Liepa’s Way—
Solo Moves, Snails & New Chapters
In this piece, our friend Liepa uncovers what a crossroads in her life has led to, and a few things that have led her to where she is right now. From moving solo across the Atlantic, to teaching English in Lithuania, and now to a masters program in the Netherlands – you never know where life will take you. Her story is a beautiful reminder that there’s not one way to figure things out, and for anyone debating on what the “right” path really looks like.
On the weekend of June 6-8th this year, I found myself at a crossroads of multiple life transitions. To properly honor that, I took myself on a solo retreat to the Lithuanian spa and resort town of Birštonas. On June 5th, I had turned a year older, and had taught my last lesson as an English teacher that same day. The bus ride from Vilnius (where I have been living and teaching for two years since graduating from college) wasn’t long. A staycation.
But the getaway wasn’t without its mishaps. After my first night spent in Birštonas, my phone became completely unresponsive. This turned into a wonderful blessing, as I was forced to be fully present for the weekend. I was unable to listen to music, scroll or text people on my phone, or even take pictures. Thus, I granted myself a period of time abounding with meditative walking, a leisurely pace, observation of my surroundings, and the opportunity to glance inward. I used a paper map to get my bearings in the quaint town nestled along the curve of the river Nemunas. I had closed out the school year, celebrated my 24 years around the sun, and was looking ahead to a new place, a new time, pursuing a master’s program in the Netherlands.
What had led to that moment? The start of my first year in Vilnius was much more difficult than I had anticipated. I expected to have a seamless transition moving to a place I had visited many times, where I knew the language, and had some family members and old friends. Au contraire! Adjusting was tough, and for the first six months I highly doubted making this life choice. I could not believe myself! I always thought I was an adaptable and resilient person, and I felt the least like myself I had ever felt in my life for that first chunk of time fresh out of college and far away from most of my family and friends. However, as time passed, I started feeling much more comfortable. By the second half of my year I was not ready to leave. Traveling on the weekends contributed a lot to my transformation. Reminding myself that I WAS an adaptable and resilient person who loved new experiences was able to be manifested on my various city breaks, whether alone or with others. Some of my students also played a pretty significant role in convincing me to stay and teach them another year. So, one year in Vilnius became two.
On my meditative walks around Birštonas, the only stimulus was the natural soundscape. I soaked in the birdsong and the gossip of local old ladies sitting on benches that I passed.
After waking up the second morning of my staycation, I took an early morning walk while very few people were out and about yet. It had rained the night before and I had to be careful not to crush the multitude of snails and slugs that had emerged onto my path as a result. As silly as it sounds, coming face to face with these creatures reminded me how lucky I felt to be alive! And to be a human being who is making the most of her time on this Earth, fortunate enough not to have been born a slug who is vulnerable to being crushed under someone’s careless shoe.
I was thinking about my phone trouble, and comparing it to other troubles I had experienced during solo travel. Of course, these troubles that I refer to are extremely minor compared to what humanity experiences on a daily basis. For this I’m deeply grateful. Anyway, whether it was the time my train broke down in Krakow at 4am or even the time I was trying to get back to the US from Dublin at the outbreak of a pandemic, these experiences toughened me up. Traveling is one of those things that invokes an old Lithuanian saying, “Mes žmonės planuojam, o Dievas juokiasi.” Meaning, we humans plan, and God laughs. In general in life, things go wrong no matter what you do, so fear of the future or what could go wrong simply cannot be succumbed to if you want to feel fulfilled. It’s a cliché sentiment, but one whose truth I have absorbed increasingly since moving abroad and leaving my comfort zone more and more.
Nobody ever lives the same exact day as you. Even if you have a partner or a best friend or a parent with you all day, they aren’t you. I’ve learned how to be comfortable spending time with myself and the value of leaning into the unexpected or unconventional. I am constantly working to follow my intuition to live in a way that is aligned with my most authentic self. There is not just one way, so take that solo trip, and maybe even break your phone for the occasion. Go back to school studying something completely different from what you studied before. Move. And be careful not to crush any snails underfoot.