Hostel

This is what I have been waiting to write about for the last few days.  This past weekend was my first time ever staying at a hostel.  I knew that when I got here, if I went traveling, I would not be staying in hotels.  When we got done eating Saturday night, it was around 6 and we had to go check into our hostel. The directions said that it was on sauna street.  When we finally made it there, we couldn't find the hostel.   We walked up and down the street and was about to walk to a different street when this man and woman came riding up on bicycles and asked us was we looking for the hostel. We answered yes and he proceeded to point at a building and say that he was also staying there.  Let me just tell you that this man was not dressed in a three piece suit and carrying a briefcase, so I automatically went into high alert.

We began to climb the spiral staircase that  lead us to a bar.  A rather shaggy looking bar to say the least.  The guy that was on the bike told us that he would get the owner and he would be right back.  By that time, my eyes were as big as saucers and my feet were halfway out the door.  For some reason, my flatmates thought it was hilarious that I was freaking out.  The owner came down and took our information, in which I was skeptical to give up.

To get to our room, we had to climb up a few stairs and pass through what was literally a hole in the wall.  We finally made it to the room, and I think I was the first to lock my stuff in the lockers that were provided.  Was I being overly dramatic? Probably so.  In spite of, my flatmates gave me some wiggle room. For one I am an American (poor excuse) and secondly it was my first time ever staying in a hostel.

Hostels are cheap and therefore, the condition of a hostel is not palace quality. Once I got it through my head that I was getting exactly what I was paying for, It really wasn't that that of a place.  We went out the night to explore and when we came back, the bar that we were staying above was in full swing.  There was a live band and people standing outside of the door.  It was a little noisy but I was so tired from all the activity, that I slept like a baby.

Just a few more pictures

 

 

The owner was very nice, and I enjoyed my stay!!!

Old Tallinn

This is the second time this week that I have gotten up at 9 to be in class at 10:15 and the professor has not shown up.  I don't think an email would be too much to ask for.  Now, I am waiting in the business building for my second class to start.  I could right my essay, or study some Estonian phrases but I am going to tell you about my weekend in Tallinn before I forget it.

Let me just start by saying that if I knew that I would have to climb that huge hill at 7:15am, I probably wouldn't have went.  Of course, exercise never hurt anyone and I need all the exercise I can get but usually when you exercise, you are aware of the torture that you are about to put yourself through.  We had to walk around 30-35 minutes just to get to the train station. One problem that happens when you move in large groups is that it tends to move a lot slower.  We were very close to missing our train and I was not even seated when the train began to move.  My flatmates and friends were all ahead of me so I had to grab a seat closest to me.  That was the most uncomfortable 20 minutes of my life.  As the time started to progress and people got off at various stops, I was able to move and sit with my friends that I made on the way over to Estonia. The train ride took three hours and that was three hours too long.  The seats were  too hard and lets be honest, it wasn't that great of quality.  However when you only pay 5 euros for a three hour trip, you compare that to gas prices and quickly shut your mouth.

Upon arriving, we got out of the train and stretched our bodies.  We then broke off into two groups.  One group was for those who thought ahead and brought food for the travel and the second group was for those that didn't. I was in the second group.  We found a local bakery to eat at before we started our tour of Old Tallinn.  I, not thinking, ask for a donut that was ,50 which seemed to be a good deal.  However when I bit into it, was extremely stale.  I chalked it up to being the way that Estonians make their donuts.  I was telling my friends about it when one of them asked me which part of the counter did I get it from.  She then explained that the pastries on top of the counter was discounted because they were older and need to be sold.  On the bright side, my juice box was amazing.

The  tour was a long one with a lot of information that I forgot as soon as it passed through tour guide's lips.  One thing that I can say was that the tour guide was really excited about his job.  He had a passion about knowing and sharing information about his country.  As long as he was happy, I was happy.

 Due to the fact that we had a late start, we had to skip lunch for the time being and head straight to the Seaplane Harbor Museum.  Again the tour guide was passionate about what she did and she made sure she did occupy our time for too long.  I think if my feet were not yelling profanities and vulgarities at me, I would have gained a lot more information.  At that point though, all I want to do was sit down and have a drink.   When we were finally allowed to roam free, I found my friends and we grabbed a seat and ordered us a cold coke. I do believe that I experienced a taste of heaven.

From there, my flatmates and I took pictures by the Baltic Sea and went out to eat pancakes.  We then went to find our hostel which is a whole other post in itself.  We decided to spend the night in Tallinn so went out to see what the night life was about.  We seen a lady dancing with fire and music group play on a random street.  We finally landed at this Tex-Mex restaurant, and the girls kept asking me did it feel like home.  I've never been to Texas so it really didn't remind me of anything.  We ordered drinks, chips and salsa and made it our resting place for the next hour.

Right below the restaurant was this bar that one of my flatmates really wanted to go to.  It was so sketchy looking that I really didn't want to go, but we had to travel in a group. There was a live band that my flatmates were trying to listen to but once they heard the quality, they were ready to go.  I was just glad that we didn't have to stay there that long. 

The next morning we grabbed some breakfast at the local market and wen up on some platform to eat by the Baltic sea.  The view was so pretty that I could have stayed there for hours but we had shopping to do.  We went to the mall and the only thing that I purchased was a book, and I was more than happy with my findings. 

We made it home around six and though I had a good time, I was ready to lay in my own bed, and spend some quality time with the book that I bought.

first two weeks of school

I decided to write about the first two week of school because for one, I only attended one class the first week.  Before you start running wild with your imagination and think that I am slacking off, let me explain myself. 
I was not allowed to register for classes until I was actually in Estonia. By that time, all of the good classes and times we taken. Sloppy seconds. 

Well, thinking that I would be cool, I decided to take an Estonian language course and a Russian language course.  BIG MISTAKE! In just the first class I could already tell that Russian was not for me and I would be stressed out my entire semester.  Since when has "p" been pronounced as "r"?! Now I am down to just the Estonian course but I least I will only have to worry about one language instead of two.
 I have two classes with one of my flatmate Carolin. It would have been three but I had to drop Russian.  I also have one class with my "American" friend and the rest I have by myself.  Not too bad

I ended up being two hours late and missing my Human Organization class the first week only to be on time the second week, finding out the class was taught in Estonian. It was obvious that I was registered for the wrong class two seconds into the lesson. However, where I was seated, I couldn't just walk out.  It was a four hour course and I was forced to stay there for two hours.  I was so glad that the teacher loved to talk and she spent most of the time doing so. 

I hate to say it but it seemed like the only productive thing that I got done was my laundry, and I struggled with that!

We have washers and dryers available on the ground floor of the lobby.  Each of these coins cost two euros and they are the only coins that the machines take. I figured out that it takes 8 euros for me to wash my clothes. it adds up

it took me the longest time to learn how to use this.  I first walked in to the laundry room like I owned the place, confident.  Then I could open the door to the washer.  I tried everything.  I had to take my laundry all the way to the fourth floor to ask my flatmates for help. They told me I had to press the orange button.  I tried that like twenty times but it was worth trying again.  Again, I walked to the first floor, this time a little embarrassed, and tried to use the washer again.  No luck.  Then with a series of random button pressing, I realized that I had to turn the machine on, and then press the orange button.

The Dyers were simple.  I was a pro by this time

This was the cheapest detergent that I could find.  Estonia carries "Tide," but I could see myself spending extra money for something that is popular. Bonux is the way to go!

The way of life

I have been here almost two weeks now so I apologize if I sounds like a know it all.  I know nothing, but I did want to point out a few things that I noticed since living here.

 We don't tip here.  I'm sure a lot of people would be relieved to hear that but I am so used to tipping that I feel like a horrible person if I don't. This is at a café that we visit often and they put our tickets in this cute little box.  I get excited every time I see it.

If I am not mistaken, Estonia has the second highest rate of HIV/AIDS in Europe (Russia being number one)   This machine is located on the ground floor of our dorm.  Even if someone needed it, I couldn't imagine them purchasing one in the presence of all of their peers.  I have no use for this machine so I don't know how many it gives you but there is a steep cost of three euros... good luck.

 They have milk in a bag.  I couldn't tell you why that is so don't ask.  They do sell milk in the carton but I was so amused by the bag that I bought it instead.  One thing about their milk is that it only last around three or four days so you have to make use of it quickly.  I ended up waiting too late and had to discard it.

 We have to recycle.   In the dorms we have a fee if we do not separate our trash by household waste, paper and plastic.  When you buy drinks in a can, glass bottle or plastic bottle, they charge you a little deposit (three or four cents).  Then when you are done with the bottle, you can return it to the market and they will give you that deposit back.  It's genius if you think about it.

Estonians are in no rush.  If you are in a hurry, you might want to stop in the market and get you a premade sandwich because there is no telling how long you will wait at a "fast food" restaurant.  If you are an impatient person, you may not want to visit here.  The picture above is not from a fast food restaurant but it did take a while for us to receive our food. It was worth the wait though.

There is a lot of outdoor seating for restaurants.  They have more tables outside than they do inside.  I found that off because it gets so cold here in Estonia.  I am anxious to see how the seating arrangement is going to be handled when it is too cold to sit outside and eat and too dangerous for the waiters/waitresses to deliver the food outside.  For right now, the restaurant has heaters under the umbrellas and blankets they let you use.  Enjoy your meal!

Dorm Life

Let it be known that this whole dorm experience is totally new to me.  I have always lived at home with my mom so sharing a living space with 5 girls that I just met is a foreign concept.  Anyway let me start with explaining the layout,  Within one unit, each girl shares the bathroom, toilet, and kitchen.  The kitchen consist of two mini fridges, a stovetop with two burners, cabinets and a sink.  Not much to it.  We are able to cook the basics but there is no oven so baking is out of the window.  I realize there is more than some dorms have so I am grateful.

As soon as you walk in the door to the unit, there are three doors. behind those doors are a bedroom in which two girls occupy.  In the first room, there is an Italian girl and a German girl.  In the second room there is a girl from Germany and Czech Republic. Lastly, there is a French girl and myself. 

I can't help but think that I got extremely lucky with my roommates.  We all get along and we socialize outside of the dorms as well. In Estonia, the drinking age is 18 which means that I am legal to both drink and buy alcohol. That would be great if I actually wanted to do that.  However that is just not the way I have fun so sometimes I come off as the "party pooper."  I am okay with that.

 I am glad that this living arrangement is only going to be for a few months because I don't think that I would be able to do it for a whole year.

How about some pictures!

                                 Okay so that is my closet, sorry about the picture being sideways

  Another picture of my closet but with the doors open.  Unfortunately, it is not this clean anymore;)

                                  The view from my window.  It's not the best but I can live with it!

 I tried to get as much of the room as I could get in this shot.  The purple comforter is mine and on the other side of the closet you can see the second bed.  There is two of everything.  Two beds, two, closets, two desks and two shelves.

I didn't think to turn on the light so the kitchen looks pretty dark.  It is a pretty nice size until there is about ten people crowded in there...and that happens often.

Lastly, there is a picture of our wall.  The paper farthest to the left is list of things bought by each person.  The object of this list was to keep account so at the end of the month, we could pay each other back.  It has already been a week or so and it has failed miserably.  We resulted in putting money in a cup and using that to pay for communal things.  The paper on the top right is a list of our chores.  This keeps one person from always cleaning up and  it divides responsibility among the six of us.  The final paper is a list of every person staying in the dorm.  It has our first and last names, and where we are from.  Believe it or not, our list has went from 6 to nine and it is continually climbing.  We can't help that we are amazing!

If Life is a Highway

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, I was waiting to receive Internet in my room. I have so much I want to talk about that I am having to slow myself down and give my brain some rest. For now, I will discuss my travel in making it to Estonia.

Saturday night (the 24th) I was trying to get everything together so that when we left the next morning, we could just go out the door. Of course nothing ever happens the way you want it to.  I was trying to put all of my essentials in my carry on bag when I realized that I couldn't find the adapter that I bought the day before.  When I say I searched all over the place for that thing... I'm serious. Two hours passed and I still couldn't find that stupid adapter. Then it hit me like an epiphany.  It wouldn't have mattered if I found it or not because it was the wrong adapter.  The one that I purchased only accommodated electronics and such with two prongs.  That would have been great if it wasn't for the fact that the charger for my laptop had three prongs.  By that time I was just irritated and ready to go to bed. 

We all woke up around five thirty just so I could finish packing and everyone else could get dressed. Ray and Taylor made it to my house around 6:45 and while ray stayed to play with the baby, Taylor and I took the girls over to my cousin's house.  After saying goodbye to them, I stopped at Ms. Hood's apartment to say a quick goodbye (she fell asleep on me the night before).  From there we returned to the house, gathered the rest of the crew and headed to Memphis.

 

Fast forward to the Memphis Airport:
  That had to be one of the hardest moments of my life. I had to say goodbye to my best friends, my mother and Anthony. For as long as me and ray have been friends the only time I ever seen her cry was when she was laughing. As we went to hug she broke down and in all honestly, at the moment I questioned everything I was about to do.  Taylor being the man he is, held his composure and my mom was trying her best to keep a straight face.  I'm sure you could imagine the atmosphere.


I'll do you a favor and totally skip the fact that for a drink and chicken wrap at the airport, it cost me thirteen bucks.  I won't mention that I thought I forgot my phone charger at the house and when I found it, I accidentally broke  it. I'm sure  no one wants to read about the fact that I had to run around the airport in Copenhagen to find where to print off my ticket. All that stuff is irreverent anyway.

In Chicago I met three students, and when we made it to Tallinn, we met two others.  So in all, I had to take three airplanes, two taxi, and a bus to get to my final destination.

It was pretty crazy BUT I MADE IT!!!

What happens in Estonia...

If this post sounds familiar, it is because I am writing it again.  In trying to read the blog to my mother, I accidentally deleted it.

Since finding out that I will be studying abroad, I've had to stop and ask myself "Just how am I going to behave?" I have learned that it is easy to do right when there is someone constantly looking my shoulder.  On the other hand, are those same morals and beliefs going to stand when I have no source of accountability. I have seen so many young adults ruin their lives because they wanted to try everything their parents told them not to.  Am I going to stay true to who I am, or be everything I've always wanted to be? After all, no one will know me.

I am no one if I am not myself. How can I encourage others to be who they are and follow their dreams if I can't stay true to who I am?  I would rather someone hate me for who I am than to love me for who I am not.  I refuse to go to a foreign country and go buck wild.  This is an educational opportunity and I do not plan on taking it lightly.  I have too many people rooting for me and holding me up to let them down.

I know that this entry was a little short but hopefully it will be longer in the coming weeks:)