting to see that I do learn everytime I mess up. Along with that I am now okay with being uncomfortable and sometimes even awkward in many situations.
I think that is one thing though about living in a different country, where both the culture and especially the language is different: you can never fully get over the feeling of always being a little out of place. Ig uess that is what is so cool about LCC; there I can feel comfortable, mostly because there is not a language barrier. Also having the Christian environment makes a huge difference.
I didn't realize until after this weekend being around friends from the U.S. how much I have learned and how much I have changed--in attitude, in outlook, and in my perception of the world. Although sometimes I don't even like living in the East--it is harder than North America and even Western Europe--I have developed a great appreciation and a small understanding of this place. Eastern Europe has been through so much. The people here truly are survivors. I want to be very careful though not to judge the people or this culture after such a short time and to make false inferences or conclusions. 2 1/2 months is a short time, and what lays ahead in the next 2 1/2 may be even more of a surprise.