Busy busy busy

Yesterday was the 16^th of June, exactly 10 months in Estonia, only two months left now . . . 

I have decided to make two parts to this blog, a writing part and a picture part. Both telling the same story but I thought I have so many pictures from my past weeks then why not post a lot of them here to tell part of the story. 

I have had an intensive past two weeks as a friend of mine puts it. It all started on Monday the 3^rdof June. My class trip, we finally got to use the money from the balloon popping at the beginning of the year. We decided to go to Lithuania stopping in Latvia on the way. So we met up early Monday morning then drove down through Estonia stopping at the Latvian boarder to stretch our legs and exchange some money to the Latvian Lats. While in Latvia the weather was warm and sunny, we stopped at an old castle for a tour through its many rooms and neatly organized gardens. After the castle trip we were back on the bus and our next stop was in Lithuania, at the hill of crosses. This is a small hill filled with crosses of all different sizes. The most crosses in one place with over 10,000 and more being added regularly, there was a place where you could get your own cross and put in on this hill with all the others. Lithuania is 99% Christian so it wasn't unusual to see most shops or stalls filled with crosses. 

Castle in Latvia

Hill of Crosses in Lithuania 

After driving another few hours we reached our destination, a city called Palanga. Everyone was excited when we finally arrived at our hotel and then headed out to the sea. The area was very clean and green, we walked down a street lined with restaurants, souvenir stalls, bumper cars and other theme park type games. We followed this street which ended at a long white sandy beach. A dock led out over the water and we all rushed to the end of it for pictures. It was even warmer in Lithuania and the sun was glittering on the sea. It was a great end to our first day. 

In Palanga

The next morning we were up early and once again on our now too familiar bus. We went around the area a bit and came to a sea museum where we wondered around and watched a seal show. After some more driving we went to what is called 'witch mountain' This is the mountain where supposedly the witches go up to meet on Halloween each year. We walked up the mountain and although it was called witch mountain it gave quite the opposite feeling. The light green leaves on the trees provided a nice canopy overhead and the trees felt fresh. All through the forest were wood sculptures made by different artists from Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden. So we were following these sculptures, hearing their different meanings and stories from our guide. After our walk we all set out to find places to eat. A group of us found a place by the seaside and had burgers. It was getting colder though, so we were sitting outside wrapped in blankets given to us by the restaurant.

Sea museum

Witch Mountain

Our final event for the day was another walk, this time over large sand dunes and to a top point where we could look out over sea. As I said before it was quite windy so the sand was blowing around and stinging my face. We took a group picture (one of many group pictures) and then went back to our hotel for the night. 

The sand dunes

The morning of our final day we stopped at another museum, this time and amber museum, which was located in the middle of the Palanga botanical gardens. The weather was a bit rainy but even so the gardens were green and fresh as we walked through them. After a walk around the museum and a stop in the little amber shop we were back on our bus for our drive home. We made one last stop in Riga, Latvia for lunch and some free time in a little carnival. On our bus ride home the teacher thanked me for being in their class, gave me some chocolates as well as a whole lot of little letters from my Estonian class mates. It was strange to realize that school was actually over, that it was the last time I would be seeing my school friends. But with that I hugged everyone good bye, remembering what it was like to first meet them all in the beginning, it still felt like I would be going back to school the next day and seeing them all again. But that was just first of many goodbyes.

Amber museum

My goodbye gifts

The next major good bye came this weekend, at our end of year seminar with YFU for all the exchange students. We went back to that very first place we were at when we first arrived in Estonia. This time only for one night though instead of the four like in the beginning. We had a few workshops about saying good bye and preparing to go back home. We got to spend time together with the other exchange students, taking pictures, sharing our thoughts about our last times in Estonia as well as laughing about our newly made memories in this country. The weekend flew by and all to soon we found ourselfs saying good bye. It seems like we had only met at the preperation week a few weeks ago but actually that first week was a year ago . . . So we said our good byes, most of the students will be leaving on the 28^th of June apart from the few exceptions like me who will be leaving a bit later. I'll be at the airport on the 28^th then for one final good bye to my friends from all over the world.

Making a welcome sign for next years exchange students

Going back to the beginning of this week. As I mentioned in my last post Piiplipaevad was held on the 7^th to the 9^th in Rapla, an hours train ride from Tallinn. I spent the three days in a big sports school with my youth group and many many others from all around Estonia. We had morning services and in the evenings were the music concerts. The first day arriving I met a girl from America who is staying in Estonia for two months. Basically all the people I have met at the different churches I have been to were at these Piiplipaevad. Our second day there we went off with our youth groups to nearby areas. My group went to Marjamaa, where we had an event day for the locals, with a band, food and games. That evening was the main concert and altogether from little places we went to, 40 people came back with us to be at the concert. The Sunday started as a joint serivce with the Rapla church. I surprised myself with how much Estonian I understand and translated all the services over the days and all the little speaking in between to English for the American girl. It was actually a lot of fun. Challenging but fun. Sunday afternoon we once again had many people from Rapla who joined us for the concert, after which my host Mom and two out of three sisters were there to pick me up. It was a relaxing few days, getting to meet new people and know some of my other friends better.

Bible days concert

Tuesday of that same week I met with some of the other exchange students and we decided to go to the summer capital or Estonia, Parnu. We met in Parnu late morning, unfortunatly though the weather wasn't that great. We walked around the city for a little then headed straight to the beach as you should in the summer capitol. Only to find the beach basically deserted and coverd by thick grey clouds. “Welcome to the summer captiol” we joked. Making the best of our time there we played a game of mini golf near the beach, then when the rain came down we found a little cafe for some lunch. Then we all headed home our seperate directions.

Estonias summer capital

The next day I was again up early and onto a bus. This time I went with a small group of exchange students to Saaremaa, Estonias biggest island. We arrived in Saaremaa late morning and were greeted with hot sunny weather. Ofcourse coming from Tallinn where it was cloudy and cold we were all wrapped up in jackets. So first stop was to a little shop in the bus station to get some clothes more suited to the weather. We spent the day in Kuressaare, the 'capital'of Saaremaa. There we found a little castle surrounded by a large moat, after which we brought food for the next few days. In the evening we went by a small boat to the little island of Vilsandi where we would be staying for two nights. On the island we found our not so little cottage, surrounded by green meadows filled with tall white flowers and surprisingly a lot of sheep. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun and wondering around the flowery fields. 

The next day after breakfast we decided to go for a hike around the island. We started out through a forest which then led to a small beach, we crossed some water onto another little piece of island and then were walking on stones most of the time. While out there though the clouds rolled in and the rain came down. We thought it best to go home and have some lunch inside. The afternoon was spent playing cards by a warm fire. On our final day we packed up our stuff, went back by boat to Saaremaa where we then spent some time in Kuressaare again before catching a bus back up to Tallinn. It was a great trip, got some good photos and got to spend some time with some great friends.

Kuressaare