Ciao everyone!!! They use ciao here.... sometimes I think Estonian sounds like Italian, Thai, Danish, Russian... but I really need to just accept that it doesn't sound like anything I know.
Tallinn is incredible and my friend is a phenomenal host. That's the essential message really! All this snow is putting me in the Christmas mood... we read a brief BBC article this morning about "snowfall in parts of the UK!" and were like - HA, sure, we'll give you snowfall! At least these Nordic people have the flying in snowy conditions thing DOWN so I'll be able to get back home.
After work yesterday we met with my friend's childhood friend for "beer club". They're the only members of the club but were gracious enough to let me tag along ;) The first place we went to apparently was decorated with all old Soviet-times stuff. I wouldn't have known if they didn't tell me... the lamps, apparently the couches were ubiquitous, the chairs... we talked a bit about Soviet nostalgia - of course reminding me of the East Germany nostalgia "Eastalgia" that I'd heard about in Berlin. I'm told that "Soviet times" are discussed semi-regularly... but more often when there are interested foreigners like me visiting haha. It's not as obviously present as E/W Berlin, for example.
It's good to remember that the rejection of Soviet domination isn't a clear-cut thing. Anywhere. So easy to paint a black and white picture from the US. Or to patronizingly assume that it's just Soviet brainwashing speaking. People had work, they were secure in many ways, life was taken care of. An Estonian friend we hung out with had a lot of interesting things to say about the Russian minority. How this can't really be their country, they can't truly express themselves in the public sphere. Language is more tied to the nation here than practically anywhere, I'd be willing to bet. That it was only a country briefly between WWI and WWII.... but before that always dominated, usually by the Russians, means that the constructed nature of the nation is so apparent in recent memory. Enhances the sense of threat from outsiders. There are hardly ANY immigrants here, or visible minorities, but I can imagine that it will be difficult if and when immigrants do come here.
Today I'm going to meet my friend's whole family at an event at her little sister's high school. I'm really excited. And we're going to an Estonian grocery stores... because I'm into that.
Tallinn is incredible and my friend is a phenomenal host. That's the essential message really! All this snow is putting me in the Christmas mood... we read a brief BBC article this morning about "snowfall in parts of the UK!" and were like - HA, sure, we'll give you snowfall! At least these Nordic people have the flying in snowy conditions thing DOWN so I'll be able to get back home.
After work yesterday we met with my friend's childhood friend for "beer club". They're the only members of the club but were gracious enough to let me tag along ;) The first place we went to apparently was decorated with all old Soviet-times stuff. I wouldn't have known if they didn't tell me... the lamps, apparently the couches were ubiquitous, the chairs... we talked a bit about Soviet nostalgia - of course reminding me of the East Germany nostalgia "Eastalgia" that I'd heard about in Berlin. I'm told that "Soviet times" are discussed semi-regularly... but more often when there are interested foreigners like me visiting haha. It's not as obviously present as E/W Berlin, for example.
It's good to remember that the rejection of Soviet domination isn't a clear-cut thing. Anywhere. So easy to paint a black and white picture from the US. Or to patronizingly assume that it's just Soviet brainwashing speaking. People had work, they were secure in many ways, life was taken care of. An Estonian friend we hung out with had a lot of interesting things to say about the Russian minority. How this can't really be their country, they can't truly express themselves in the public sphere. Language is more tied to the nation here than practically anywhere, I'd be willing to bet. That it was only a country briefly between WWI and WWII.... but before that always dominated, usually by the Russians, means that the constructed nature of the nation is so apparent in recent memory. Enhances the sense of threat from outsiders. There are hardly ANY immigrants here, or visible minorities, but I can imagine that it will be difficult if and when immigrants do come here.
Today I'm going to meet my friend's whole family at an event at her little sister's high school. I'm really excited. And we're going to an Estonian grocery stores... because I'm into that.
No comments:
Post a Comment