LUMI

On Thursday evening Mari and I took a 40 minute bus ride to Kose where we spent three nights staying at her grandmothers house. On the ride there Mari was telling me about some stories about the snow and as she was talking more of the ‘fake’ snow came down again. But more this time. As we drove by the street lights I saw little white flakes flying around.

The next morning I was awakened by her grandmother saying I slept into winter. Looking out my window the first thing I see is the top of a green tree caked in snow. The first snow had come early. Yes REAL snow. It came down during the night and in the morning the ground was covered in about 10cm of snow (Lumi in Estonian) So of course we dressed warmly and went straight out into the lumi. Me clicking away with my camera while Mari patiently waited. I have been in snow once but this was different from what I remembered. It was soft and fluffy and when we walked on it it squeaked against our shoes. After I got over my shock of ‘real’ snow Mari and I made snow angels and a small snowman that looked a bit evil with stick arms and a funny face. In the afternoon we went to the shop to get something for lunch. My first experience walking on the ice covered roads. It was very slippery and my shoes kept sliding so we had to walk quite slowly.

My first looks at snow

Later that day just before dark, Martin (one of Maris younger cousins) came over. This time it was snowing, REAL snowing. The three of us went out in the snow again, throwing snowballs and wondering around the back of the house through the snow.

After dinner, for dessert we had some jelly stuff with whipped cream . . . It tasted strange, still deciding if I liked it or not. By the evening the wind had come in and was blowing the little snow flakes violently making me feel like I was in a snow globe.

Snow angel

Saturday morning I woke up and guess what, even more snow!! Twice as much as the day before. This time though the sun was up and shining and the snow sparkled in the light, so I decided it would be a good day for pictures. The temperature was -9 degrees . . . oh joy. But I have to say that I was too distracted by the sparkling snow to even pay much attention to the cold.

We spent the morning shoveling the snow from the walkway and drive way, after which we found a little hill near a river and slid down crashing safely into the snow at the bottom. That evening we watched Madagascar 2 in Estonian of course, good thing I had seen it before and knew when to laugh.

Sunday morning there was no new snow. We had breakfast, a bit of an Estonian lesson and then were off to Maris cousins house, Asko, for his 16th birthday. They live in a house which they built themselves only a short walk from their grandmothers house. We had to walk slowly though because the roads and paths were still covered in a thin layer of ice. I walked down a little slope but didn’t see the ice so my shoes slipped down the hill. So really we ‘skated’ to their house. After some delicious honey cake, Mari and I had to leave to catch our bus back to Tallinn. And with that came the end of the holidays and our stay in Kose. Which consisted of many firsts for me. The snow, the cold, the ice, the jelly and some new Estonian words and sentences.

A slippery bridge in Kose

Well today it was back to school. A new time table so new subjects. Sitting in class more snow came down outside and I couldn't help thinking that it looked just like a whole lot of little white feathers. A whole lot of white feathers falling down. But the first snow is starting to melt now and there are clumps of icy snow everywhere, it has all been piled up to clear the roads and path ways. Although the snow is melting it was still quite an experience going to school in the snow and because I don’t have snow boots I had to wear my hiking boots so yes I went to school in tramping shoes.