New City

July 12 2009

On Sunday we made our voyage from Saaremaa to the beach town of Pärnu. I don’t know why but travel days make me so tired, even though we don’t really do anything but ride on bus for a few hours. Our new hostel is right in the old town so it makes shopping and café-going pretty convenient. Unfortunately, I think I’m pretty much shopped-out. I know, it’s unbelievable that I of all people should no longer be in the mood for shopping but it’s true. I’ve bought so many things, I just don’t know what to do with myself anymore.

After we arrived to Pärnu, we settled into our rooms and Nicole and I went to get some pizza. I ate this Pizza Mexicana which tasted a little strangely. I should have known better than to try eating Mexican food in Europe again. The last time that happened I was pretty disappointed. I suppose most Europeans have never had real Mexican food so I can’t blame them. Anyway, it turned out to be this odd pepperoni pizza with chunks of jalapeños and strange sauce. I was so starving though that it didn’t really matter anymore. After that I decided to be a lazy bum and take a nap. Hopefully I’ll have a bit more motivation to go out and do fun things the rest of this trip.

I like Saunas

June 11 2009

Staying at the Jurna Tourist Farm in Saaremaa is like a nice mini vacation for us this weekend. It’s been so relaxing being out here after all the lectures, museums, and continuous walking everywhere. This morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast and then took off on the bus to go to a castle tour. The castle was a huge 14^{th century, medieval building, which has been pretty much untouched throughout the years. It’s in really great condition because they never had any major battles there. Apparently all the castles in England and such places have been totally rebuilt. It was cool to be inside one that was completely original and unchanged.}

After that we visited a very uneventful and unimpressive windmill place. I’m not sure why we went there. We also visited a small round lake/crater created by a meteor, and a medieval church, which was kind of interesting. Then I went back took a nap, took a sauna, and now I’m relaxing for the rest of the evening. This place is really beautiful and I think I’ll be just a little bit sad to leave it tomorrow. It’s been nice to enjoy nature, and the countryside of Estonia.

To the island!!

June 10 2009

We made our voyage from Tartu to the island of Saaremaa today. It took longer than I expected but I suppose buses just can’t drive that fast. Taking the bus onto the ferry was kind of fun though. It just seemed odd. Along the way I discovered that Estonia looks even more like Michigan than before. They might have a few more birch trees but other than that, it looks like I could be driving anywhere in Michigan or Wisconsin; lots of fields with big patches of mixed forests and some wild flowers along the road here and there. The island of Saaremaa especially looks like the UP. Probably because of the amount of pine trees, narrow roads, and the borders of water. The only thing that really allows you to tell the difference between Estonia and the Midwest is the architecture of the buildings. Europe just seems to have a knack for preserving old buildings, and continuously restoring them to their former glory. Sometimes I wish the States would do that. Instead, once a building starts to look outdated or if the owners have failed to properly maintain it, we just tear it down and put something else up in the latest fashion. Or if we want to remodel the interior, of course it’s furnished with current trends and styles that will also be outdated within 10 years. What happened to the timeless classic styles? I love how you can feel the history in Europe but at the same time they have plenty of modern structures and furnishings mixed in as well. Like cafés that have been cafés for a hundred years and still maintain the beautiful architecture of the building, while at the same time incorporating fresh colors and modern furnishings into the mix of things (but a type of modern that still goes with the classic). But that’s enough of my ranting.

We’re staying at a lovely bed & breakfast in the middle of nowhere here. My parents would absolutely adore this place. The cottages are old with thatched roofs, surrounded by beautiful little shrubs and rose gardens. There are old stone walls separating the adjacent farms from this one, and you have to walk down a cute little tree lined two-track to get back here but not for very long thankfully. I don’t know if my suitcase wheels were made for such terrain. The rooms in the cabins remind me of Saunas; all finished in pine, including the floors and ceilings. I’ve found that our accommodations and the food are getting progressively better as we stay here…I wonder if they did that on purpose? For example, for dinner tonight I had another taste of that Saljanka stew which I was not so fond of the first time. It was so much better here though. Much smaller chunks of the odd things, better spices, and no giant chunks of lemon or pickle! I’m sure they were still in there, just not so noticeably. And I’m pretty sure I’m not just becoming more accustomed to the food. I think it’s actually getting better. I’m also finding that I like each new place better than the last. Tallinn was not my style, Tartu was pretty nice, this island is great (at least for a few days, there’s not a whole lot to do), and it sounds like Pärnu will be even better. I like to be in beautiful places and Tallinn was just not that beautiful. There were so many old cement soviet-style buildings and not enough parks or flowers. I’m kind of a nature lover when it really comes down to it. After being in the chaos of the city, I really love to come back to the country, relax, and enjoy the serenity and peacefulness. It reminds me of home.

Last night in Tartu

July 9 2009

Today went by so quickly. Probably in part because I was able to sleep in until 10 J  Then we had a tour of the Estonian National Museum and then the Estonian National Court which is the highest court in Estonia. The national museum had a lot of examples of the types of housing and clothing (especially clothing) that the Estonians have used throughout the ages. I’d seen a lot of the clothing already at the dance festival but it was kind of neat to see it closer. They have these giant brass broaches that they wore, which are circular, convex, and come to a point. They look like they should be chest protectors of some kind.

The national court was in beautiful building that used to be a hospital. It had great dark woodwork and wood furniture and a nice calming sage green on the walls. So we learned a little about their legal system which sounded quite similar to ours…although I’m not sure I know much about our own to be perfectly honest. Everything is on a much smaller scale though. Today the tour guide was saying that government officials are so accessible because for 50 years, no one was allowed to say anything, so openness is very important in their society now.

Tomorrow we leave for the island of Saaremaa. I guess we’re staying at some kind of tourist resort so that should be interesting. I’m mostly excited to have a break from all of these lectures. It’s not that they aren’t interesting because they are. It’s just that it’s all very tiring for my little brain to take in so much information along with a new environment and language. At this point, we’ve learned so much that I feel like I know more about Estonia than I do about the US or even Michigan. I’ve slowly been picking up some of the language but only the most basic survival words and phrases. It’s fun though.

Now it’s off to the bars and clubs to explore the nightlife of Tartu!

The KGB gives me nausea.

July 8 2009

Today, I took a 5 hour nap. Clearly I’m not quite used to this time difference yet. I mean, I get tired at night and I wake up early but then I’m still tired all day. I think it’s partially because they’ve kept us so busy and partially because I’m burning more calories than I’m taking in I think. Makes for a sleepy Emily.

But besides my full nights sleep in the middle of the day, we had another 3 hour lecture with the same guy. Thankfully he tried to throw in a little more humor today and it was a little bit more interesting. Plus he let us out half hour early! Yay! Today’s lecture was about Baltic-Russian relations, which we’ve kind of been hearing about this whole time. Pretty much, they don’t trust each other. I realize that the whole soviet mess happened only 18 or so years ago but at some point, you have to start moving on. It seems the EU has but the Baltic states are still pretty uneasy about dealing with Russia. One of the problems is that these countries rely almost entirely upon Russia for gas and oil, so obviously they don’t like that but it’s really their only affordable option. However, Russia doesn’t really like to cooperate and do things in a way that makes economic sense so instead of using Estonian ports, they’ll use ports in St. Petersburg, which is actually more expensive…all so they don’t have to deal with each other. I’m not saying Russia is completely trustworthy but it’s not helping anybody to have so much mistrust, and tensions between everyone. They can’t hold onto the past forever.

I found it really interesting that in the Estonian language, there are two different words for “Estonian”. If you’re a “real” Estonian, meaning your family is ethnically Estonian and has been here for hundreds or thousands of years, then you’re called “Eestlane”. If you live in Estonia but do not have Estonian blood (even if you were born here), then you’re called “Eestimaalane”. I guess it’s kind of like the whole African-American or Chinese-American thing but words like that still create so many borders. It’s one thing if you create these borders yourself because you’re proud of your heritage but it seems that these people don’t really have a choice to try to identify with being a real Estonian. To me, the US is such a diverse place, if you live there, you can pretty much call yourself an American and that’s it. I suppose it’s a matter of personal preference for most people though.

After the lecture we had a visit to the KGB museum, which turned out to be completely different from what I had imagined. I thought that we would be looking at fun spy gadgets and what not but no. It turned out to be the old prison and holding area that the KGB and the Nazi’s had both used. It was where they held people after being arrested while awaiting for trial. It was also where many interrogations took place. So basically it was a basement, with a lot of cement rooms, no windows, metal doors, and horribly old stale, stinky air that was hardly breathable. Made me feel kind of nauseated. The displays ended up being about the soviet occupation more than anything. There were pictures of bombings, rallies with forced participation, soviet propaganda etc.. The museum turned out to be a lot less fun than I’d originally thought and quite depressing. It was after this exhausting experience that I took my beautiful nap.

On a side note, my lunch and dinner today consisted of Pringles, bananas, strawberries, and some version of a Little Debbie’s snack cake. I just wasn’t in the mood for the usual pickled meats and potatoes. I saw raw pig’s feet at the market this morning…kind of made me lose my appetite for the rest of the day. 

Bad weather! Go lie down!!

June 7 2009

 

Three-hour lectures are not my cup of tea. Yes, EU enlargement policy and how to get into the EU is all fascinating but not for three hours at a time. Basically this guy went through a little history of the EU, what it does, and how it takes in other countries, along with some of the problems it and it’s members face when becoming part of the EU. Mostly stuff I’d already heard. I tried to pay attention and take notes for the first hour but I have to admit, after that I just started choreographing dances and thinking of new formations in my head…made the time go by a little faster. I’m always interested in Turkey’s situation trying to join the EU though so I did listen a little to that part. I like to describe the EU more as a club than a federation of some sort, or maybe even a gang could be a good description. A bunch of little punks who, alone, are not so tough but combined have lots of power and influence. There are also all kinds of initiation activities you have to go through in order to join and you have to be a certain kind of country that they like or that they think is just like them. Kind of snobbish and cliquey if you ask me. But whatever, I guess it’s not my union.

Anywho, after that thrilling adventure we a walking tour of the city. Although the weather was rather grey, rainy, windy, and cold…it was ok. Tartu is a very beautiful city with lots of green spaces, fountains, parks, and flowers in all the windows of exquisitely preserved 18^th and 19^th century buildings. It’s quite a lot smaller (and cheaper) than Tallinn so it makes for easy walking and shopping. I’ve also had better food here so far but maybe that’s just luck or I’m finally learning how to order things that sound good.

Overall a good day, minus the weather and the lecture…Ok so the tour was alright and that’s about it. But we did get a lot of free time today which is always good. 

I <3 Estonia

June 6 2009

Today started out beautifully with the best breakfast I’ve had here so far. Along with the usual meat, bread, and cheese, there was also granola, yogurt, and fruit!!! It was very satisfactory (finally!).

After breakfast we had a day of interesting lectures and ideas. First, one of the professors of the University of Tartu, Viktor Trasberg, spoke to us about the economic developments in the Baltic region. But first let me start off by saying that this guy was wearing a dollar sign belt buckle…threw me off a little bit in the beginning but he ended up sounding quite knowledgeable. He gave a little bit of history of how it all started, and how’s it grown into what it is today. The Baltic region could be described as the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. These countries include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland, Germany, and sometimes Norway.  These countries have always traded with each other, and now many of them are a part of the EU. Anyway, the most interesting part of this discussion to me was how many of the existing institutions in Estonia from the Soviet Union (education, healthcare, roads, ports, etc.) actually seemed to contribute to liberalized institutions, which in turn helped get them into the EU. Estonia is a great case study of a country that went from communism to capitalism, extremely rapidly (pretty much overnight). They’re an interesting case because it happened quite smoothly and quickly, and they’ve turned into a very stable and fairly successful country. Their economy was one of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, apparently this was because of once-in-a-lifetime conditions that existed after the fall of the Soviet Union. They had cheap resources, a favorable global environment, a loan based economy, and the EU was purposefully enlarging. All of these things helped Estonia merge into Western Europe and become a capitalist nation. This rapid growth has caused problems though. For instance, too much was invested in certain sectors (such as real estate), the resources went to less productive sectors, and because there was so much domestic dependence, there is a huge decrease in international competitiveness.

The next lecture we had really complimented this. It was given by one of the most distinguished social scientists in Estonia, Marju Lauristin. She talked about the social challenges that Estonia has had to face since regaining independence. Because Estonians were so used to having everything taken care of by the USSR, and the government being completely run by the USSR, they had to start everything over from scratch. All they had were some ideas of how the Finnish and the Soviets ran their governments pretty much. They had to create an entirely new budget for example. They had to figure out how to tax people, how to set up social services, and most importantly, how to pay for all of it. The Soviets had a huge amount of resources but Estonia is such a small country that they simply cannot take care of the people like they were before. Pensions were decreased, and healthcare was set at 13% of taxes which apparently only covers about 60-65% of the costs. You have to remember that these people were used to having healthcare at no cost, and pensions were set at 70-80% of the previous salary during the Soviet occupation. But it seems to me that Estonians are extremely hard workers and they’re willing to do whatever they need to in order to keep this an independent and free country.

What really strikes me is how responsive this government is. Of course they are currently in a depression because of the economic situation across the world, with the 3^rd highest ranking for unemployment in the EU. They are however, already developing ideas and so many strategies to overcome their problems. It seems like they notice so quickly when something has gone wrong, and then everybody works together to fix it. It simply amazes me how quickly things get done! All of these successes and problems and solutions have come about in the last 19 years, and yet they’re already fixing so many problems that have hardly begun. For example, their population is decreasing and since they’re already a very small country, this is a problem. So the government is fixing it, just like that. They’ve set up a new policy that lets one parent take 1.5 years of leave with full pay (up to a certain amount but it sounds like most people get full pay). So already they’ve increased the birth rate by 25% or something. The response time here is just amazing. I suppose it’s probably because it’s so small. You see a problem more quickly that way and it doesn’t take as long for a solution to take effect. I mean, of course this country has a lot of kinks to work out still, especially through this economic crisis but for how new they are, I am just so impressed by the way things are run. I think the young people are really the key to the future success of this country. They’re so open to change and new ideas, and it seems they’re also more accepting of minorities and ready to leave the past behind. Really there are a lot of similarities to the US in terms of social and economic problems. It’s just really fascinating to see it on a smaller scale, and to see that there are possible solutions to these problems.