It’s always nice to enjoy your time in a warm place, in a place where you can go swimming in October, and the days are long. Nevertheless, it might appear that a country with a cold climate is still a pleasant spot to be in. Despite not being able to swim in the sea in October, and enjoy long days, Estonia is a good place to live in.
Judith is an exchange student from Germany at Tallinn University. The list of universities where she could have made her exchange studies is long. Although Judith tried to find a warm place, she chose Estonia. Here she found out that cold places are not that cold. “I am very happy that I am here no matter how cold it is,” she says.
“Germany and Estonia are different.”
Many would say that Germans are cold, patient and generally are not open. But, Judith found out that Estonians are colder. “They are not open, you can feel it when you go shopping,” she believes. She points out that the clerks will only talk to you when they need to. It’s not that common in Germany, where when you are trying to find something in a dress shop, an assistant would definitely come over and help you with anything you need. Judith also states that Tallinn University is more open to new ideas and projects than the university in Germany. You can always get the needed support. She likes that Tallinn is a coastal city, since her home town of Bielefeld, doesn’t have access to the sea. Another good aspect is that here you can pay by card almost everywhere. Here she makes a comparison with her hometown (maybe in other parts of Germany the situation is more similar to Estonia). There is one thing in common with Bielefeld - the bread - one of the most important things for her and for Germans.
Naming the three worst things about Tallinn, Judith points out the holes in roads. It becomes a problem when it is raining. The cars don’t slow down while driving by, thus, you can get wet, and it’s a pity. Tallinn might be not the best place for having good nighttime, since, it’s quite difficult to find a place to have a bite at 2 a.m. And there is no third thing on the list. Tallinn is good in all the other aspects.
Naming the three best things, she claims that Tallinn Old Town is due to the small streets and nice cafes, one of the best old towns she has been to. In addition, since Tallinn is located by the sea and it makes your walking more enjoyable. Finally, as for the majority of students, the absence of fee for public transport makes an Erasmus student’s life easier.
Judith says that the biggest frustration for her in Tallinn was the process of being registered as a citizen. “It was tough to find out where to go and what to do, even if I had all the information,” she says. She didn’t really know how to go through the process. For instance, it was unclear for her if she needs an appointment to the police-office before applying or not. An overflow of information confused her at the beginning.
Judith suggested an interesting way that helps being happy in Estonia is Vitamin D. She says that students in Tallinn study a lot, and sometimes forget about their private life. Vitamin D could be the solution. With it, people don’t feel fatigue, and it also supports the immune system. Also, Judith loves Estonian nature, and that’s one of the things that makes her happy here.
In the end, I ask a few traditional blitz questions:
Snow or wind? – Snow
Hot or cold? - Cold
Friday night out vs staying home – Friday night out
Vana Tallinn vs German craft beer – Vana Tallinn
Estonian boyfriend vs German boyfriend – German
How would you name Estonia in three words? – Blue Black White (very original)
What is there in the world that should be for free for everyone? – Judith believes that all our problems come from education. Consequently, education should be for free for everyone.õ
Written by Teymur Mammadov.