Demand Elasticity
Today was my third official day of work at the Vilnius Institute for Advanced Studies (VILIAS). The Institute is a small, independent group of scholars and experts in many different fields. As such, the members have full time jobs as professors, lawyers, economists, and more. This means that Beth (my co-intern) and I get to do most of our work in local coffee shops, with the occasional meeting with Algis, our director, in an office space.
Coffee Culture
There are a seemingly endless number of independent coffee shops in Vilnius. As coffee enthusiasts, Beth and I are following a guide, The Good Coffee Map, that we picked up from a tourist information office. The guide features ten notable cafes in Vilnius, with write-ups on what makes each cafe unique. So far, we have visited four out of the ten places on the list, and we have been here less than a week. We should be coffee connoisseurs in no time!
The lovely spread of independent magazines at Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories.
They serve most of their single-origin coffee in mini flower pots.
President Trump
It can take time to learn the ins and outs of a particular culture, but it is always worth making an effort to be as culturally aware as possible. Mistakes are inevitable, as are awkward silences. However, one topic that is an automatic conversation starter (or restarter) is President Trump! Europeans are intensely curious about how our president was elected, and what the general American population thinks about him. Even the American expat I met, who had been living in Lithuania for thirteen years, had questions for me about the political climate that led to Trump's win. I have tried my best to answer as fairly and comprehensively as possible, always ending my thought with the caveat that I only represent one opinion, and that the United States is an incredibly diverse country.
First Meeting at the Institute
Yesterday, Beth and I went to the first official VILIAS meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss a proposal that the Institute plans to submit to the Lithuanian Ministry of Health about the problem of smoking in the country, with recommendations on potential policy solutions.
The meeting lasted well over two hours, and at times, the conversation grew heated as people disagreed on how the proposal should be structured. As we were all approaching the topic from different academic and professional backgrounds, disagreement was bound to happen. However, the back and forth exchange of ideas was ultimately enriching, and the resulting proposal will likely be better for it. I imagine the philosophical salons of 17th to 18th century France were similar, and just as lively. I started out the meeting mainly listening, and taking notes as I was instructed. Sometimes I struggle with imposter syndrome, and with so many smart people in the room, I felt unqualified to contribute anything in the beginning. However, as time went on, I gained confidence, and I steeled myself to speak.
I noted that the cigarette tax increase in the United States was a major factor in decreasing overall tobacco use. Then, I suggested a method of asking a question for the survey that would be needed for the project. Later on, the economics professor at the meeting concurred with my contribution, and complimented me on a point I made about demand elasticity. This small validation was encouraging, and reminded me to move forward with more confidence in my abilities.
Being Taiwanese-American
Something I carry with me no matter where I travel is my identity as a Taiwanese-American. I grew up in the States but my parents are both from Taiwan. My background has already come up a few times in the short time I have been here.
On the first day, while walking around the city, a Japanese tourist came up to me. He asked me if I came from Japan, and when I answered no, I could see the disappointment on his face. He explained that if I were Japanese, he would have asked me to stay with a group of other tourists he had met during his travels. This is not the first time I have experienced an encounter like this. Having a rather ethnically ambiguous appearance (to other Asians), I often get mistaken as either Japanese or Korean. Many times, people will even come up to me and begin speaking their respective native languages, leaving me apologetic that I cannot communicate to them in their native tongue. These encounters definitely strengthen my desire to learn more languages in the future.
The landlord of the flat we are living in, Victoria, also works at a Spanish restaurant around the corner. Last Saturday, I stopped by the restaurant because my key was not working and I needed to get a new one from her. The Spanish restaurant owner happened to be there as well, and he was curious about my background. When I told him I was Taiwanese-American, he quickly blurted out, "I KNEW you were Chinese. I could tell." I wanted to tell him that I am Taiwanese, not Chinese, but decided to keep my opinions on Taiwanese independence to myself. That is a story for another day! At least he did not think I was Thai, which is a common mistake people make when I disclose my nationality.
Lastly, we met Algis for the first time for lunch at a restaurant on Sunday. We spent a chunk of our time discussing our research proposals for the 31st Annual Seminar of Baltic Criminologists, where Beth and I will have the opportunity to present. At some point during our meeting, Algis apologized, explaining that his academic background meant he had more to contribute on European criminological issues as opposed to Asian ones, and then he suggested that I could do some comparative analysis of the United States, European countries, and Asian countries in my presentation. Asians are a very small minority in Lithuania and the rest of the Baltic states. Consequently, research on domestic legal and political issues are unlikely to address Asia. I am thankful that I can use my time here to represent my heritage well, both personally and academically.
Whenever I start a new professional experience, I try to approach it with a balanced mindset. I was chosen and placed in this internship because of my particular background, whether it was due to the languages I speak, the community service I have done, or the jobs I have held. At the same time, I cannot deny that there is also an element of serendipity to all of this, and I am grateful for each new day I get to spend here.