Vilnius: History and Modernity Intersect
It’s the end of my first week in Vilnius and I’m officially thrilled to spend my summer in a city that is equally ancient and modern. The hip cafes are juxtaposed by the stunning architecture and rich history. Ariana and I were pleasantly surprised by the liveliness of the city, our second day here was the national day honoring street musicians! The narrow cobblestone streets were overflowing with music lovers, and every corner had a performer to enjoy.
For our first few days we explored the city and ate. We wandered through Old Town Vilnius, taking in the beautiful scenery and relaxing in the many parks. We also visited Užupis, an artist colony that declared its independence from Lithuania on April Fool's Day, 1997. They have their Constitution posted in 23 languages in the center of town, my favorite constitutionally granted right was number 12: A dog has the right to be a dog. Užupis is a great example of how quirky a city Vilnius is. While full of beauty and history, there is a youthful influence that makes it clear the city doesn't take itself too seriously. We also walked up the Literatų gatve, or Literature Street, which is dedicated to Lithuanian and world literature.
Our work with VILIAS is very much our own, because we don’t have a place in the office Ariana and I spend our days in the many cafes of Vilnius conducting research for our presentations at the Baltic Criminology Symposium, which will take place at the end of June. The coffee shops in Vilnius are incredible and full of young people like us, working on their laptops. Lithuanian’s don’t approve of milk in coffee so I am getting used to drinking my coffee black, or as they say "pure".
My research, which will culminate in a paper as well as my speech, will be focusing how technology can improve access to justice in the Baltic States. So far, I have compiled papers discussing the original understanding of access to justice, which was exclusively procedural access to a court, and the more modern and substantive conception, which includes the entire process - from discovering your right to vindicating that right. The EU, UN and World Bank have all conducted expansive research on how to make the justice system accessible to the population. This concept is not restricted to economic accessibility, but includes a general need to increase the public's comfort level with the legal system. As it stands now, my research will consider the various technologies that can make realizing and filing a claim more manageable and further, what the legal aid systems in the Baltic States look like and how they can be improved to cope with the eventual increase in litigants that will arise from this more accessible system.
Apart from our own research we will be working with the VILIAS scholars on drafting proposals for the local government and the EU. Our first meeting focused on a call to action from the Ministry of Health to reduce cigarette addiction in Lithuania. We spent a few hours outlining a research proposal with four professors from Vilnius University, with focuses ranging from economics to public health. Our initial conception focuses on the economic costs of smoking and a possible solution by increasing insurance premiums for smokers.
In order to give my readers a real taste of Lithuania, each week I will add a photo and description of the best thing I ate. This week it was the cold borsht and potatoes. While definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, this beet soup was not only lovely to look at but refreshing, flavorful and definitely unlike anything I’ve eaten before. The food in Lithuania is hearty to say the least and while Ariana and I have enjoyed it, it would be difficult to be lactose intolerant in this country. I can confidently say the bakery right next to our apartment will definitely be a frequent part of our morning routine.
