“It’s not about education – it’s about the adventure!”

  „I have never been on a plane before” – said TeA to himself. However, the take of did not seem to scare him! In fact he found himself very excited! He was on his way to a top secret destination – Heidelberg Theodor-Heuss-Realschule – one of the most prestigious schools in Heidelberg. He was specifically chosen for this mission by his authority at the LEUS (the name of the organization is classified*).

His first stop before changing transport (to shake off anyone that might try to follow) was Mannheim. Not much surprised him there, for it was not the first time he had visited Germany, and this city seemed just like any other. Heidelberg was a different story altogether.

The high hills surrounding the city vexed him, calling like only the best kind of adventures do.

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The old town was full of wonders ready to be discovered. The school was full of knowledge and experiences so eagerly awaited. The very first day he made a promise to himself – to climb one of the high hills of Heidelberg. But his mission always came first for agent TeA. He spent 10 days studying the schools life, learning the schedule, observing lessons. He found out that German kids are mostly learning the same stuff as Lithuanians. They have math, and English, and even home economics (you know, the one you cook and make the table all proper).

The infiltration was so successful that agent TeA even made a project with the students of Theodor-Heuss-Realschule about the power of tolerance, and got invited to see the city with the students. Having earned their trust he also started to see that his new friends are working a lot more than the students of Lithuania. The lessons start at 7.45 am. and end around 3 pm. For agent TeA that was a long time and his concentration was beginning to waver. Only the thought, of how important the mission was, kept him going.

  The lessons and went on, as they usually do, one following the other. Agent TeA observed different methods and approaches used by the teachers in their lessons partly wandering how high the hill opposite to the beautiful castle of Heidelberg was. He met with students and teachers of the University of Heidelberg and was pleasantly surprised to find out that they have spent at least a little time in Lithuania. With some he even managed to speak about the adventure he had been planning from the moment he had set foot in Heidelberg. One student, Michael, gave some very useful information and within the very first two days the adventure was planned! But before TeA could set off on his epic journey, a very special event had to be held. He and his five, highly trained, special op’s agents met and had the honor to present their country on the day of the Reclamation of Independence, March the 11^th. The students were very interested to learn about Lithuania, many thought about visiting this newly discovered land during their summer vacation.

After this very fun, and interactive presentation, agent TeA set out to meet his challenge – the very high hill of Heidelberg. Three times he stopped thinking that maybe this hill is stronger than him, maybe he should turn back. While resting he thought about the students he had met, and what they had learned together. Having gained strength from these happy thoughts he soldered on. An hour it took him to reach the very top. There he found the ruins of a monastery and a watchtower. Having taken a bundle of beautiful pictures he began his descent down the hill. It took another hour. Funny enough he was even more energetic upon returning!

All in all, it was not the beautiful old town or fantastic new friends that caught the eye of agent TeA. It were the students he had met, and lessons he had seen and the hill he had claimed by his strength alone.

Would you like to know what was agent TeA’s mission in Heidelberg? I bet you would – it’s classified**.

*- just kidding, it’s not; it’s Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences.
** – just kidding, it’s not – he was there to do exactly what he did 😉

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One day can be hot and cloudy, the next cold and sunny – these day to day changes are the weather.  One day it’s windy, the next it’s raining, the day after that it’s windy and raining then we might get some sunshine.  So, weather is always changing.  But now we regularly hear about climate change.  Climate reflects long-term weather patterns, so when we talk about climate change, we’re talking about long-term changes to the weather.  Over decades and centuries, climate changes – places become drier, wetter, hotter or colder.

Our climate is changing, both naturally and due to human exploitation. There is already undeniable evidence that animals, birds and plants are being affected by climate change and global warming in both their distribution and behavior.

Climate variability and change affects birdlife and animals in a number of ways:

Birds lay eggs earlier in the year than usual, plants bloom earlier and mammals are come out of hibernation sooner. Birds are migrating and arriving at their nesting grounds earlier, and the nesting grounds that they are moving to are not as far away as they used to be and in some countries the birds don’t even leave anymore, as the climate is suitable all year round.

Many people know that climate change is causing Arctic sea ice to melt, which in turn threatens polar bears who need the ice to hunt for their prey. They spend far more time at sea than it does on land.  Polar bears today are thinner and less healthy than those of 20 years ago.

Although it is thought that no species has yet become extinct exclusively because of climate change, many migratory and non-migratory species are expected to become extinct in the near future.

Living in a 21^st century seems to be like the best time of our lives. We got everything we need: high standarts of living, great progress in Social Welfare, Health care and technology. But….. Aren’t we forgetting something? Should we really care just about things like that? An essential problem of the 21st century is world pollution. Currently the environment is so contaminated that urgent measures should be taken. A single individual cannot be blamed for the world pollution, however every person should take care of his or her habitat. Here is a list of thing all of us can try to be a part of a better future!

1. Climate change is first and foremost an issue. You might have noticed that the weather’s been hotter than usual, or you have noticed a drought in your area or conversely, unusual storms. To prevent climate change you can start by using less electricity, driving less, switching to LED bulbs or eating less meat.
2. Another thing to mention is deforestation. Tropical rainforests, which are crucial to stabilizing the climate and to human survival, are being chopped down at breakneck pace- one and a half acres of rainforest are lost every second. Humans have already chopped down about 50% of the rainforests that once existed on the planet and at the current rate of destruction, we will completely destroy the rainforests in the next 40 years. What we could do as individuals? By using recycled paper, we can decrease the need to cut down as many trees and by buying goods made with FSC-certified wood, we can show retailers that we don’t want them to support brands that obtain lumber irresponsibly. Last but not least, why not plant a tree or even a hundred trees.

   

3. Moving on we face pollution. Pollution comes in many forms and no matter where we live we all probably have seen it more or less. It became a part of our daily routine to see such thing like smog in the streets of big cities. The first thing we can all do to reduce the amount of pollution in our streets, air and water is to make a mental change. Before buying a new product, ask yourself if you really need it or if you might be able to purchase it secondhand. It could make a big difference in the amount of trash we see in our landfills. Secondly, if you don’t already recycle, get into the habit. If everyone adopted these easy principles, the world would be in a much better place.

4. Global warming is another environmental issue which is increase in earth’s temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases called carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and other gases. Without these gases, this planet would turn be cold for life to exist. What can be done? Reduce, reuse, recycle. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, use Less Heat and Air Conditioning, use less hot water, encourage others to conserve!

   

5. Water scarcity is becoming more of an issue as the population increases and climate change causes more droughts. Only three percent of the world’s water is fresh water and 1.1 billion people lack access to clean, safe drinking water. How to deal with this problem? Installing an ENERGY STAR-certified washer, using low-flow faucets, plugging up leaks, irrigating the lawn in the morning or evening when the cooler air causes less evaporation, taking shorter showers and not running sink water when brushing your teeth.
   

   

It’s time for us to open our eyes and hearts and start caring more not about ourselves but also about our planet, our home.  It is high time for human beings to take the ‘right’ action towards saving the earth from major environmental issues. We and only we create a world we want to live in. And it is up to us weather we want to have a bright future or destroy everything we have. If ignored today, these ill effects are sure to curb human existence in the near future.

There are many environmental problems in the world today, such as littering, water and air pollution, deforestation, acid rain and more. Many of them are caused by people. You may think that Lithuania is a small country and there are not so many severe environmental problems. Although, the extent of Lithuania’s ecological issues is not as great as in other big countries, they are still issues that cannot be left unsolved.
One of the biggest environmental problems in Lithuania is littering. In the recent report on how European Union countries manage municipal waste Lithuania was one of the outsiders. The vast majority of municipal waste in Lithuania is still landfilled. Despite the fact that since 2004, the recycling rate has slightly increased, the overall recycling level is still shamefully low. Probably, the reason of it is the lack of information. This problem needs to be solved quickly. We have to instruct our people about recycling. The recycling process should be supervised carefully.
Another huge concern is the usage of plastic bags. These bags are very popular in our country. You can find tons of them in supermarkets or in any kind of shop. Usually they are given for free. Buyers do not even understand how many of them they actually take. As you may know, microorganisms are unable to decompose plastic trash.  It is a very massive issue that other countries started to take care off.  For example, Italy was the first country in Europe which forbade onetime plastic bags. In these days, more and more countries in the world apply major restrictions on plastic trash. Lithuania has to do the same.
It would be wrong to say that Lithuania does not do anything to fix littering problems. Every year the volunteers of Lithuania organise action called ‘Darom’. The main task of this action is to collect trash all around the country. This is a good start in solving littering issue, but it is just a little step. We should not litter in the first place!
All in all, the nature is our home. Our entire future depends on the way we protect our nature. Therefore, the protection of the natural environment against physical, chemical, biological and any other negative impact should be the main target in Lithuania.

Global warming is a well known and dire threat to the world. The latter is based on the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – which acts as a blanket, trapping heat and heating the planet. Because of that, The Antarctic ice is melting and the sea levels are rising in a raging manner across the globe; Lithuania is no exception to the matter. This article will look into how does global warming affect Lithuania.

To begin with, it is known by most, that one of the long-term effects of global warming is the rising sea level. In the report by the Climate Change Commission, it is said that in XXI century sea levels could rise by 30-60 centimeters and in recent years the sea level in Lithuania alone has risen by approximately 14-16 centimeters. Furthermore, Lithuanian coast also suffers intensive erosion, due to the natural processes of wind and wave, but this was accelerated by warmer air conditions created by the global warming. Additionally, during the last decade, the problem was made even worse by human actions such as deepening of the Klaipėda port and construction of the hydro-technical works. Secondly, one of the most valued natural treasures of Lithuania called The Curonian Spit, which is compiled of beautiful sand dunes, is in danger. This part of the coast is exposed to the most vicious storms and erosion, because of which The Curonian Spit is diminishing day by day.

Lastly, the situation is also grim for Lithuania’s largest resort Palanga. The beach of Palanga receives a lot of damage every year and during a 5 year’s span that led to the beach being almost washed away. Also, a succession of severe storms in the last 20 to 30 years seem to have accelerated the erosion and coastline recession process. The storm surges are predicted to intensify even further, because of the reduction in sea-ice cover during winter and the strengthening of the westerly to south-westerly   winds.

All in all, if these threats continue to grow in such a manner, Lithuania is prone to lose its beaches in not quite distant future.

Erasmus exchange program is popular all over Europe and it gives students the opportunity to study abroad. I mean, what could be more challenging and adventurous than studying in a completely different country for some months?  Well, I can tell you from my own experience – Erasmus is a thing which you will never forget.

Firstly, last spring me and my group mate from Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences decided that we want to use all the opportunities given from our university and Erasmus was one of them. It took us some time to choose from a quite long list where to go; finally, we chose the University of Turin, which is located in Northern Italy. Maybe you have heard Turin as a capital of chocolate or that it hosts one of the best football teams in the world – Torino Juventus. Honestly, before coming to Turin we did not know what to expect and our knowledge about Turin was based on information found on the Internet!

We found many differences in Lithuanian and Italian lifestyles. For example, Italians do not get irritated if someone is late. Maybe that is because everyone is often late and it is just the way they live. Also, their eating habits differ.  No need to say that Italy is famous for its cuisine. We can see, usually, Italians portrayed as pasta eating people who drink wine in movies occasionally. Well, this is true. Italians have plenty of ways to cook pasta and they can eat it everyday day. As our university didn’t have a canteen, all the students were bringing their food containers which were usually filled with pasta. Eating in halls or sometimes even in audiences is an absolutely normal thing and we got used to that too!

Lectures are one more thing I would like to share my opinion about. The thing I liked the most and tried to convey in my teaching practice is the way teacher communicates with students. He never interrupts and diversity of opinions is considered as a good thing in classrooms. Teacher is not the one who shares knowledge, but the one who gives an opportunity for students to talk. I appreciated a lot that criticism was not used at all and it was replaced with some kind of advice. Erasmus gave me a chance to study the Italian language and learn its basics, which helped a lot to communicate while living there. However, sign language was often used to buy groceries or express that I really liked that cup of Cappuccino!

Talking from my own experience, me and my friend chose to spend more money on traveling and it was a decision I will never regret. Getting lost in small towns, laughing at missing a train (but not laughing so much when you need to spend a night in the railway station!), visiting museums, and meeting locals are just some random memories out of thousands. We managed to visit the capital of fashion Milan, were astonished of  the beauty of Renaissance birthplace Florence, and walked under popular arks of Bologna. Not only did we explore some little Italian towns as Aosta or Ivrea, but also had a great trip to Monaco and Cannes, France.  Adventures, adventures everywhere!

No need to say that Erasmus is a program which allows you to feel some kind of freedom. When I say freedom, I do not mean making spontaneous reckless decisions but more like feeling that you can travel the world and feel like living another life. You have the freedom to travel, to meet new people, to gain different knowledge, and to pursue your dreams.

I would suggest every pupil who is keen on challenging himself in their lives to take this opportunity. I guarantee discoveries and adventures you will never forget. As it is said, once Erasmus, always Erasmus!