The scene in Rietavas, Lithuania, on September 1, 1996– it’s the first day of school. (imagine a similar picture at every school in Lithuania, Russia and the former Soviet Union). Tradition dictates that the oldest 12th grade students escort the youngest first grade students to their classes. Students, parents and teachers don their best clothes. The 12th grade students opted to wear their Soviet-era black and brown uniforms. Students held fresh flowers to greet their teachers and perhaps soften them up a bit. We gathered first in church (Lithuania’s an overwhelmingly Catholic country.) It was sunny, crisp, beautiful day–one of my favorites as a Peace Corps Volunteer. The town came together, whether they had children or not, and saw the children off to school. A soviet relic with charm. September 1, is or rather was, always a joyous, hopeful day.

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Athens, August 21.  The Lithuanian basketball team
beat the US, 94 to 90. I am not a huge basketball fan, but as a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Lithuania, 95-97) the result made me smile.  Basketball is a sacred sport in Lithuania.  Vaidas Paulauskas, a student, usually quiet during classes that stressed English conversation, always chatted me up after school about the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.  He’d go onto remind me that Lithuania’s best, then Marciulionis and Sabonis, played in the US. Lithuania is a small nation of 4 million, but its presence looms large in basketball circles.

For most of the 20th century Lithuania was caught up in global power plays–falling under Russian, German, and then Soviet domination.   (The Soviets were kind enough to co-opt the best Lithuanian basketball players for their Olympic team before Lithuania broke free in 1991.)  Nevertheless, it’s not often that a small country goes up against the legendary American dream team and wins.  Yesterday, in beating the US, Lithuania showed that passion, practice and persistence can take down a giant.

As an American, I’m a little embarrassed that we’re getting trounced in a sport that we invented and where athletes command multi-million dollar salaries.   As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, I am overjoyed for my adopted country.  In America, we expect to dominate.  This reversal, an object lesson in hubris, is refreshing–if fleeting.   My guess is the Americans will be more focused in the finals, but I’ll still be rooting for Lithuania.