My term started in MC Estonia from June. I’ve worked more than 4 months, but I have’t been so much time in Estonia…..despite this I had enough time to realize and discover a lot. Expect this post to be a long one.
1. Weather.
Cold, rainy & windy all year!
Sometimes I remember very sunny days, but there were just a few .When I was preparing for transition I asked my predecessor about the weather for the next week and her answer was: “The weather is unpredictable, as usually”. I’ve already convinced myself about this during my trip from the MC apartment to the MC office in the city center, around 30 min by trolleybus. In the same day, on my way to the office, it rained two times and latter the sun appeared
During the summer, in the evening, I always took a jacket or something with me. In June I was wearing a sweater & in October I’m wearing a winter coat :). Yesterday & today the weather was extremely cold and windy, around 3-7 degrees Celsius. I think the weather is very cold for me because I’m born in Crimea :), but I’m trying to adapt.
During rainy days people are usually lazy, so when it rains during the week, the weather is influencing a lot on my mood, emotions and wishes. During November I expect to have daylight around 4 hours a day.
But in the same time I like to obverse how clouds are moving fast, like time.
2. People
They are like the weather
They are very interesting. People usually don’t smile if they don’t know you, but they are very polite. They prefer casual clothes and healthy life style. They create many parties, but “short time” party, till 11p.m. they don’t drink so much, but they have 80% vodka as national drink. I have never seen Estonian people hurrying up. They just enjoy life.
In Estonia live around 70% Estonians, 25% Russians and other ethnicities. You can usually meet Russians in the Eastern part of Estonia and sometimes in Tallinn. In other cities there’s an exception to meet them.
They’re not opened at all. I think it’s a challenge to find friends in Estonia.
Women
On the streets you can always meet blondes.
In Ukraine girls try to be blonde, change the color, in Estonia they like to color their hair brown or dark. They like to feel comfortable and usually don’t like high-heeled shoes. So the local people can see that I’m a foreigner. One more thing which impressed me in the beginning was the fact that they don’t use make up or don’t put so much like Ukrainian or Russian women. The guys don’t like women with a lot of make up.
They’re very independent. They can, by themselves, put together different pieces of furniture, they all the time care about their luggage and they pay for themselves in cafés, they usually don’t ask help from the guys.
After my life in Kiev this didn’t amaze me anymore, but when I’ve came back to Sevastopol, my friends called me “independent women from Europe"
Men
Colder then the weather
In Estonia men are more stylish, many of them wear glasses. Usually they talk slowly and they are quite shy. They would never get to know on streets or other public places, except night clubs. In order to express their feelings, they should be drank. Last night I’ve been again in one of those night clubs. I’ve discovered Estonian guys from new sight “Hot Estonian Guys”, after some glasses of alcohol (beer or cocktails).
Actually I don’t know many Estonian men. Those whom I’ve met already are intelligent and sporty, healthy and modest. From the daily journey with the bus in Tallinn I remember usually Russian people, because they are not polite or they drink.
It’s one of the bad impressions about Russian people. Unfortunately I don’t know any interesting Russian people, I think they live in Estonia as well, but from the streets you remember just horrible things.
3. Estonian life style
Relax, don’t hurry up and enjoy the life.
I’ve never met people who are running on the streets. In the end of the week people prefer to finish their job around 4 or 5 p.m. During the weekends usually people go to the country side, quite often with family or alone; many of them don’t like noisy weekends.
In Tallinn people don’t work so late in the evening like in Kiev, they’re not that creasy.
They like to travel, this is not the richest country in the world, but people enjoy life in every moment.
One more thing which I admire a lot about Estonians it’s the fact that they really care about their health. Despite age, sex or work, people like to run, to skiing, to cycle, to walk or visit a sport club. They prefer just healthy food. If they should choose between fried & boiled potatoes, they will choose the boiled ones, because they are healthier. They also care about concentration degree of Es. They read all the time the composition of products.
Estonians are proud of their country. Despite the political discrepancies and the people differences, especially after the Orange revolution, I understood, in Estonia, what it means to live in a common country, work for yourself and achieve what you want, enjoying life in the same time.
Estonians are really attached to their nationality; you can especially feel it on huge events, festivals or concerts.
4. Country part of Global Internet community.
One of the Estonian economy benefits are for sure strong electronics and telecommunications sectors. You can find every thing in internet and many things you can mange just with your ID card (bank account, bus monthly tickets, report to tax office etc.). Sometimes it’s difficult to change your habits and to start ordering clothes through internet, but it helps to save time as well. Many companies prefer to work through internet. I could order a repairment in internet. The schedule for buses or trolleybuses can easily be found in internet as well.
I see a lot of benefits, but sometime is very strange to register to hairdresser on-line
5. AIESEC
Hmmmmmm
For an international member every new AIESEC country is different. I’m not an exception. I discovered a new AIESEC. The members of AIESEC in Estonia have usually studies at university, work, sport activities and sometimes other hobbies or courses. Like typical Estonian people, they care about life balance. They try to find time for personal life as well.
Maybe AIESEC members are not so strong in the theoretical part, but they are goal oriented for sure. They created a scorecard which is really needed for Estonia, they want to do an impact in the society, but they have a different way.
6. Sea
In Kiev I realized how important is for me to live near the sea, how much I love the sea, the sunset and swimming. But I have swum just in the Black sea. I discover how I don’t like sandy beaches, when you should go around 200 metros if you want to swim. But all coasts in Estonia are sandy beaches, so during summer I’ve swum just 1 time if it can call a swimming
The sunset is very beautiful in the same time.
After all my impressions about life in Estonia I came to the conclusion that I like a lot of things in this country and that this is a significant & unforgettable experience for me.
I like it very much!
