Dabar Veiti! Translation: Here we go!
Poway Sister Cities Begins its Relationship with Marijampole, Lithuania
On October 15, our six-member delegation of representatives from the Poway Sister Cities Network set out on a five-day journey to the city of Marijampole in the country of Lithuania. Our goal: To begin the process of building a bridge of communication, cooperation and collaboration between two cities on opposite sides of the world - cities with demographic similarities, yet significant cultural and historical differences.
Our delegation was led by Jeff Figler, Chairman of the Board of the Poway Sister Cities Network, accompanied by Linda Figler, Marcy Mazer, Marianna Benedict-Bacilla, Julie-Meilute Benedict and Mary Murray. Irena Remeikiene a native of Marijampole joined us in the capital City of Vilnius, and traveled with us as our friend, interpreter and travel guide.
After spending a day in Vilnius, exploring and acclimating to the unique cultural identity of Lithuania, we moved on to our destination of Marijampole. Modern highways, bordered on both sides by traditional farms, delivered us into a city blossoming with new infrastructure and industry. Though the guidance of the Mayor or Marijampole, Vidmantas Brazys, and his council, we began a two day tour of the city, which soon revealed to us its tremendous enthusiasm toward embracing modernization while maintaining a deep reverence for their remarkable history.
On October 18th, our Poway Delegation, or “Povejus Delegacija,” met with Mayor Brazys, along with the council members of the Municipality. Mayor Brazys and Jeff Figler, representing Poway Mayor Mickey Cafagna and the Poway City council, together signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” put forth by each of our two city councils. Members of the country's newspapers and television media abundantly covered the event as this agreement was the first intercontinental agreement of this type for the city.
During our two day stay in The City of Marijamople, we were taken on a tour of the area to introduce us to the blossoming infrastructure and cultural identity of the city. Only a short 15 years have passed since this city of Marijampole (and, of course, the entire country of Lithuania) gained their independence from the former Soviet Union.The city, with a population of approximately 50,000 people, recently completed construction of a state-of-the-art Cultural Center, quite similar to Poway's Performing Arts Center. They are in the process of completing the initial developmental phase of their social services programs. These include programs for Senior Citizens requiring assisted-living services, programs for persons with emotional or physical challenges, and programs providing special education for children with cognitive impairment. These new programs appear comparable to any typical program we have in the United States.
Marijampole's high school, Ryaiskiu Jonas Gymnasium, is preparing to celebrate its 140th year as an academic institution. As an immediate result of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the cities of Poway and Mariampole, our two high school systems look forward to collaborative connections between our youth through internet correspondence and student exchanges.
We at Poway Sister Cities Network, as representatives of the city of Poway, look forward to welcoming Marijampole’s Mayor Brazys and his delegation to our city in the near future, where we will have an opportunity to share with them the unique culture and heritage of our community, as we begin construction of this transcontinental bridge of cooperation.