“Kaunas is a beautiful city with its own history, but there is a different feeling to it. Not that something is missing exactly, but you become more aware of what you were surrounded by back home without realising it,” says a KTU master’s student in computer science.
Life Far from the Mediterranean
“Living with short grey days and early sunsets changed the rhythm of life in ways I did not fully anticipate,” says Zahi. For him, coming from a Mediterranean coastal city, Kaunas felt noticeably quieter from the very beginning.
Back in his home country, people rarely need to plan social life. In Kaunas, however, everyday life for Zahi felt more structured and reserved. People spent more time in smaller circles, social plans became less spontaneous, and the slower daily rhythm was impossible not to notice.
“It took some adjusting, but of course I don’t expect all countries to be the same,” reflects Zahi.
At the same time, Lithuania never felt entirely unfamiliar to him. Lebanon is home to a large community of people from the former Eastern Bloc. “And within that, there is a Lithuanian community too, so Lithuania was not entirely unfamiliar to me before I ever set foot here,” he says.
Despite the cultural differences, Zahi says he felt warmly welcomed and quickly noticed that people were genuinely helpful, especially the friends he made in Lithuania. Over time, adapting to the country became less about resisting differences and more about understanding them.
“People are warm, but on their own terms and timeline. There is a certain honesty in that kind of reserve,” he says.
When asked about his home country, Zahi says: “One thing that always surprises people about Lebanon is that you can swim in the Mediterranean and be skiing in the mountains just a short drive away. It is something quite special about where I come from.”
Found a Job in His Second Study Year
