I have sat down several times now to write this, and yet every time I have pushed it off because I was excited to write about the adventures I had planned coming up. It has been just about two months since I arrived in Tartu, Estonia and I feel like I have done more in two months than I have in my whole life. Not only have I been taking classes that challenge me at the University of Tartu, but I have made amazing friends and memories.
Tartu is such a unique city; there are elements of quiet, small town life while simultaneously having many places to explore and things to do. I have greatly enjoyed learning my way around Tartu and getting to know the different parts of the city. Additionally, it is only a two hour bus ride to get to the capital of Estonia, Tallinn. Tallinn is a larger city, but still not overwhelming. From Tallinn, one can fly out from the airport to get to another country for the weekend or take a ferry ride to Finland for a day trip. A few friends and I celebrated Estonian Independence day on February 24th and the following day we took the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki and spent the weekend exploring our neighboring country.
From the eleventh to the seventeenth of March, I was fortunate enough to attend the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) Lapland trip. Lapland is the largest and northernmost region of Finland, to describe this in a way that is more fun- we were in the arctic circle! It took about 24 hours to get from Tartu to Saariselkä by bus and ferry rides. On our way there, we stopped at an ice palace where we viewed ice sculptures and snow carvings and a few hours later we made a stop at Santa’s Village (a.k.a. The north pole). During our stay, I was able to participate in many amazing activities including viewing the northern lights, riding in a sleigh pulled by huskies, riding in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, going on a snowshoe trek, and visiting Bugøynes, Norway where we tried traditional fish soup, viewed the fjords, saw wild reindeer, went in a sauna, and jumped into the arctic ocean! This trip was truly life changing and I am so grateful that I was able to do so many things that not many people think of doing when abroad.
After returning from the Lapland trip, I celebrated my twenty-first birthday on March 21. My roommates and some friends surprised me by waking me up as soon as the clock struck midnight with decorations and singing happy birthday with a delicious cake. It was so sweet, I am so happy that I have been able to make such great connections with people here. The University of Tartu has a very large population of exchange/erasmus students and the community is so welcoming and fun. There are always activities being hosted by the ESN and the weekend of my birthday there was a techno party. Since then there have been karaoke and movie nights, and so much more. I don’t think there is ever an opportunity to be bored here as something is always going on.
As of yesterday, I booked four flights for June. I will be heading to Lisbon with my family when classes are over. From Lisbon, I will go to London by myself and attend one of my favorite music artist’s concerts, then head to Vienna. In Vienna I will continue my solo travels and stay in a hostel, as well as make a day trip to Budapest. Then it’s back to Tartu as I will need to pack up my things and make my way back to the U.S..
These trips are still a few months away, so for now one of my roommates and I will go to Stockholm, Sweden for a weekend trip on April 8th. I am greatly enjoying every experience I have had here so far and I can’t wait for what will come next.
