The boys are back in America and back in school. Check out their GandZ.us site for their current adventures. Their time in Lithuania was a great experience, which they are looking forward to replicating as many times as possible. Below is Gus’ essay about this very special time.

The violin is an extremely challenging instrument to master, however, I am fortunate enough to play it well and enjoy it.  During my most recent visit to Lithuania with my family, we went out and busked. Busking is a way to make money while having fun. The way one could make money is by playing a musical instrument in a public space.  During my most recent visit to Lithuania, we went out and did just that. Overall, busking in Lithuania was an amazing experience. The people were very kind and generous to me.

  I have been playing the violin since I was three years old. During my past visits to Lithuania to visit my grandparents, I saw other people busking. I always wanted to do it. On my last trip, I finally got the chance to go out and busk. Me and my brother attempted to do it and had a really good time. Because I don't speak Lithuanian, I hired a friend to help me translate. We paid him five percent of the day's profit. Most of my profit was from old ladies. During my first time going out, I was nervous, which almost felt like stage fright before a concert. But just like in a concert, all the nervousness went away after I started playing. Some people didn't enjoy my performance. One lady told me that I had to leave because she had a headache. There was another lady who thought that I was Russian and she didn't like that. It was incredible the first day I came back home with all the coins we collected. Everybody was in shock when I counted out one hundred euros. I made more money than I thought possible. It was an amazing feeling when I went out and did it a second time and all the times after that. I even played for my relatives and family friends and that was fun too.

If I had to choose something in my life to repeat, It would be my last trip to Lithuania. The reason was that it was my first experience busking and I had a great time doing it. I know all of my family are proud of me, which makes me feel good about myself. The people of Lithuania were unexpectedly kind and generous to me whilst I was busking.