Ready, Set, Go!

Winter Sunsets in Tartu

Hello Friends!

It has been quite an eventful few months since I found out that I will be studying abroad for my final semester of undergrad. It’s a cool Friday evening here in Tartu as I write to you all from my bedroom. The window is cracked allowing fresh air to circulate and the birds are chirping. The sun will be setting soon causing the sky to blossom into soft pinks, reds and oranges. The winter sunsets are phenomenal here. It’s probably the only thing I actually enjoy about winter besides the holiday season of course.

I know I disappeared a little bit and it has taken me ages to write another blog post so bear with me these next few days/weeks as I try to play catch up. Before I delve into all the things I have been up to in Estonia, let’s go back to this summer. There were so many pieces of the puzzle to get sorted while in the States before I could even think about travelling abroad. I will admit that at the moment it all seemed rather overwhelming, and I was slightly discouraged. However, they say to trust the process for a reason and everything ended up happening the way it was supposed to.

One of the nice things about the ISEP exchange program is that whatever basic benefits I get at my home university gets transferred over to my host university. Meaning that tuition is paid directly to my home university. For my meal plan, I get €200 per month to cover costs for groceries. My housing is also covered, I would just need to pay a deposit. Naturally, the first thing I needed to do after paying my ISEP placement fee was pay my housing deposit.

In a world where online transactions are the norm, I was expecting to pay through an online system. However, that was not the case. I had to do a wire transfer from my bank here in the states to the university housing account in Estonia. At first, I was a little hesitant because I had never done anything like that before. You also hear about online scams all the time. Thankfully, my local bank walked me through the process, and it was seamless. I was slightly worried that the payment wouldn’t go through, but it did. I received my housing confirmation later that week as well. Task one completed.

Outside the Estonian Consulate General office

The next thing on my agenda was to obtain my visa. Since I’m an exchange student, I had to apply for a D-Visa. I hit so many bumps in the road when it came to doing this. First, I had to schedule an appointment at the Consulate General of Estonia office in New York City which was easy enough. Second, I had to fill out an online application with all my information pertaining to my study abroad. I also had to provide a photo for my application.

Now I’m such a planner and super detail orientated. I don’t know if it was nervousness, but there were a few things I overlooked. On the application and on the Consulate General’s official website, the photo size was listed. It was so oddly specific, but I figured that I would just go with it. Well, turns out that the photo size was wrong. The day of my appointment, I had to run to a CVS and obtain a passport size photo for my application. Pro tip: Double check the photo requirements prior to your visa appointment to save yourself from an almost panic attack. The next thing that needed to be adjusted was my travel insurance. I had to purchase two types of insurance, one from ISEP and one from the Estonian government. My ISEP insurance coverage started August 26th, but I would arrive in Estonia on August 20th. That was a doozy trying to figure out and consisted of multiple phone calls and emails.

But in the end, that was also sorted. Now you would think that I had finally crossed my T’s and dotted my I’s. Wrong. My housing dates didn’t match up either. My university housing also started on August 26th. I needed to provide proof of housing for the six days I’d be there prior to my arrival to university housing. About two weeks after my initial appointment, everything was in order.

Both tasks had their own unique set of challengers, but one of the things I admire about myself is how resilient I am. Yes, it was frustrating, and I felt like I was getting nowhere with my visa. However, by breaking it down to small tasks, it was easier to manage. All that was left was to pack. I’m naturally an over packer (you never know when you might need something) and most of my clothes were bulky since I was packing for cold weather. I ended up having an extra checked in bag but I’m glad I did that. The weather has been in the mid-low 50s lately. It might not sound that bad, but when you’re used to 80–90 degree coastal Virginia weather, it’s quite the shock. But more on that, later!