Tartu: Home Sweet Home
Tartu Town Hall Square
It is now the end of Week 6 of the semester and fall is in full swing here in Tartu. I’ve been busy exploring the city, hanging out with new friends, and attending classes. Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia. Its nickname is “The City of Good Thoughts” because it was here that the cultural aspects of Estonia really grew. Arriving in late August, I could feel a significant temperature difference, however the weather was still sunny. (Not really looking forward to those dark and dreary days that are lurking right around the corner.)
Tartu is also a very medieval city and remnants of its rich history are evident in building structures and ruins. I also arrived before the official start of the semester, so I found the city to be very quiet and charming. Summer was coming to an end. There was a feeling of anticipation, excitement, and calmness in the air. I quickly learned that the lifestyle is very different here compared to the United States.
Tartu has many scenic neighborhoods, parks and architecture
Everything is done in a slow, relaxed manner. There really isn’t a rush to get things done. For example, meals seem to be a time where you can sit down and actually enjoy it. It takes waiters/waitresses a few minutes to come up to give you a menu. At first, I found it kind of off putting since I had to wait ten or so minutes for someone to assist me. In the United States, there’s a huge sense of urgency. Most restaurants hand you the menu and gather your order as soon as possible. They’re more interested in keeping the restaurant busy and moving. I didn’t get that same sense here; you could spend hours in place, and they won’t kick you out.
There also seems to be a distinctive balance between work and play. It’s most probably an American thing to work around the clock, but people are really dead set about not replying to emails right away and definitely not on the weekend. It took some time to get used to that especially when trying to reach my professors and study abroad coordinators, but in the end, everything worked out.
Another thing that really struck me as different was the way the academic year was structured. The first day of the fall semester was August 30th. It was also the first day that I could register for classes. Furthermore, even though it was the first week of the semester, most of my classes didn’t start until the following week. It threw me off so hard. I’m used to planning my courses out in way in advance, hitting the ground running and having a full day of class and work. Now my schedule is so light. I’m taking five courses all relating to international studies/political science. All my classes meet once a week, except my Friday class. We meet every other week. The assignments are also very minimum. Most of my classes I have either a group presentation, a paper, or short written reviews to complete. On the one hand, I’m happy that I have a light workload. On the other hand, since I don’t have a lot of assignments, they are weighted very heavily. For example, in my Essentials of Biopolitics class, the group presentation is worth 50% of my final grade and my final paper is worth the other 50%.
The international student community here is so vibrant and friendly. I’ve been meeting people from across the globe, and it’s been interesting so far. For example, in my U.S. Foreign Policy class every single one of us is from a different place. There’s a girl from Kazakhstan, someone from England, another person from Italy and yet another from Ukraine. I’ve made friends with people from Turkey, Belarus, Slovenia, and Finland as well.
Friends from Finland, Turkey and Belarus
I was very hesitant travelling to Eastern Europe alone as a minority woman because of all the political and cultural stuff that’s been happening lately. But so far, I haven’t encountered any sort of racism or discrimination. Honestly, I think not looking like a stereotypical American (blonde hair, blue eyes) has been an advantage. For example, when my dad and I were eating at restaurants, naturally the host/hostess asked us where we were from. One time we said America and the hostess sort of just shrugged it off, like ah okay. But one time we told the host that we were from India and their eyes immediately went wide and they seemed excited. It was kinda funny to see that. Another reaction that I get when I tell people I’m from the States is “Wow that’s really far.”
Connecting with the locals, on the other hand, has been a little difficult. Estonians by nature are very reserved and tend to keep to their own. They take some time to warm up to foreigners which is understandable. I’m currently enrolled in an Estonian cultural program so that’s been a great way to explore the city, gain insight to the culture and connect with other foreigners. I think there’s a possibility to connect with the locals as well, but I’ll keep y’all updated on that.
Overall, my time in Tartu (and Estonia in general) has been very nice. I’ve visited so many museums which I’ll tell y’all about in a different post, an Estonian manor house, and have been enjoying the nature. I’ve also been able to attend an Estonian ballet which was so unique and beautiful. My future plans include exploring the quaint towns surrounding Tartu, a solo trip to Tallinn, and possibly weekend trips to the neighboring countries of Latvia and Lithuania.
