International Adult Learners Week
in Europe

Network of Learning festivals

Nijole Popoviene: Participant at the International Adult Learners Forum in October 2004 and in the International Adult Learners' Study Tour in May 2005

I have been working as an Engineer at a Design Bureau for many years. I graduated at college, then I started to work as a Radio Apparatus Technician, then I worked and studied at university and then I became a Design Engineer. There were many changes in our society after the Lithuanian independence. My department was about to close and so I felt that I had to do something. Once I noticed an advert in a daily paper. The Soros International House announced it is opening in Vilnius and invited me to learn English. Yes! This is what I needed and I had always dreamed to learn English, but at this time our salaries were paid with long delay which is why I am grateful to my brother who lent me the money to attend the courses.

At this time I was thirty eight years old and I already had three children. My colleagues and even my mother could not understand why it was so important to me. They could not understand why I would spend money on learning when my pockets were empty and when I was so old. They thought that this was nonsense, but not long after I started to translate technical texts from English, I was able to afford to continue to learn. Then I found a job at a Lithuanian Technical Library as a Librarian and then as the Head of the Exhibition Sector. The reasons for why they hired me were because I had learnt English and because I had a qualification in higher ducation. During my time in higher education I had learnt many new things. For instance, I could learned something 'by doing' it and having attended the courses I learnt skills in ICT and how to arrange exhibitions. In addition, I attended a training course at the Norwegian university's library (NTNU), I continued to learn English and I searched for information on adult education and its possibilities because I knew that I was learning not just for myself. Having contacted the Lithuanian Adult Association I was responsible for the exhibitions. We started to organise exhibitions during all Lithuanian Adult Education weeks where adult learner providers were represented.

Two years ago I was involved in a European project during which I became a co-ordinator of the Grundtvig 2 project, 'Educational Triangles', involving people in learning through the co-operation from a museum, a library and an adult education institution. As a result twentytwo institutions from seven countries took part in our project. In addition to this I was invited to hold an appointment of Head of the International Relations Department at Vilnius College of Construction and Design. Once again I find myself in a different area and once again I am looking where I could get the necessary knowledge.

Janina Surgevic

If I had to write my learning story I would callit “The History of My Uncompleted Studies.” I started, but didn’t complete music and art school twice; I started and didn’t complete university. So I can only write “secondary education” in my CV. Though my teachers at secondary school thought I was thorough and capable, I didn’t believe it myself. I felt that I was the ugly duckling from the Hans Christian Andersen tales. I was always setting too high standards for myself and for people around me. I just couldn’t take pleasure in my achievements.

Since my childhood I had a dream to become an actress. I tried to enter the Conservatoire department of Acting and Directing for three years. I didn’t succeed and now I understand why. I wanted to become nothing but an actress and for my auditions I always chose shattering pieces reflecting feelings I had never experienced before. There are some things that you can understand only by having experience of life. It is unlikely that “Beggar” by P.J. Beranger sounded very convincing coming from the lips of a 20-year-old girl.

I then realised there was a way I could get into the Conservatoire much more simply. I was attending Polish Folk Theatre and I had the opportunity to study stage direction. But I was frightened by the thought that after completion of the course I would have to work in nonprofessional theatre, directing comedies for several years. I thought that comedy was mean and that I was worth more. It was only later that I understood humour was my strong side and that I liked to entertain people.

When I didn’t succeed in entering the Conservatoire, I entered university to study Russian language and literature, but I didn’t attend any lectures because the subject didn’t interest me at all. All I wanted was to prove to my parents that I could enter university. Later I began to study law. I was trying to prove to other people that I was capable enough to study law. My law studies only lasted for a year. There were lots of subjects within the Law course that I didn’t enjoy at all, so I left the course.

I then decided to work and had a job in an office as a personnel inspector. I lived like a snail in a shell. It seemed to me that my life was passing me by. I was not developing or improving. I didn’t even have any need for that. If there were no political and economic changes in our country, I would probably have lived like that up until now.

I lost my job in the office and started a sewing business that was totally unfamiliar to me but very profitable in those days. For several years I was just working and sleeping. I didn’t have time for anything else. Later my business became unprofitable which is when I faced unemployment for the first time. I became aware that I didn’t have the necessary knowledge to work as an office girl. With great enthusiasm I started attending administration courses. There I suddenly found out that I liked learning and I received confirmation that I was capable. I tried a variety of jobs, but it was not easy to find a permanent one. I was only forty but the employers were saying that I was too old to work which I eventually believed and fell into despair. I was frustrated by guilt and by dependence on other people. I didn’t want anything. I tried to commit suicide one evening. After that I found myself in hospital. I was taking antidepressants and didn’t expect anything from myself or from my life. It was a long and hard period of my life. I was encouraged to take interest in myself. I was seeing psychologists. I wanted to know myself and my feelings and to find out why I didn’t succeed in finding a job. In the Labour Exchange office they proposed that I participated in the Work Opportunities Programme led by psychologists. While communicating with group members, psychologists and other specialists I got familiar with new aspects of my personality and I became stronger. It was a discovery for me and I had the opportunity to learn ceramics during this programme. It’s a paradox – I once left art school because I didn’t like the lay but on my ceramics course I felt myself express my feelings while moulding. It’s good to feel that I’m succeeding again.

Nowadays, I think that nothing is lost. Now I work, I’m not taking antidepressants any more, and I feel better. I want so many things: I want my inner changes to proceed, I want to live without guilt, I want to live for myself, I want to study, I want to develop. I found out so many things for myself. I found out that there are so many things to learn and that I want to learn. I am going to study foreign languages and attend art workshops for adults. The world is changing so fast and I must constantly study and learn so I don’t get left behind. Now I believe that I am strong enough to turn my ideas into actions.