Happy International Women's Day!

March 8th: International Women's Day

When I woke up yesterday morning, I did not know that it was International Women's Day.  I saw something about it on facebook, but I just assumed it was another one of those "holidays" that is technically a holiday, but no one really celebrates it. 

When my roommate, Taira, who is from Lithuania, woke up she told me, "Happy Women's Day!"  She explained that it is a holiday that they celebrate in her country.  She told me that they usually celebrate by the men getting the women gifts!  Taira added that she was going to celebrate by treating herself to some shopping. :) 

Later, I went to hang out with my friend from Finland, Leena.  She also said to me, "Happy Women's Day!"  (Okay, so maybe this is a real holiday.)  Leena and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon of coffee, tea, chocolate, and good conversation.  I found out more about her and her beautiful country of Finland!  It was the perfect day for hot drinks and relaxing because the weather outside was gray, cloudy, and a little bit rainy.  I so enjoyed this wonderful afternoon!

Next, I met with  my American friends, Alex, Shelby, and Maggie, to go out for dinner.  They are regulars at the restaurant down the hill and love it.  I, on the other hand, have been there twice, but only for wifi and dessert.  I have been really wanting to actually eat there, but it keeps not working out.  This restaurant is not in the main part of town and is kind of a hidden gem, so I have never seen it crowded.  Well, last night we walked in and the waiter asked if we had a reservation.  We told him we did not, and he plainly said, "That's a problem." (I also just realized that he spoke to us in English, which is kind of rare to find here.)  So, confused as to why it was so crowded, we headed to the city center to find a restaurant that wasn't as crowded.  

We ended up going to the Sherlock Holmes Pub, where we also ate on Tuesday.  They also asked if we had a reservation, which we didn't, but we think our waitress from Tuesday recognized us and was nice and found us a table.  At least that is what we are telling ourselves. ;)  I loved what I had on Tuesday (homemade dumplings stuffed with smoked meat in a cabbage sauce), but I wanted to try something new.  So, I proceeded to order my most expensive meal since being here.  It was bacon wrapped pork with a mushroom sauce and basmati rice.  It was výborne (excellent)! 

There was a big hockey game in town so we thought that might be why everywhere was so crowded.  After our meal, we asked our waitress if she knew the reason for the crowds.  She immediately said, "It's Women's Day!" (Okay, this holiday must really be a big deal here!)  I then justified my expensive meal as a present to myself for Women's Day.  Then, for the rest of the night, everything we did was excused because "Hey, it's Women's Day."  This is how we also justified going to the grocery store and getting chocolate, ice cream, and other junk food.  "We can do this because it's Women's Day", we justified to make ourselves feel better.  

Waiting at the tram stop, carrying all our junk food with no bags!

We went back to the dorms and decided to watch The Lizzie McGuire Movie- a blast from the past!  We ate our ice cream (I was good and saved the chocolate for another day)  and watched this movie from our childhood.  Oh the memories old movies bring back!  It was also really fun watching a movie that takes place in Europe while I am in Europe.  Sometimes I still feel that I am living a dream!  

All in the name of Women's Day!

Celebrating new holidays is really fun even if you don't know you are doing so for most of the day!  I'm extremely thankful for the wonderful women in my life back home that have taught me and showed me what it means to be a woman of God.  I am also very thankful for all the awesome ladies here that I am so privileged to experience this adventure with!  So, Happy Women's Day, ladies!  Even though Women's Day was yesterday, all of you in the U.S. probably did not know about it, so I encourage you to do something nice for yourself today!  Enjoy!  :)