KTU Student Mona from India: Lithuania Unfolded Slowly for Me

“The first day, I went outside, and nobody smiled. Coming from a place where strangers greet each other as a matter of habit, that silence felt enormous. I remember standing there thinking: did I make a mistake?” recalls Mona Balasubramaniam, describing her very first morning after arriving in Lithuania to begin her studies at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU).

Originally from India, Mona had come to Lithuania without knowing much about the country beforehand. Slowly, the feeling of distance started changing due to small things.

“The turning point was surprisingly small, just greetings, like Laba diena and Ačiū. I started saying it in shops, on buses, after someone held a door. Something shifted every time. Not dramatically, faces did not break into wide smiles, but there was a softening, like people could tell you were making an effort,” says Mona.

In Lithuania, choosing shoes can become a survival strategy

“I am the kind of person who loves to explore, but not in loud, crowded places. As an introvert, I am drawn to spaces that do not demand anything from me. Lithuania felt like that – gentle, grounded, unhurried,” says Mona.

The contrast was noticeable in other ways, too. “I come from a naturally warmer place, both in climate and in the energy of everyday life. Back in India, day and night often feel similar in rhythm, and life is usually faster-moving and outward. Here, life feels calmer, quieter. There is a certain peace in daily routines that I had not experienced before,” she says.

The changing seasons became part of that experience. Snowfall, something she had never seen before, felt almost unreal. Even small things, like choosing what to wear, turned into something new. “I used to think shoes were just shoes. Lithuania said: no, my friend, this is now a seasonal strategy,” Mona smiles.

She also found her own ways of adjusting to the slower pace. Sometimes, it meant simply getting on a bus with no destination. “When I feel overwhelmed, I just take a bus, watch the city move, and get off at a random stop just to see what’s there. It’s become my way of exploring without planning much,” she says.

Using electronics to explore sustainable transport

Before choosing where to study, Mona was not only looking at academic options, but also asking herself a simple question – could she imagine living there. After spending more than 20 years in her home town, she knew she needed a change.

“I didn’t come here knowing exactly how everything would turn out. I just knew I wanted to try,” she says.

Her decision to study Electronics Engineering at KTU became part of that step into something new. At the same time, it helped her reconnect with a field she had once felt unsure about. “During my bachelor’s, my experience with electronics was quite different, and at one point, I was unsure if I wanted to continue in that field. I didn’t want to leave it completely, but I also didn’t feel fully connected to it,” Mona explains about her bachelor’s studies.

Things started to change after she came to Lithuania. Electronics felt more practical to her, and that helped her see the field differently.

This shift also led her to work on real challenges as part of her studies. One of them is the ECIU Challenge – a course that brings together students from different backgrounds to work on real-life problems using a practical, challenge-based learning approach. Her team is exploring how everyday transportation choices could become more sustainable.

Interested in studying at KTU? Explore international study opportunities and student experiences at Kaunas University of Technology.