There are times when I feel like I’m starting to get a grip on this culture, and then something will inevitably happen and I realize just how clueless I really am!

I teach at a local Christian high school. Actually, technically, I don’t teach, I volunteer… I’m not paid so I must not be a teacher. Whatever. I “volunteer” to help - no this is stupid. I teach 9 - 12 grade English. Always fun.

Well yesterday we had this big discussion in most classes about the big game that night. Latvia and the US were playing hockey in the Olympics. (Hockey runs in the blood of Latvians, so this is a REALLY big deal.) Since I don’t have TV right now, I made sure to check the scores on the ‘net this morning. Tie game, 3-3.

I decided I would be fair, so this morning when I got ready, I found an American flag pin to wear, and then I put on an amber necklace, as amber is very popular here, too. So, both countries were represented. I was a bit nervous about wearing an American flag pin, not wanting to offensive or anything… I just wasn’t sure how it would go over. The good thing is that I knew if I could pull it off anywhere it would be at this school as so much of it supported by churches and friends in the States. So, I went with it.

I was driving into town this morning and I saw it, and my stomach fell. There were Latvian flags everywhere. I didn’t think it was a holiday, but then, here, you never know. They don’t fly the flag except for holidays, so I was a bit nervous… maybe my flag pin would be a bad idea today after all.

I got to school and had to ask someone. I swallowed my pride and possible embarrassment of my ignorance and asked a fellow teacher. “Is today a holiday? I saw flags everywhere this morning.” She looked at me blankly for a moment and then said, “Oh, no. It’s not a  holiday for us.” Not for us? Then why are there flags out? Even more confused I waited for the explanation. “No, today is Lithuanian Independence Day, so we have our flags out, too.”

Huh?

She walked away and I never got another chance to ask about this. Well, after some research, I did confirm that February 16th is in fact Lithuanian Independence Day. I’m still not sure why we’re observing it here, though. The only thing I can come up with is that Latvia and Lithuania stood together against the whole communist occupation, so it’s to honor them or something. I wonder if we do that for Estonia, too? Can you imagine being in the US and having to up our American flags and everything to observe Canadian or Mexico’s Independence Day? (Do any Americans even know when that is? I don’t!)

Well, anyway, that’s my cultural confusion of the day… and in honor of Lithuania, I say “ Happy Lithuanian Independence Day”! (I tried to find out what it is in Lithuanian, but after a couple of hours, I quit!)

Oh, and by the way, everyone liked the pin and were sure to tell me that the tie was actually a win for Latvia since Latvia is such a small country compared to the US… Latvian logic is a topic for another blog!