Where did the snow go?

As my title suggests the snow has officially gone, one week of almost non stop rain washed away every last piece of snow. It seems really strange now after about 7 months of complete whiteness everywhere there is now only the beginning green shoots of spring.

So with the snow melted we did get to go canoeing. We went on Sunday to a national park called Soomaa. We ended up with me, Külliki and Epp in one canoe and Jaak, Piret and Mari in another. It was a very cool experience, we were literally paddling boats through a forest and over roads! This is an anual thing, each year when the snow melts this particular area gets flooded, and there is a small window opportunity to go for a canoe through this flooded park. Last weekend there was snow all around, this weekend was flooded and next weekend the water will all be gone. After our day of canoeing, we went to visit my host moms dad who lives in a village called Võhma, this is in south west town Estonia.  After some cake, berry tea and plenty of talking we were in the car on our way home again, the sun only just starting to go down at 8.30 in the evening . . . I think this is a sure sign of summer! 

The theater

Us girls in my family got to dress up a little, we went to the theater to watch opera, "The prince and the pauper." It was in Estonian of course but had a large screen above the stage translating everything to English too. After this we went to watch another of Maris circus performances, this night was a little different to her usual, it was an 'open stage' so there were plenty of other acts too.
We then wondered around old town taking photos. I noticed the town is now getting ready for the new batch of summer tourists. Cafes have many tables and chairs out especially in the main square, Raekoja pläts, which only a few months ago held the Christmas market and was covered in snow. Many of the old town shops have people dressed in the medieval style and out on the cobble stone streets shouting to draw attention and draw tourists into their shops or restaurants. When I see a group being guided through the streets of old town I can't help but remember my first day walking those same streets, then crowded with many people all speaking different languages. I remember how overwhwelming and exciting it was to see this town which dates back to the 13th century. I had never seen anything like it, we don't have the narrow roads and stone churches will tall spires back in New Zealand. It was a very strange feeling then and now I know these roads, I know the names of the many churches which have stood here for centuries. I know how to get to the main square hidden in the middle of all the buildings and I know where all the little side streets leading away from this square will take me. It will be strange to have to leave this place in 3 and a half months.


I was recently asked to write an article for a travel magazine, so I have been working on that, this will be published in June in Esttravel.

The weekend before last I basically spent the whole weekend at church. Saturday was a mission conference, which ran the whole day, morning to night. It was mostly in Estonian but some English speakers as well coming from Romania, Germany and Brazil. 
Then Sunday morning Epp and I did our usual trip to church, staying behind so Epp can help in the cafe. I was then invited to another small church where I met some new people. Including one Norwegian girl who was in Estonia visiting a friend for a few days. We got talking and I mentioned that my sister is in Norway at the moment, I tell her shes staying in Gjeving and this girl replies very excitedly 'that's my home town!' As it turns out she used to babysit my sisters host siblings when she lived there. I passed this information on to Gypsey who then said she had actually met this girls mother on a number of occasions. What are the odds of me meeting someone in Estonia who is from a tiny town somewhere in Norway, which also happens to be where my sister is spending a year on exchange? How small is the world?!