After five amazing months, I’m back at home in Charleston with my family. As I get back into the groove of my life at home, I find myself reflecting on the incredible experiences I had and the memories I made while abroad. Friends and family members ask me about what it was like to live abroad, the people I met, and the things I did; I often find myself at…
Well, it’s a very bittersweet feeling to say that my time in Tallinn has come to a close. While I am excited to return home and see my friends and family in Charleston, I am also upset to leave behind all the wonderful people I connected with during my study abroad. I have truly made some connections here that I believe will last as well as getting the opportunity to…
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…
Just a few weeks ago, we were still dealing with the end of winter weather here in Estonia. However, now in mid-May spring is finally here! Spring in Estonia is absolutely gorgeous, the temperature has been between 50-60 degrees, the flowers and trees are blooming, and we no longer need to wear our winter jackets or boots. Last week, I visited the University of Tartu’s botanical gardens. I was so…
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…
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…
Sophia Stoios is a senior honors student at the College majoring in Political Science and International Studies with a European Concentration and minoring in Economics. She studied abroad in Spring 2019 with our exchange program at the University of Tartu, in Estonia. After coming back from Tartu, Sophia joined the CIE team as one of our peer advisors for three semesters. She is currently interning with the non-profit, Ibu Foundation, that helps to…
