So far, my experience as an exchange student at Tallinn University of Technology has been one of the best choices I’ve made in my university career. As someone who is half-Finnish, I have been able to acclimate very well with Estonian culture and language. For example, the numbers are practically the same  apart from the fact that there is only one letter missing in the Estonian number system compared to that of Finland. The program here, Erasmus student network, has given me ample time and opportunity to meet many new people and make many new friends, all of which come from various different countries such as France, the Czech Republic, Singapore and Germany just to name a few. In terms of the local population, Estonians in general are a bit closed off and colder socially at initial stages of introduction, but that changes over time with the more effort that you put in to get to know someone and then they become extremely comfortable with you.

In terms of a significant cultural event, Estonia celebrated its Independence Day very recently. It was accompanied by a March to the old town and a large military parade in the central square. I must also mention the impact of the Ukraine invasion by Putin’s forces, as even though Estonia is a member of NATO, the effects of the events happening in Ukraine have caused mass concern among all European nations, especially former Soviet satellite states. Estonia has seen an influx of military equipment and weapons in order to best support Ukraine without acting as an aggressor towards Russia.