This last week(end) in Estonia was mild and relaxing.
Thursday night my friend Brian (not Willamette Brian, this Brian is from Maryland) and I went to a fabulous bar/club called The Three Monkeys. We walked in the door and some old school hip hop (Jurassic 5 to be precise) was blasting and we knew it was the place for us. We spent the next 3 hours dancing like crazy. The best part was the dance floor area was quite empty. Brian and I were the first to start dancing and eventually we got a crowd of Estonians to join us. It was a great time with even better music. It was so good we went back on Saturday but that night was less enjoyable than the first time...more on that later.
On Friday morning, a group of international students, myself included, decided to travel just outside of Tartu where we spent the day completing a ropes course. This course was quite fascinating to watch - yes, I stayed firmly planted on the ground due to my significant fear of heights. I was luckily not alone, my Dutch friend Wouter stayed on the ground as well. We took photos of everyone climbing over crazy wires and impossible obstacles, not to mention the Tarzan swing into a giant spider's web. Every course ended with a zip line and watching people (try to) land was the highlight of my day. I only saw 3-4 graceful landings...the rest involved lots of mud and laughter. It did rain quite a bit which I'm sure made the course more difficult, did I mention I'm happy I stayed on the ground?
After everyone had their fun up in the air (crazies) we went to a fun little restaurant and had lunch. Unfortunately lunch was a bit rushed as we needed to catch a bus at 3:15pm. My dear friend Alex *today is her 22 birthday* and I had ordered a pancake with jam to share. We did not have time to eat it at the restaurant so we wrapped it in a napkin and took it to go. This may have been the worst, yet also the funniest, decision we could have made. Running to a bus while sharing a sticky pancake is no fun. By the time we reached the bus we were both covered in jam, and I mean COVERED. My coat got the worst of it but has since been washed. When we finally made it to the bus and had purchased our tickets, we realized the bus driver had over booked the bus and we didn't have seats. I sat in the stairwell, right next to the bathroom might I add, with 4 fellow companions. It was about a 45 minute ride so it wasn't too bad. This is why we travel when we're young I guess.
After a shower and a quick nap, a group of us met to go grab dinner and then to go see a movie. Our dinner was a bit late...as in we ended up getting it to go and sprinting to the theater...but we made it to our film on time and got to enjoy a delicious meal in the theatre! It was really a lovely evening.
Saturday was a bit of a mess on my part. A large group of us went out for drinks and I made the mistake of drinking something called a "Lindsey Lohan." Word of advice: NEVER drink anything called "Lindsey Lohan." I'll not go into details but I'm sure everyone can infer what went on the rest of the night. Luckily I've made some wonderful friends who took great care of me.
Sunday was a pajama day. I slept pretty much the whole day (though no hangover - I haven't had one yet since I've been here) and when I wasn't sleeping I was studying Estonian. My studying definitely paid off because I received a ":) tubli" on my test that was returned to me today. (Tubli means good).
As this is a relaxed post, I think I'll talk a little bit about my courses because I haven't really done that yet. I'm enrolled in 7 courses now. All but one are English courses. I have Estonian for beginners on Mondays and Wednesdays 12.15 - 13.45. This is my favorite course because all of my friends are in it and it's just a silly class. None of us can pronounce anything but we try and the professor plays amazing youtube clips every week. My favorite song thus far is Ma Olen Tartu. This means "I am Tartu." I can actually understand some of it which is really cool! Here is the link, definitely look into it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMYnlVFZJvE
The English courses I'm taking are; Scottish Poetry, History of English Literature (Baroque to Romanticism), American Literature, Intro to James Joyce, and Margaret Atwood: Texts and Contexts. Of these courses, I really enjoy Scottish Poetry. My professor is an old Scottish guy - he insists we call him Gordon- and he reads Scottish poetry with a thick accent. He also tells about his life in Scotland and it's really just a great time.
Margaret Atwood is an intense course. We read quite a bit and the discussions are in-depth and thought provoking. This course really reminds me of my work load at Willamette.
I have the same professor for American Lit and James Joyce. She is older and I'm afraid she'll have a stroke in the middle of every class. Her teaching style is quite different than anything I'm used to but I am doing well in the class. Estonians don't really like to speak/share ideas in class so I often find myself monopolizing class discussions. This can be frustrating but luckily it isn't the entire class period. It is fun to take an American Lit class while in Estonia. I've read most if not all of the required reading books/stories but I still get a different perspective.
History of English Lit. is one of the most painful courses I've ever taken. We have a course book with all of the required reading but it's hard to follow. I'm not sure of the author and there are no citations or any kind of foot note/end note that I can find. My favorite sentence thus far is "he was even to accept gifts of woks of art from that Antichrist, the pope." Luckily it's only once a week.
My seventh course, English in South East Asia and the Pacific, is completely online. My professor is actually in Australia which is fun to say. A period of three weeks makes up a module dedicated to some element of English in the pacific. This course will be very beneficial if I do end up teaching in South East Asia because it looks at how different cultures use English. It's really interesting to say the least.
I think that's about it for this blog post. Tonight (as I mentioned above) is my friend Alex's birthday so we're going out for Georgian food (the country not the US state). I have no plans for the weekend yet, which pretty much starts for me Wednesday at 2 pm with the minor exception of class Thursday at 4 pm. Hope everyone is well!

Tallinn and Saaremaa

In my last blog I mentioned I was heading to Tallinn and the to the Island Saaremaa. Well, last weekend I did just that and now I think I'll write about it!
On Friday morning (Sept. 16th) I hopped on a bus to Tallinn. The ride was uneventful aside from the screaming baby in the seat next to me - headphones may just be the best invention ever. I arrived in Tallinn around 2:30 pm which was perfect timing because my buddy Brian Gnerre's plane from Sweden landed in Tallinn at 2:30 pm as well. He jumped on a bus "to somewhere" and I, after staring hopelessly at a map of the city for about 10 minutes, decided to just start walking forward. I'm not exactly sure how these two quasi-strategies were supposed to work but we found each other in less than 5 minutes. I think it's his long hair. It could also be his German friend Benedikt who is thee most impressive navigator I've ever met. Brian and I would probably still be somewhere in Tallinn trying to find our hostel (The Dancing Eesti) if Benedikt had not been around.

After finding each other and the necessary introductions and greetings were over, we walked into the Old Town of Tallinn which is really one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I've included a few photos to give you a taste but I have many more uploaded onto my Facebook if anyone is interested in seeing more. It took us quite a while to find our hostel, even with Benedikt's talent. We asked an old man in an Antik shop and his answer was "Many look but not many find."  This is probably true seeing as there is no sign and the hostel is not on the main street but rather in a back courtyard behind a locked gate. Great hostel though, I'd recommend it to anyone because it's in the perfect location, really cheap and has a bar with even cheaper beer! The staff is also incredibly helpful. The lady who checked us in told us about a live band playing at one of the best venues in Tallinn - conveniently just a 5 minute walk from our hostel. We wandered around for a while and found a small place for lunch. We enjoyed some delicious elk soup for 1 euro as well as some meat pies (the lady working said they were snake and small rodents but the picture showed a cow and a pig). We continued to wander around Old Town taking photos and looking like tourists for a few hours. At some point we ate a fabulous dinner of pancakes. Brian had the savory smoked cheese and ham while I went for the sweet peach and curd. I believe Benedikt had a beer. Did I mention he was German? After dinner we visited Shooters - a shot bar- located directly across the street from our hostel. We visited a few times that night. Can't beat 5 shots for 5 Euro, 10 shots for 7 euro during happy hour. (Disclaimer: these are not straight alcohol shots. They are essentially a mixed drink poured into 5 shot glasses).

After visiting quite a few bars to give Brian and Benedikt a taste of Estonia (aka A. Le Coq and Saku, the two main Estonian beers), we went exploring. Benedikt had a lonely planet book about Estonia - the same one that I have except his is in German. We walked up a hill to one of the best sight seeing spots of Tallinn. On the way to the spot, I couldn't help but gaze at this Russian church for a few minutes. The time of night just added to the splendor of this church. We actually were able to go inside on our tour the next day but, in my opinion, it's much more beautiful at night.
After an interesting experience in a public restroom that was rather space aged but did not flush, we
went to the live music recommended to us by the lovely Hostel clerk. The band wore traditional Estonian clothing and took traditional Estonian folk songs to a new level. I would best describe the band, Zetod, as Gypsy Folk with a hint of Punk. The accordion player was pretty cool, he had a giant fro. During one of their songs they had a pretty hilarious thing called the Wall of Doom. The crowd was very familiar with the tradition. Basically the crowd divides in half and faces each other. During the chorus half of the crowd shuffles forward and then shuffles back. Then the other side does it. I didn't really know what what happening but it was still great fun. Here is a link of one of the songs they played. It's a mild one so don't be afraid to check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwQtOTtrdlo&feature=related
During the concert we met quite a few people. Brian and I sat outside and talked with three local Estonians about quite a bit for maybe half an hour. One of them told me the best pick-up line in Estonian is "I love you" in Estonian. He wrote it down for me but I can't really read his handwriting. He said the second one is "Tere" which is just "Hello"...it hasn't worked on the grocery store clerks or bus drivers so Estonians must be hard to pick-up. Anyway, while Brian and I were outside, Benedikt was inside talking with a really awesome Finnish guy. We ended up going to a small cafe/pub thing with the Finnish guy, Janni, (J = Y sound) and his Estonian girlfriend, Kelly, and her friends. We were there for at least 2 hours. We did lose Brian for about an hour to the toilet but it was still great fun. Maybe not for Brian...in his defense he only fell asleep...so he says. We exchanged contact info with our new friends (they will hopefully come meet me in Tartu at our mutually favorite bar Zavood). Then it was off to bed for all of us, especially Brian.

The next day we woke up around 10:30 - 11:00 and checked out of the hostel at 11:30. We had about 20 minutes before out Yellow Suitcase tour left at 12 so we grabbed some pastries to go. Our city tour was full of information. The tour guide, Ann, was quite upbeat. She had a vast knowledge of the Old Town - one would hope a tour guide would be knowledgeable...but you can only hope sometimes and she gave us a nice tour. This tour wasn't as good as the one in Vilnius, but then again Tallinn doesn't have the Republic of Uzupis (see previous blog if you have no idea what I'm talking about). One thing I would like to point out is Estonia's appreciation for irony. This tower is called "The Virgin Tower" but I bet you can't guess what its purpose was during Medieval times...it was a prison for prostitutes. Ha ha. I love Estonia.
After our tour the three of us made our way for a rental car agency. We were told it was about a half hours walk. After walking for half an hour and not even making it to the halfway mark, we decided to take a bus. The bus dropped us off at a strange industrial hotel spa. We wandered around for 15 minutes searching for the car rental agency. We had no such luck finding it but we did find the Harbor Master's Office (Tallinn is located right on the Baltic Sea). We were able to use the internet and get the phone number. Apparently the office was closed and they had been waiting for us at the creepy hotel. We were able to meet up and get the car and everything was fine. It was more of a hassle but turned out to be well worth the trouble.

Brian and I promptly fell asleep while Benedikt drove us the 1.5 hr drive to Virtsu where we just caught the 7:55pm ferry to the island Muhu. Estonians have the whole ferry deal figured out; delicious buffet and cheap alcohol, comfy chairs, viewing platform. Enough said. Brian did get confused though, he thought we were in Ethiopia for a minute. (This really isn't relevant to anything, I just enjoy teasing Brian about his brief moment of stupidity.) We made it to Muhu (I'm about 99% sure this is where my wonderful Estonian friend Kadri grew up but in case I'm wrong and she reads this I am only putting this "fact" in parenthesis). Muhu is the small island just before the big island of Saaremaa with a nice bridge connecting the two. We drove down to Kuressaare, got lost, called Kadri who saved us by directing us to our quaint, little B&B and that was that. Anyone interested in staying on Saaremaa for a bit should look into this B&B. The owner was an adorable old man who was genuinely interested in his guests. After checking us in, he took down a globe and had us mark our home towns. I was the only one from Montana - go figure.
I decided to stay in and study some Estonian while Brian and Benedikt went out for a couple beers. I know, I know. Study abroad? People actually study? It a difficult concept to grasp.
Breakfast was served promptly at 9 and we were in luck because it was pancake day! We also had tea, fresh juice and mini sandwiches. Like I said, I would recommend this B&B for sure. We checked out and drove down to the castle in Kuressaare. It now serves as what I understand to be some kind of museum however we arrived too early to actually see inside the castle. That was fine with us as we just wanted around and took photos and were watched closely by the castle caretaker. At one point he hopped on a bike and followed us. It was strange but I guess that's his job? After castle viewing we drove over to see a beach...it was high tide and there wasn't much to see so we continued on our way...which was really just driving around and looking at nature.
We drove for a good hour or two around the back roads - we're talking dirt and branches and rocks middle of nowhere back roads. It felt like home! We eventually stumbled upon Europe's largest crater caused by a meteorite (or something like that - I am not a scientist and don't know the proper term.)We wandered around here for a while as it was very peaceful and green. Then to a mini grocery store where we purchased delicious bread, meat and cheese and some Pims (my favorite snack ever! A soft cookie thing with chocolate and jam). We drove around some more looking at the scenery and then we came across the most magical place I've ever been. A small beach with white rocks and clear blue water. We spent a good hour here throwing rocks and climbing the largest one. Lots of laughing and just hanging out. I hope to return here someday, preferably soon because the weather is preparing to suck.

(We had only sun all weekend - pretty awesome.) Sorry the photo I have included is lopsided. It is the best one I have to show the entire area. Like I said, we sat on the big rock for most of the time and just enjoyed our time there. It was really great. Brian walked around in the water and said it wasn't too cold. Probably not a good place for swimming, at least not in September. We finally decided to leave this wonderful rock so we set off again. We drove through country side for what seemed like forever but was probably only half an hour until we came to Saaremaa's largest attraction, windmills! Now, there is a difference between windmills and wind turbines but I can legitimately say that I saw both on this island. Let's go Estonia for wind power! The windmills, however, are the main attraction, as I mentioned above. They were old wooden ones, I have no idea if they actually work but they're pretty cool and lovely to watch. These guys basically concluded our trip and we headed back to the ferry after windmill viewing. After reaching main land Estonia, we drove down to Parnu. This town is famous for its beaches in the summer.

We stopped at a Tex Mex restaurant and ate some burritos. You're probably wondering why Mexican cuisine in Estonia...I don't really have an answer for that because I'm still asking myself the same question. They did have some delicious banana milkshakes though. After eating our fill, and I mean fill, we got back in the car and heading back to Tartu. I was about a three hour drive with a few "detours." We made it to Tartu around 9:30 pm and that concluded the Tallinn/Saaremaa adventure.
Brian and Benedikt stayed in Tartu Sunday and Monday night and got to meet most of my friends here. They should be back in Sweden now and I'm back into the swing of going to classes...well, at least until tomorrow. It's very uncommon to have classes on Fridays in Estonia. The reasoning I've heard is that because Estonia is so small, many students go home on Friday for the weekend. Even if there were classes, students would still leave so most professors don't even bother. I have no complaints about this!
My plans for this weekend are small. On Friday a group of us are going to a ropes course just outside of Tartu. I'm terrified of heights so I may just stay on the ground with my Dutch friend Wouter who is also afraid of heights. The rest of the weekend should be spend reading my many texts for all of my English Lit courses. We'll see how well that plan goes.

Lithuania!

Last weekend, September 9th - 11th, I went to Vilnius, Lithuania with a group of International students. I will try my best to provide an accurate account of all the adventures in this lovely city but I doubt I can do Lithuania justice in this short blog post.
Five thirty am came much too early on Friday morning as we gathered in the lobby on the first floor to make the 5 minute trek (because at 6:00am everything is a trek) to the bus station. A nice coach bus, microwave included, carried us to Riga, Latvia which took about 4 hours, non of which I remember. A quick 10 minute bus transfer in Riga and we were Vilnius bound, with the minor bump of a German shepherd and boarder patrolman entering the bus at the Latvia/Lithuania boarder. I do not recommend 8 hours on a coach bus to anyone.

We arrived in Vilnius around 3 in the afternoon and immediately checked into our hostel. To say this place was a dive is an understatement. Did I mention the name of the hostel was A Hostel? That should have been the first hint. Nine of us stayed in a 10 bedroom cave. The 4 others stayed in an adorable hostel a few blocks away, lucky them. There was absolutely no light in our hostel and the beds where like coffins. Five on top, five on the bottom. I was on the top row, which I realized was a terrible idea AFTER stumbling home in the wee hours of the night with questionable sobriety. I have bruises on my knees from the awkward metal handle/ladders.
After checking into out hostel we went to exchange our Eruos into Litas. The exchange rate is quite favorable, an example being two massive Lithuanian meals, drinks and desert included, was about $12 US dollars. And I thought Estonia was cheap. Our group of 9 met up with other 4 and we went exploring. The most noticeable difference between Estonia and Lithuania is the traffic. Drivers are crazy and do not stop for anyone and the pedestrians are equally as insane. We followed crowds of people quickly walking around buses and cars...the crosswalks were more of a suggestion than anything. We made it our goal of the trip to not be run over. Luckily we achieved that goal as I am sitting in my lovely dorm back in Tartu. After some sight seeing (lost wandering) we found a nice, traditional Lithuanian restaurant. I had a 'Huge Potato Pancake' with sour cream sauce. It was essentially a massive patty of hash-browns. Others ordered dumplings with meat which were delicious as well. We went out to a sports bar after dinner for drinks. For those of you who don't know, Lithuania is OBSESSED with basketball. In the photo above you can see the basketball hoops and balls on the power lines. I have two Lithuanian flatmates and they definitely love their basketball. The sports bar was absolutely packed with fans. Unfortunately Lithuania lost to France but it wasn't the end of the world. I left the bar a bit early and ended up getting completely lost. Luckily Lithuanians are very friendly and helped me get back to my hostel about 1 minute before everyone else arrived...even though they left about a half hour after I did. Oops. I got to see more of the city that way!

The next day we went on thee best tour I've ever had. The tour 'company' is The Yellow Suitcase Tours, they have tours in the capitol cities of all three Baltic States and they are completely free to the public. The tour guide is a local volunteer interested in showing people 'the real' city with many local stops rather than the big touristy options. Our tour guide was a bubbly young girl named Egle and she showed us her favorite parts of Vilnius. If it weren't for her, I would never have discovered the most wonderful place on Earth; The Republic of Uzupis. This small republic is a place of peace. Their flag, a hand with a hole in the middle, represents the need to keep an open mind throughout life. The constitution has 41 articles and can be seen in 8 different languages along one of the walls. One of my favorite articles states "Everyone has the right to die, but this is not an obligation." Another favorite is "Everyone has the right to love and to take care of the cat."

This is the cat. He is fat and happy and he gets quite a lot of attention. I could probably talk about the Repubic of Uzupis for a very long time but I do believe I should move on to the rest of the tour/Lithuania. After spending a while in Uzupis, we walked to a street completely dedicated to Literature. Local artists design bricks that represent famous Lithuanian artists, poets and translators. It was impossible to choice a specific brick I like the most but I've included a photo of the entire street to give a feel for what it looks like.
We finished our tour directly after the street of Literature and went for some delicious Lithuanian food. After a two hour meal, a group of us returned to the hostel to nap and get ready for a night on the town. We first went the town square where we watched Russia play Greece on the big screen. Randomly in the middle of the game, we heard loud chants and something about Georgia. As it turns out, the Georgian National Ballet Allstars were performing - we're talking live band and dancers - in the square. A few of us immediately ran over to enjoy the show and live music. It was so random but I'm so happy I was able to see the performance. I definitely will not forget that one anytime soon.
The show lasted about an hour and then we all went into a club. It was kind of strange and every few minutes foam would start raining down from the ceiling. After getting groped by a Lithuanian guy, I decided it was time to leave. I met up with some of the other students who had decided against the club and we went out for a drink. We then went to bed in our cave and that was the end of Saturday.
Sunday morning consisted of packing/cleaning the hostel and drinking as much coffee as possible because a) we were exhausted and didn't want to miss our bus and b) it was the only thing on the menu we could remotely pronounce. One of the dishes had the words "Free Potato" but when asked, the cashier just glared at us and shook her head. We all tried to spend the last of our litas on bus food and I bought a Lithuanian flag for a car window...now if only I had a car. We boarded the bus and were homeward (Tartu) bound around 2:30 in the afternoon. A 45 minute stop in Riga gave us just enough time to buy an ice cream cone and stretch our legs before another 4 hour bus ride back to Tartu. On the bus I learned that Germans refer to the Big Dipper as a Wagon which made me laugh pretty hard.
I'm meeting so many wonderful people and am so happy to be here in Estonia. It is truly a once in a life time experience and I'm in love with the part of the world. I'm off to Tallinn (Capitol of Estonia) tomorrow to meet a fellow Willamette student and his friend. We'll spend a night there and then a night on one of Estonia's islands and then back to Tartu on Sunday so I can study for my Estonian test. Nägemist!

International Food Festival

This will be a short post about last Thursday night. Every month (so I'm told) an international food festival is held on the fourth floor (my floor) for all international students and also local ones. Basically everyone claims a kitchen (there is one in every apartment) and makes a traditional dish from their country to share with others. The hall, which is rather small, is packed with tons of students pushing through to the next country. My kitchen featured Lithuanian cold beat soup, some German noodles and American "Texas" chili and cornbread.

The chili and cornbread was prepared by myself and three other Americans of whom I've become very fond. Alex(right) is from West Virginia and Steve and Brian (middle) are both from Maryland. There was really no reason for the yellow shirts, I suppose to be 'obnoxiously loud' Americans is what we decided? I'm really having a great time over here!

Photos

This is a small bridge found in a park. The wall of the bridge are actually small chairs and benches. It's so adorable and peaceful.

This is my British friend Mark (for some strange reason I always call him Ben) demonstrating a bench on the really neat bridge.

Pictures of an old Cathedral found in one of the parks.

The Cathedral has an observation tower which provides a look over Tartu.

New room!

It's 10:34 in the lovely Tartu and I'm writing this post from my new dorm room! Yesterday I was able to move onto the international floor and I believe I will be much happier here. All of the girls in my apartment are incredibly welcoming and inviting. My new room is about two times the size of my old one and I'm not afraid to use the kitchen.
In other news, a few nights ago I went to an Estonian Ska concert (Ska Faktor) at Gunpowder, a local brewery. I am a huge fan of Ska music and this band definitely met my expectations. I can't even begin to describe the look of sheer joy on my face when the opening notes to "Ghostbusters" blared through a trumpet. Certainly a night to remember and I hope to see them again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8eWKlDWXHw&feature=player_embedded#! What better way to learn Estonian?
Last night was a night of Karaoke, also at Gunpowder. Every Monday quite a crowd piles into the small space to sing ridiculous (and usually painful) renditions of popular songs. YMCA anyone? The house beer is quite inexpensive and provides the perfect dose of liquid courage to get up on stage and belt Barbie Girl or some Brittney Spears. It's quite a fun, especially with the majority of attendants being loud international students.
There is currently a drama festival taking place in Tartu this week. I am hoping to get into a performance of Antigone (my favorite play) on Wednesday, assuming I can find the tickets.
Yesterday I signed up for a student trip to Russia taking place I believe in November. I hope to go to both Lithuania and Latvia this weekend with a group of friends as the weather is still nice and my homework situation is quite mild.
I've been meaning to add a bit about the cuisine here but can never find a nice transition into writing about food. (That was my terrible transition). Everything here is delicious, especially the milk, cheese and yogurt. Milk comes in a bag! Piim is the Estonian word for milk - I learned that after buying a strange half yogurt half milk combination. The cheese (though I can't read any of the names aside from Gouda) is becoming a staple in my diet. Luckily Co Market, a small grocery store conveniently located next door to Raatuse 22, has almost everything I need. I can get delicious creamy yogurt for about 20 cents. It's fantastic.
I usually eat at home but will go out to lunch/dinner with a friend every so often. The borsch is delicious - which is surprising because, for those of you who don't know me well, I usually detest any kind of soup. I usually order pancakes (which are actually Crepes to Americans) with jam. They're quite tasty as well. The other day I enjoyed a delicious pork/carrot/potato dish in a cream sauce served in a small pot. The pizza here is delicious but also is quite different. I had a peach and blue cheese pizza the other day and it was lovely. Potatoes are also common on pizza which isn't all that surprising because you can find potatoes pretty much everywhere.
I think I'll cut this post a bit short as my new roomie isn't feeling well and I'd like to get out of the room and let her sleep. I'll add a few more photos and I hope to read comments!

 The view from my room is of an apartment building designed to look like a sea shell - or an ice cream cone. It's up for debate but is beautiful none the less.

 All of my courses are in the "Main Building" which is seen here in the back right. Murals similar to this one are found all over the city.











 This is the main square in Tartu. The fountain here is called the 'Kissing Students" and is a popular background for photos.











 Bike racks often spell the street names. Kuuni is near just off of the main square.











 A view of the bridge I cross everyday to get to classes. People (illegally) cross over the top as a challenge.

I can no longer read bumperstickers...

Today is my 10th day in Tartu, Esontia and, unfortunately, the first change I've had to write and I'm sorry to all of those eagerly waiting to hear about my Estonian adventures.
I would like to begin The Beloved Potato with a fact; Tartu is the most wonderful city in the world. The people are beautiful, the food is delicious and well priced and there is the perfect blend of modern and historic buildings.The city is full of artwork - murals, tasteful graffiti, sculptures, and statues are found on almost every street. I will post photos of a few of my favorites. Bikes are incredibly common in Tartu and bike racks often spell the name of the street. (I'll post a picture for clarification).
With that brief introduction, I'd like to share a list of 'first impressions and observations' I drafted while on a bus from Tallinn, the capitol, to Tartu over a week ago.
-The Tallinn airport looks like a dragon's spine. The roof is blue and jagged vents give the illusion of spikes.
-The landscape is open. Fields and trees cover most of the area and the sky is a vast, overcast blanket. -Small houses made of stone and wood are scattered throughout the country side. Most have basketball hopes attached to a wall because it's quite a popular sport in Estonia.
-Everyone drives on the right hand side of the street and the cars are smaller than American cars although I did see about three chevey's in Tallinn.
-Most Estonians are tall, blonde and beautiful. Also quite fashionable. Scarves and skinny jeans are the most common clothing articles as well as colorful sandals.
I could go on about observations but I have class in an hour and would like to (finally) submit a post.
I live in Raatuse 22 (pronounced raa two say) in a dorm room. There are 6 people to an apartment which is made up of 1 bathroom, 1 shower room, 1 kitchen and 3 bedrooms with 2 people per bedroom. The rooms are gray with yellow furniture. I have a desk, bed and closet in my room. My roommate is Yi-Ting from China. Two Russian girls live next door and 2 more Chinese girls are in the 3rd bedroom. I'm on the third floor but have requested to move to the 4th floor with all of the other international students. I hope the request is fulfilled soon before classes get too hectic and the darkness sets in.
I am enrolled in 7 classes, 6 English Literature and 1 Estonian Language for Beginners. All of English courses are in the Main Building (Ulikooli 18-140) which is convenient and easy to find. The earliest course I have is 12.15 on M/T/W. I have no classes on Friday. I really love this city!
I've met many wonderful new friends from all over the world. Quite a few Germans, French, Australian, British, Czech and Polish friends have invited me to visit their home countries. I have also met at least 10 students from the USA, which is still shocking. I live next to two guys from Maryland who are quite fun.
As many of you know, and for those who don't, I turned 21 on August 25th. Quite an irony because the drinking age here is 18. I had a lovely evening with  my friend Kadri (she studied at Willamette as an exchange student 2 years ago) and a few others. The cider here is delicious as well as many local beers brewed in Tartu.
The university has a great international program dedicated to organizing events and keeping students entertained. The most fun of these events thus far has been the pub crawl. Basically all the international students are randomly grouped and sent to 3 different pubs to get completely hammered and meet new people. It's quite an effective strategy as I doubled the number of contacts in my new, cheap, Estonian phone in one night.
A group of international students and myself made a day trip to Lake Peipsi, the 4th largest lake in Europe, last weekend. We took a bus and, naturally, got lost. After walking for about 1/2 an hour we found the beach and had a great time in the water and playing cards. Who knew 'Bull S***' had 5 different versions around the world? After an hour long nap we made our way back to the bus stop and eventually made it back to Tartu. I was/am unfortunately sunburned and looked like a Kenai River guide with the raccoon-eye sunglasses tan. 
I have run out of time but hope to post again soon! Please feel free to comment and share this with anyone who may be interested in visiting Estonia. I highly recommend this country.
I miss everyone but am having a truly wonderful experience.