I’ve been residing in Tallinn for a couple months now. There are many elements of the culture here that I am starting to get more accustomed to. For example, I am starting to be able to understand more aspects of the language such as specific words or phrases such as how to conduct a proper grocery store transaction. In terms of other aspects of social culture, I’ve had the aspect of trying many different Estonian foods, a particular one being a sweet named Kohuke, a nougat-type treat invented here that is extremely popular.

I’ve gone on numerous trips around the area with the people I’ve met from the Erasmus Student Network, some particular examples being Stockholm, Lapland, Saaremaa (Estonia’s largest island), as well as other cities in Estonia such as Tartu and Narva, the latter of which being a notable location for sitting right on the border between Estonia and Russia. The whole ESN experience has been absolutely stellar, and I cannot imagine my time here being as enjoyable as it has been if it were not for their incredible organization and efforts made to bring international students together. 

In terms of academics here, I feel that there is a greater sense of self-responsibility in monitoring your own study habits. Final grades here are divided very differently from the American grading system; whereas a COFC final would usually account for about 20% of my grade, it would be usually about 50% here with a paper or other extensive assignment accounting for the other half. It places slightly more pressure on you to study and do well, as a poor performance in one of those will have a significantly larger impact on your final grade. Some classes I have already completed, and some are starting to get to exam periods as well as paper deadlines. I look forward to the time I have left remaining here!