Labadiena! This means 'Hello!' in Lithuanian language. I can guess only a few people have heard about Lithuania. This nation is located above Poland and is well-known as one of the Baltic States. Geographically, it is located in Northern Europe so you can experience white light in summer. Among lots of cities, Siauliai, where I lived, is the fourth biggest city in Lithuania. Siauliai is a kind of University City like Oxford. That is why there is only one university, Siauliai University (SU). Today, I will give you some pieces of advice to help you enjoy exchange student life in Lithuania.
Lithuania is on the quite low level of consumer prices compared than other Northern Europe countries. Their level is even quite lower than Korea. The most typical example showing the low prices are groceries. Most of Lithuanian groceries are cheaper than Korean. Thanks to this condition, eating out is not that expensive. So a lot of exchange students can enjoy eating out or cooking their own meals. One of my friends who was an exchange student like me said that she spent only 80,000 won for cooking her meals in a month. Also, there are Super-Markets: Rimi and Maxima XXX, where you can buy everything which you need. Rimi is within walk distance from the dormitory of SU. It is useful for students whenever they purchase something to use, wear or eat. Maxima XXX, meanwhile, is apart from the center and you need to take a bus to go there. This market sells more goods than Rimi with cheaper prices.
By the way, these supermarkets do not sell specific products like learning materials needed for class time. I had to visit a special store to purchase what I wanted. In case your Professor asks you to prepare a drawing paper, you will need to visit a store selling art supplies. SU has no amenities where we can buy these kinds of materials, so all the students should go a private store.
Furthermore, restaurants around the university are under the same condition as stores and supermarkets. Instead of discounting by student ID card, many dishes in franchised restaurants are on sale every day. The famous restaurants among Lithuanian students and international students are Chilly Pica, Fortas and La Crepe. Actually, Lithuanian food is too salty and oily for Koreans to eat. In this sense, Fortas provides meals that Koreans like because the taste is not too strong. Fortas is also much cheaper than others, so whenever I wanted to eat out, I visited there with my friends. Another type of restaurant is ‘Local Restaurant’ which is not a franchised store. Compared to other kinds of franchised restaurant, the food of Local Restaurants has a strong flavor in general. That is why some people do not want to go there. However, I often had lunch in those restaurants because they are less expensive than the franchised ones. Additionally, one of the strong advantages is that it is located near the dormitory. If you do not mind, it is good for you to eat lunch in Local Restaurants.
Thanks to its low level of consumer price, I could save much money. It gave me a lot of chances to journey around Europe such as Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic during the semester. I think travel is the best advantage that an exchange student to Lithuania has. I hope you that plan your budget well with the low prices in Lithuania in mind and enjoy your affordable stay!
By Jang So-ra, Senior, Dept. of Psychology
장소라, 심리학과 4학년
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