End of May

All around now I see bright yellow võililled (dandelions) riddled over thick, green grass. Our gardens apple trees are blooming with little white and pink flowers. Today is the first of June meaning the first day of Summer! Which means a lot of sun and a lot of colour. Even the night sky doesn't actually lose colour and go black as I'm used to but instead just changes colour, from light blue to dark blue, indicating the few hours of 'dark' from 10pm to 4 or 5 am. Yesterday was Friday. Friday of the last week of the school year. Which means my whole school year in Estonia is over . . . I'm not quite sure how to feel about that. I was warned repeatedly during the year that the time goes quickly but I didn't expect it to just run ahead while I was blinking. And yet that is just what has happened, as quickly as school began, it has now ended. I will still have one last time to say goodbye to my school friends on our school trip to Lithuania next week. It's just so crazy to think that a whole school year has gone by . . . it's done, just like that. 

On the 11^th of May ( a few weekends ago) there was a special event happening in Tallinn, it was Euroopa päev (Europe day). Stalls and booths being set up on vabaduse väiljak (freedom square) where most big events in Tallinn are held. One of the German exchange students managed to get a group of us a tour in the German Embassy as well as the national library. We spent the morning wondering around the different stalls and around oldtown where some of the other embassies (from the European union) were open for people to visit. We got a good view of the city from one of the tall, old buildings where the finish Embassy was (unfortunately I didn't actually have my camera with me so I can't share the view) We eventually arrived at a very modern building in a park that seemed tucked behind the main city. This was the German Embassy where we met a lady who worked there, she told us a lot about how the Embassy works and whats involved in working there as well as

answered all our questions. Just before we were leaving, the Ambassador himself came down to greet us. He heard that someone was from New Zealand, when I said it was me he looked at me, slightly surprised and said 'oh you look normal' Everyone laughed and then he asked about New Zealand and Australia, interested in the two very distant countries. After which we headed off to the national library. A large building standing between the German embassy and the city. We were given a tour of the place, shown around many different rooms, all with different themes. Again I tried translating to the same German girl who came on the trip to Latvia with us just a few weeks ago. This time though my translation 'skills' failed me a bit but I did what I could. After the tour I finished off the day by going to the movies, a nice break from all the walking around.

I've spent the past few weeks helping organize a concert with YFU. This was a concert put on by the exchange students for our host families, school teachers, our support people and friends. After planing and organizing, emailing, calling and a lot of time spent in the YFU office after school, it was time for the show. We were to have two concerts, one in the main city hall in Tartu and the other in an art school in Tallinn. The first concert in Tartu went be well. Everyone was energetic and ready for the show, it was exciting that the day had finally come and things were coming together! Everything ran smoothly, students got to show their talents; singing, dancing, playing various instruments. We even had one student drawing a live portrait as the show was happening. When the show was over most of us headed up to Tallinn. Friday came and a few of us were in the YFU office in the early afternoon before the show in Tallinn doing some final preparations for the concert that evening. As the starting time drew near more students arrived. We got things set up and ready and in no time our second concert was underway. My family came to watch too and it was great to have them there. A video I had made from our Latvia trip was played as well as another one I made with the other students in the film program, this one was about our Narva trip. It was cool to see my movies up on a big screen being playing in front of many people. Overall things went really well, after all the planing the shows seemed to go by so quickly. We all had a good time and I was glad for the opportunity to help organize.

I was given a chocolate and card to say thank you for helping organize the concert

So my last week of school flew by and the first weekend of the summer holidays began. I was in the city again helping with another YFU thing. Today was maailmapäev or world day. Once again in Vabaduse väiljak there were a whole lot of stalls set up, each for different international organizations including YFU. So I spent the day with some of the other exchange students at our stall and walking around the area handing our fliers about YFU and YFU balloons. It was a very hot day so walking around in the sun was tiring. We were aiming for potential host families for next years exchange päevad, Bible days, which is basically a huge Christan music concert which lasts for three days. We were told pretty much how things would run on the day and where we would go, who we would meet, all that sort of thing.

students so we used a whole lot of balloons to attract children, so when the kids came for
balloons we were able to give some information about YFU and being a host family to the parents. It worked well and we were soon out of fliers. After the long day outside, I headed to a church in a nearby area. This evening was talking about an upcoming 'outreach' day which is happening next week. This is happening on the second day of an event called Piibli

I'd like to end by saying head lastepäeva! (happy childrens day)  because believe it or not in Estonia there is a day for children. Like mothers day and fathers day, there is a childrens day too. I woke this morning, headed downstairs to find a big chocolate for all of us 'children' and a sign saying "head lastepäeva". I laughed and thought this is defiantly a tradition I need to introduce to my family in New Zealand!