Haanja

Last week at school was style week. So each day we could dress for a different theme. Olden day, pajama day, cross gender dress, cartoons and office dress. So it was an interesting week seeing all the different outfits students came up with. 

This week at school we have had a lot of practice for out play box performance which was on Thursday evening. Our performance went really well, everyone was in a good mood and excited for the night. The hall was packed. We had gotten together different vampire, zombie and mummy costumes which looked really cool on stage as well as some props like a coffin which stood at the back. We came third overall so it was a good night. 

The 'black nights film festival' began at the beginning of last week, It takes place over two weeks and each day a whole lot of new films are shown. Sunday night after a long day of shopping for winter clothes, Mari, Epp and I went to see the movie ‘Death of a superhero’. Let me just say I really like Estonian cinema so much bigger than the ones in NZ. 

At the moment the shops are filled with Christmas decorations. It seems to be getting warmer though and that’s a bad thing for one simple reason. No snow. We’re hoping the snow will come in time for Christmas, FINGERS CROSSED. I’m now getting busier and busier. Next weekend I have the YFU trip to Helsinki. Most of the exchange students are going and I’m getting more and more excited as it gets closer. 

This weekend I was invited to stay with another exchange student from Belgium, Iris. She lives in Haanja which is right on the other side of Estonia, close to the Latvian border. So early Saturday morning I hoped on a bus and drove two and a half hours to Tartu where I met Iris and another exchange student from Mexico. The three of us went to a science center called ‘Ahhaa’ cool name. There were a lot of cool and interesting things there.

This is at Ahhaa

Later that afternoon Iris and I got on another bus for an hours ride to where she lives in Haanja. She lives in a beautiful big house surrounded by forest, and a lake which the family owns. Arriving at the house we were greeted by their big fluffy dog, Ben, who was quite excited to see they had a visitor. That night we went for a walk through the forest in the dark. Iris’s host dad told us many stories about the soviet union time and what it was like for his father and grandparents.

Iris and her host family

Sunday morning we went for a walk through a bog which has

wooden pathways running just above the water. The water though is hidden by plants but it deep so if you decided to take a step of the wooden boards you would find yourself sinking very quickly. Now that its winter though all the birds are gone. It was strange walking through the bog because everything was completely still. The water, the sky, the trees, even the silence seemed still because there were no birds singing. There was a part where the planks we were walking on were flooded. Iris asked me if my shoes were water proof, “I don’t know but I guess we will find out soon,’ I said . . . well yes as I found out, they were not water proof. We followed the path for a while (me with wet feet now) and it  eventually led to a little ‘bog island’ where to my surprise there was a small wooden cabin. So if you decide you want to spend the night on a little island in the middle of a bog, hey don't worry theres a little house for you to use free of charge. This cabin is for anyone to use and has everything you would need. Beds, chairs, a table, fireplace, a kettle, coffee, some cooking stuff, a book to read, you name it, it was all there. It was such a strange thing to see. Just anyone could decide to stay the night and they would be perfectly safe and warm. There was also a little guests book where you could leave a note. Paging through it Iris and I found that we knew one of the recent visitors. Aiden had been there too at some stage and written in the book. What can I say, Estonia is a small place! 

The path leading through the bog

The little cabin

That night back at the house we had sauna again. My second time since being here. Then Monday morning the family drove me back up to Tallinn where I caught a bus the rest of the way home.

õ ö ü ä

I thought I should start by saying I survived the verivorst. It's not the nicest thing though, the sausage itself looks black and the inside is just brown and mushy. Not exactly the image of 'cutting open the sausage to find red blood pouring out the side' that I had in my head the first time someone spoke about it.  

 Well tt school we have this performance thing called ‘playbox’ where each class gets together some kind of performance imitating a music video. My class has chosen backstreet boys ‘backstreets back’ So on Friday we spent most of the day learning the dance moves and getting everyone parts in the video.

At youth that evening we had a special event called the GLS, Global Leadership Summit. There were a lot of people from other youth groups and Churches who had all come together to our Church. We watched two interviews, one with Marc Kielburger and the other with Bono from U2. It was a really good inspiring night. Everyone left with high spirits and smiling faces. A friend offered to drive me home which I was grateful for because taking the bus at 10 at night by myself is not much fun. I saw on her car that she had a little sign in the window. It was of a white square with a green leaf in the center. I have seen them around and thought it was just some decoration trend that was catching on. I was wrong of course as she explained, the sign had to be in your car window for two years after getting your drivers license. 

She dropped me at home and I waved goodbye and watched the little green leaf drive away.

I would just like to point out now that in my blog I talk a lot about not only the main sites and tourist attractions that I have been to in Estonia. I like to talk about the little things and the day to day life because I’m not just a tourist here. I’m living here and so I share all the other little things too. Anyway continuing . . . 

Spaghetti :)

The weekend was a good one. Saturday was spent filming our ‘cooking show’ for our youth groups talent show which is on this coming Friday. Epp made spaghetti and a chicken sauce which was great because we got to eat it afterwards.

That evening I went to a friends birthday party. She is another exchange student from France and she had a get together at her house. It was cool because there were a few of the other exchange students there too, most of who I haven’t seen since the camp. There were also some of her school friends who were all very nice and interested in all our stories about our exchange year so far. 

We got onto the topic of the Estonian language, some of the exchange students complained about these letters õ ö ü ä, saying they all sound the same and are hard to pronounce. I'm just thankful that my host sisters taught me all those in the very first weeks I was here, so I no longer have that problem.

We all spoke in English, thought I should mention that because the different languages were: Estonian, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German and then the common language, English.

The Estonians were eager to hear all the exchange students speak Estonian so we  had to introduce ourselves in Estonian. We were then all asked the same question we have been asked literally since day one, ‘Why Estonia?’

Sunday was fathers day so we gave my host dad some chocolates and a macaroni man that Mari and I had made. We had porridge mixed with whipped cream for breakfast, surprisingly good, accompanied by waffles and cream. Then after Church we went to my host dads parents for lunch.

After which we went to the theater where we watched the famous Swan Lake ballet. It was a bit cold to be wearing dresses but inside the theater was warm. It was a good show accompanied by a live orchestra. Each time the dancers stood on the tips of their toes though I cringed, the tips of the girls shoes where completely flat and I could just imagine their toes being squished down every time they were stood on. 

Overall the music was great, the performance was amazing and costumes were pretty cool too. They looked like they came straight out of a fairytale book, all bright and colourful and sparkly. The ending of the story however . . . well let’s just say it's not exactly a happy fairytale ending.

Tartu

Well today is Thursday which is the day I have my film lessons at school but our teacher is very busy so the lessons were cancelled for today. So I just had one maths lesson and was then free to go home.All the snow/ice has now melted leaving behind no trace that it was here at all. I am now able to WALK home instead of slide. We are now in November 'the dark month' because there is no snow and it gets dark very early. But more snow is still to come and with it even more cold. On the plus side though along with the snow and cold comes Christmas, which I am very excited about!

Well these past two weeks I have been  getting back into the school routine. Both this week and last week I had tennis again, now leaving home at 5 in complete darkness. Last Wednesday after school I had the film club, this time a friend from school joined me. We edited the stop motion pictures, which Mari and I had sat for over two hours taking. Here is the video but there is a spelling mistake because we were rushing so sorry.

Friday afternoon I met with my younger contact person, Marinn. Each of the exchange students has a younger and an older support or contact person who is there to help with anything. We had some ice cream and just spoke about how things were going. I told her that everything was great and she told me about her time in Switzerland (where she was an exchange student last year)

After that I walked through vanalinn and to youth where someone from America spoke. So yes it was in English being translated to Estonian but the translator was so quick I hardly has time to hear the end of the English sentence. It was a good night but finished later than usual so by the time Epp and I got home it was already 11pm.

This is Toomkirik where the museum is.

The next day was a long day, we were up early and started the two and a half hour drive to Tartu (the second biggest city in Estonia after Tallinn) When we arrived it was raining, but that was ok I was excited to see Tartu. We went to a museum about the university of Tartu. The museum is in Toomkirik, an old Church built in 13th century. After that we visited a planetarium where we were given a show of the planets and constellations in the Northern hemisphere. Finally we went to a toy museum which was filled with, as the name suggests, toys. And a lot of them, all from different times in history and different places in the world. From dolls, teddies, trains and planes to rocking horses, kites and board games. Every thing.

After the toy museum we found a little cozy pizza place to eat and then started the journey back home. 

This is my favorite toy that I saw. It's not the doll in the back round but the little match box with a kitchen and some people cooking on the inside

Sunday morning Epp and I went to Church again. This time arriving early so we stopped for some hot chocolate to warm us up on the cold morning. That afternoon Mari and I had juggling. One of the other exchange students that I met at the beginning of the year (a girl from Germany) was also at the juggling so it was good to see her again.

Again tonight I went to the film club where we were given our next mission. I will update you on that in the future. When I arrived home Epp came to me very excited with an idea for us to do in our youth groups talent show. (Terminals got Talent) Her talent is cooking and mine is making movies so we have decided to make a short 'cooking show'. I will update our progress at a later date.

 

Ok well I have just been informed that tonight I will be trying verivorst. The famous blood sausages that I have heard so much about, all I can say is . . . wish me luck.