Estonia is a nice country

Tallinn, September 2011

Two years planned turned out to be two months, and I realized I didn't want to continue my studies, so I decided to go to South America and do voluntary work instead of studying further in Estonia. Even though studies are demanding, Estonia is a pleasant country. 

Tallinn, the capital, is sometimes referred to as one of the world's most beautiful cities, and more often, perhaps, as one of the nicest in Europe. It is also very clean, which might not come as a surprise when you consider the size; only approximately 410.000 inhabitants. That still makes it a bigger capital than say Ljubljana, Bratislava or Reykjavik. 

Even though the Soviet Union didn´t wipe away the beautiful old town, it left some grey and "east-defining" apartment buildings. After independence, however, the city gets more and more glass-buildings, placing it firmly nowhere else than in the world. 

Here you can find shopping opportunities that at least beat those in Norway and probably quite many other countries in Europe. Opening hours are generally much longer than in Scandinavia, making it pleasant to be a visitor, or resident, as long as one isn´t working in the supermarket oneself at ten o clock in the evening. 

Lake Peipsi

There is something watery about the country. It has a coastline to the west and north, and the huge Lake Peipsi in the east, almost in the middle of which runs the border with Russia. Somehow that gives the country more of a naturally defined border than say what it shares with Latvia in the south. 

There are reportedly nice beaches on the western coast, but since I prefer lakes, I´d recommend Lake Peipsi, which also has beaches, although of the lake-ish type. 

Part of Tartu seen from one of the Dome Church towers

The landscape is generally soft, quite lacking in rocks, mountains and solidness. Even the ground is not totally solid in a city like Tartu, the second biggest, where I lived, a city home to slightly more than 100.000 people. 

Tartu is also known for being the academic or spiritual capital of Estonia, and the university is quite high on international rankings and still climbing. It is not surprising, from what I've seen. The university expects a lot from its students, at least when compared to other places of learning. 

Also from Tartu

The fact that Estonia is the homeland of Skype finally starts to sink in. That the country is technologically advanced was also remarked upon by Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg after he visited the country earlier this month. NRK, the largest media organization in Norway stated that Estonia has achieved the position as the Baltic States` answer to Silicon Valley. The article in Norwegian language can be found here. 

While other European countries might have something to learn from Estonia in terms of technology, and perhaps also in achieving quick (though, as we saw in 2008; unstable) economic growth, what was most satisfying for me was how unbureacratic the country is, at least when compared to Norway and Lithuania. Things run smoothly. There was never any delay, but on the contrary: things are done ahead of the deadline. The country can therefore deservedly be seen as efficient.

People are generally highly educated, which might perhaps be one of the reasons why the country has so far escaped some of the worst political craziness which is now haunting certain other countries of Europe. There is a patience and calmness about things, which we don't see that much in other places. However, there is something stressful about the desire to be perfect. The fact that Estonia (sometimes beaten by the Czech Republic) is supposed to be the most secularized country in the world, and also understandably sceptical of left-wing political ideology, however can make it quite success-oriented without a counter-acting spiritual breathing space. In the economical aspect it seems to work very well, though.

From Tartu

The unfriendly staff that one can encounter at hotels, restaurants or shops in other countries of the former Soviet Union is largely non-existing in Estonia, at least in the two biggest cities. On the contrary, people are friendly and helpful, even in offices! The most Sovietic-like experience I had was probably with the post service. I had to go to a post office on the outskirts of the town several kilometers from my apartment to pick up some parcels. However, even there people weren´t exactly rude, and that was the only such experience I had during two months. 

Estonia is a nice country. It has beautiful cities and lots of unspoilt nature, and a highly educated populace. I am glad I went there, even if I gave up on my studies. 

On September and chai-ification

It´s September again. September is one of my favourite months. It tends to be a month when things are settled but still exciting. A new semester has started, and summer is over, but you´re not caught up in the darkness of November yet, and waiting for you are colors in abundity.

I am still not in the total mood of September. Moving to another country takes more than staying in the same place. There are contracts to sign, offices to visit, information to gather and things to buy, if you couldn´t bring everything. Having lived in  Tartu, Estonia for one month already, I can say I´m starting to know the place, so in that case September works. The lovely smell of September air can be enjoyed in the evenings and mornings some days.

Writing about things I like about Oslo, early in August, I mentioned, anecdotely, drinking chai latte with soy milk on a bench in front of one of the nicest mosques. Reflecting on globalization, which is a process also exemplified by my own transfer from Norway to Estonia, it definitely makes it easier when one can enjoy the products one is familiar with already. I have to confess I was surprised to find the chai latte, potentially with soy milk, in many places here.

To a Russian or Indian, the word "chai" means simply tea. To a Western person today it has come to be synonymous with Indian chai masala, consisting of black tea, spices (frequently including cardamom) and milk. It is definitely worth noting that in Estonia, a country with so many Russian-speakers, "chai" means "chai masala" in coffee bars. That shows how effective internationalization and standardized marketing work. It can also be seen when one can find a shop selling mostly Indian imports on the third floor of the biggest mall in town, and where one can also buy one´s organic chai masala, produced in India. Globalization today is different than twenty years ago, in that more and more Asian culture is exported to the West, giving American cultural exports some competition. Here, I speak about culture in the high culture and entertainment kind of way, and not mentality. Even though globalization might make the world a more boring place in the long run, because things become more the same, I have to admit it is pleasing to be able to buy the same organic tea here as in other places, or even Norwegian brown cheese - brunost.

Yes, September is starting to work, and things are calming down, but are still interesting. Still - I have to say that doesn´t mean there aren´t lots of things to do. Things are just becoming more clear.

Those black, feathery greetings

It was there again, not really making a sound. Just walking around on the snow and ice, appearently unaffected by the conditions which were scaring the upcloaked pupils, which - lucky for them - could lighten the fear with swearing words. The crows, anyways, were just walking around, slowly, or just standing there, observing, or contemplating the existence of those strange pupils.

The fear was also felt by a 16-year-old girl. She had seen the way the crows were staring, she had heard about talking crows, she had heard about scientific experiments showing that crows are not only able to use tools, but also to make simple ones.

I did not feel fear, I felt relief that day I have in mind, described in the first paragraph. Relief, for the same reason that all animals are a welcome presence. They are perceived as natural just by their existence, and even though we could say that everything which exists is natural - because its existence, obviously, is situated in our world, and cannot really be explained out of it, or out from time - we think that animals or birds have not internalized history. Therefore, we can feel relief. We are not faced by the historically created prejudices which we are faced with when dealing with human beings.

Again, I´ve felt relief later in life, when I´ve seen the crows. Why? They are like porridge - they are universal. They are worldwide. At least almost. They are not supposed to be in South America or Antarctica, but except from that, they can be found in the whole world. When I came to Estonia, I was happy to see my friends here, too. Nicely, I can probably also see them in winter. If you say hi to a certain crow enough times, it might even start greeting you. In a Norwegian kindergarden the workers were worried when they heard childish voices screaming "hello" from a tree. Still, there were no children there. It was just the crows.

I used to see crows in the village where I grew up, along with the seagulls. Still, the crows were better, because they never made noise like the seagulls did. I saw them outside secondary school, even on icy, cold days. They were in Lithuania. They were in Oslo. And they are here in Estonia. They´ve also been meeting me when I´ve travelled in different countries. Almost everyone can recognise that bird. It has also featured in many of the world´s myths and folk beliefs, either in the form of the common crow, or in the form of ravens. Quite frequently, their roles have also been positive. That means the crow is a good international symbol, and a being which - at least for my part - actually eases the feeling of being lost in foreign places, quite simply because the crow is not foreign. Still - that is a truth with modifications: crows in different places might have different knowledge. One example is the way they in Japan have learnt to break things by throwing them on the road, so that the cars can drive over the objects. Dropping them on roadcrossings is convenient, because as soon as the light turns green, the crow can pick up its object again, lets say nut.

Today I saw a crow stretching out its leg. All of a sudden it seemed so long, and so crooked that I understood why crooked things might be named after crow´s legs. In Norwegian it is common to call bad handwriting for crow´s toes, and a certain plant or heather is also named after it. Well - the crow all of a sudden appeared to be standing on something, being taller than usual, like it had put on the high heels for the occasion. It was quite soon standing in its common position again, and laying its head a little bit to the side, seeming to make some conclusion.

It´s easy to understand why crows are perceived to be intelligent. Some research also shows that corvids, crow birds, outperform cats and dogs.

 I don´t know where I´ll move after Tartu, Estonia, but I´m quite sure there will be crows.

Benches and river of Tartu

The benches of Tartu, solidly parked in historical atmosphere, and - at least for the time being - rays of sunlight, are perfect for intellectual conversation. If you furthermore add the fact that Estonia is considered the world´s freest country according to some, you easily feel free to let your thoughts run wherever you want them too, or, if you - like me - sometimes like to focus them in meditation, you´re most welcome.

Tartu is a quite small city, by world standards, although perhaps not by Nordic ones, having a population of approximately 100.000 people (a little bit more). Being most of all a student city, the population is young, and it´s quite easy to get by using English. Even though you can also here find young "gangstas" which are high on themselves, there are less of them than in Oslo or Vilnius, at least if my eyes tell the truth, and this might perhaps be because of education.

When I was first in Estonia in 2007 I was struck by the landscapes. Not the landscapes I saw with my own eyes, but the one I saw on the cover of a history book I bought, for example. This means fields with lonely, big trees I cannot tell the names of. Of course, it is tempting to sit down meditating there. If you add the pleasant weather, the ponds, the river, the sound of the crickets, the birds´ singing and the open spaces, you´d understand what I mean. Luckily, these are the landscapes around Tartu.

The Emajõgi river is a midsized river running through town, and connecting the big lakes Peipsi and Vörtsjärv. When sitting peacefully on a bench by the lazy river you can see the fish jumping. This means that you also can see people fishing. On each side of the river, except from in the city center, there is an abundance of trees. I honestly can´t tell the names, but it looks very nice.

Even though Buddhism isn´t thriving in Estonia, the Dalai Lama just visited Tallinn, and was met by thousands of people. Here in Tartu I could see an exhibition in the public library, which, as I understood, was dedicated to Tibet, Dalai Lama and (Tibetan) Buddhism. I am very glad Estonian politician dare standing up to Chinese pressure. There wouldn´t be any politics if they didn´t have consequences, and good consequences usually follow good intentions. Suppressing freedom of thought out of shortsighted economical gains, will not give good results in the long run.

I´ve been happy these days.

What I like about Oslo

Since I´m soon leaving Oslo and Norway for Estonia, I figured it was time to write a blog entry about the city where I´ve been living for two years now. Although it is not my favourite place on earth, there are definitely things that I really like about Oslo, especially when you compare with other towns or places in Norway.

Central Jam-e-Mosque

Architecturally I especially like the blue mosque in the Grønland district, the Central Jam-e-Mosque World Islamic Mission. Not especially old, it is one of the few new buildings that have enriched Oslo architecturally. Sadly, it is tucked away from the main streets, meaning not that many people sees it. On the other hand, that has given me the possibility to sit in front of it on a bench enjoying a cup of take-away coffee or chai latte with soy milk in the sunshine without too much disturbance. Not all Norwegians are happy with "new" faiths that establish praying houses or religious buildings or centers in Oslo or any other place. However, if there was no freedom to do so, I would like Norway less. Also, architecturally, the beautiful details and color of this mosque adds something to a city lacking any abundity of baroque, details and color. Not far from here is my Buddhist association.

Opera building

I actually also like the new opera building, built with Italian white marble. Although controversial since it´s built with public money, also here I think we must be able to separate between politics and architecture. When thinking about the fact that it´s a modern building, it is actually quite nice. Even though I haven´t spent so much time walking on the roof as I could (you can walk on the roof, that´s part of the point), and the drug addicts and/or homeless lying under the bridge leading to the opera can add sadness to the scenery, I´m glad some modern architecture can appeal to my tastes.

I like the foreign ministry, which should also be known for more details than most other buildings in town. Not so much mentioned as the royal castle, parliament or perhaps the opera house, it is in my opinion way nicer. On the other hand, it stands out because it is different from the rest of the city centre, and might not have stood out in Budapest or Prague.

Trefoldighetskirken

I have my favourite places to eat. When returning to Vilnius, where I lived one year, I try to revisit my favourite restaurants. I think this will also be the case with Oslo. Sadly, lots of the restaurants are branded and do not exactly serve gourmet food. On the other hand, the city is bejewelled with Indian restaurants. Anyone who knows me, will also know how much I appreciate Indian food. My very favourite restaurant though, is the Ethiopian Red Sea Star. I love the food, I love the interior of the restaurant, and the people working there are possibly some of the nicest in the service industry in Oslo. Then there is the cheap Indian Punjab Tandoori on Grønland where they know what dishes I prefer.

Burudvann

Even though the best thing about Oslo is the certain amount of tolerance common to most Western capitals, the second best thing is the proximity to nature. On the picture to the left is Burudvann, my favourite lake near Oslo. Here it is quite easy to catch fish, also bream, which is not common in Norway. There are also lakes accessible by metro or city bus, even though the shores of these are more crowded.

What I think I will not miss about Norway is the fear of receiving hateful comments on blog entries like this one, because I openly confess I find a mosque beautiful.