Hey beautiful friends & enemies~

This post is—once again—a little late… but hey, as I always say: better late than never, right? 😄

Back in April, I had the chance to go on a truly special work trip. Along with colleagues from our ASC (Centre for Asian Studies) and many others from our Vytautas Magnus University, we traveled to England to take part in the 16th Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe (CBSE), titled “Converging Paths: The Baltic Between East and West.” The conference took place from April 24–26, 2025, at the University of Cambridge (yes, that Cambridge—still feels surreal!). I was honored to present my work on “Historic Trauma in Collective Memory: Soviet Sentiment in Lithuanian History Education”—which is actually should have been a chapter in my PhD thesis. Sharing this research in such a prestigious setting, and hearing from so many brilliant minds, was an unforgettable experience.

During this trip, I definitely became a bit of a burden to my PhD supervisor. We flew together from Kaunas airport, and since our hostels happened to be on the same street, I ended up tagging along with him most of the time. Eventually, we arrived… And I fell so hard in love with oat milk iced chai ❤

As my presentation was scheduled for the very last day of the conference—which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave me plenty of time to explore other panels and talks, and also to wander through the charming streets of this old university town. And honestly? I low-key fell in love with Cambridge. From the historic architecture to the peaceful college courtyards, the whole place has an atmosphere that feels almost magical. But what really stole my heart were the cozy little bookstores and the irresistible ice cream shops (I may or may not have become a regular at both).

Random TMI > Funny enough, back in middle school, I dreamed of studying astronomy in Switzerland—don’t ask me why Switzerland, I have no idea! Maybe it just sounded beautifully distant and full of stars. But reality hit when my physics grades turned out to be… well, tragic. Chemistry made a bit more sense to me, so when I had to choose a science subject in high school, I went with that instead. And just like that, my dream of becoming an astronomer drifted off into the cosmos. Still, my fascination with the universe never really faded. My heart still beats faster when I look up at the night sky or pick up a book by Stephen Hawking. In fact, even though I barely understood half of what he wrote at the time, I read all his books in middle school. So being in Cambridge—where Hawking once lived, worked, and reshaped our understanding of the cosmos—felt incredibly special. Like walking in the footsteps of a childhood hero. So we explored couple of the science traces as well! While exploring we even got lost and stuck in some secret garden with lots of viol practice sounds….

My love for beer might get out of hand one day haha just kidding. But I had more than a great time with my fellow colleagues just chilling exploring and eating tons of delli food.

What more (my supervisor’s favorite phrase, lol), we added an extra day to explore London, and after my presentation, the whole group set off on an adventure—starting with the train from Cambridge to King’s Cross After arriving, we first checked out the Harry Potter attractions and then split up for a while before meeting again in the evening.

I used that time to finally cross something off my bucket list: having a cocktail alone at a bar. Okay, technically it was a bit of a cheat, since my best friend’s amazing boyfriend works at the bar—but still, I went in by myself. At first, it felt so awkward just sitting there alone with my thoughts. I definitely felt a little out of place. But Maison Assouline (the bar’s name) turned out to be so welcoming that I quickly relaxed. No one judged me, the atmosphere was stunning, and by the end, I actually enjoyed the experience so much. It really felt like a little success for me. After one or two drinks, I left my things at the bar and went for a walk. That’s when I stumbled upon something special: a Polène boutique. My grandpa had given me money instead of a birthday gift this year, telling me to pick something I’d truly love and remember him by. And there it was—this shop appearing almost by chance in front of me. I knew right away that this would be the perfect gift from him. So in one day, I not only had a presentation at Cambridge univ, checked off a bucket list item but also found a treasure I’ll cherish forever. In the eventing we met up with our ASC for another quick chat and beer and called it a day.

The next day was for more exploration of London. Btw, it was marathon time and I saw how someone fainted and was carried away.. I hope this person is ok…

And that wrapped up my little conference getaway in England with my lovely ASC friends—it couldn’t have been better!

P.s. During this trip I once again realizes that I am an introvert. It’s kind of funny — people often assume I’m super outgoing and love constant interaction (which, to be fair, I do enjoy)… but the truth is, my social battery is surprisingly small. I’m an INFP for a reason. Once that battery runs low, I shift from chatty and engaged to full-on introvert mode. I’ll just sit quietly, still enjoying the atmosphere around me, but not really saying much. And that’s usually when people who don’t know me well yet start to worry — asking if I’m okay, if something’s wrong, or if I’m upset. But nope, nothing dramatic is going on. I’ve just used up all my “outgoing, talkative self” for the day and settled back into being the calm, quiet observer I naturally am with the wish of just hiding under a blanket reading or inch watching some show. And actually I have lived together with quite of my friends together and they will know the best how I will eventually not come out of my room for days (with the exeption of toilet breaks) but that is the true beauty of being close with someone more than polite chit chat being able to enjoy silence which is far from awkward is something that is especially important for me in friendship I guess.

In the end I feel so thankful to be working in such lovely environment sending much love for my colleguess ❤

And for now…

…stay tuned

Au revoir

– M