It took about two weeks, but I think classes are finally starting to get off the ground for me. Apparently it's common at Tartu University to not hold the first class meeting of the semester. Not for every class of course, but during the first week of this semester I only had one full class out of five if that tells you anything. The university structure here, while holding many similarities, is also very different from UNCG. At home I am used to many reminder e-mails or RA's to post reminders on the hall, but here you are entirely responsible for your own course registration, and anything else you need to sign up or apply for. I feel that I've stumbled through most of it these first weeks, but the learning experience has certainly made me more independent and capable I think.
The classes themselves are also different. Usually each class only meets once a week for one and a half hours. All of my classes this semester are very small, ranging from 6 to 20 students. I'm not sure if this is because my classes are in English and perhaps there are larger lectures for the Estonian students, or if this is the common for every class. During each class period, the professor lectures for the entire time. At home if a professor gets through the material they had planned before the assigned class time is through, they will dismiss the class early. Here, however, it is rare that the professor finishes early, and if they do, they continue on to next week's subject to fill up the time. There is nearly no outside work compared to what I am used to. It is common for a class to have weekly readings to accompany the lecture, and a course may require several papers, but there are no weekly reading quizzes, in fact, there are really no quizzes or tests at all. For the most part, only writing assignments to show what knowledge you've gained.
I am enjoying learning so much about other countries from the other international students here. Just the other night while several people were gathered in our kitchen just hanging out, the subject landed on the current situation with EU expansion and Turkey. It's common to find ourselves comparing cultures, dialects, languages, and all sorts of things about our homes on a daily bases.
The weather has continued to be cold here, although it's been sunny and a little warmer today. For the past two days we've seen nothing but snow falling outside our window. I love all of the snow though, because growing up in North Carolina this kind of weather is truly few and far between. We've already found a great sledding spot, and reclaimed childhood making a sport of it. Along with snowball fights of course. Despite all of the winter fun, I am eagerly looking forward to the famous Estonian spring.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
24hours
The first twenty four hours of my trip were incredible.
First of all, I had never been out of the states before. Second, I had never even been on a plane before. So there I was in Charlotte, at the airport, by myself, with no clue of where to go or what to do. I must have asked fifty questions to twenty different people all in under thirty five minutes. I was terrified and ecstatic all at the same time.
Once I was on the plane and we had taken off, my nerves began to settle down. I was on my way to Poland, there was no turning back now. The flight was quite long (about 9 hours) but it wasn't too bad. I touched down in Munich around 8:30 am and waited for my next flight to Wroclaw.
After arriving in Wroclaw, I boarded a van with several other students. Two from Turkey, one from Scotland, and Danielle and myself from North Carolina. I was in the back seat next to the luggage, and though I was being crushed by it, it made for interesting conversation.
We all ventured out to the grocery store after being assigned to our rooms, and we cooked dinner for ourselves. We understood nothing that was written on the box, so we mostly just identified food by what it looked like. After dinner, we ventured out to the mall for internet access to announce our safe arrival to everyone at home. We then returned to the dorms to get some sleep.
Overall, I think I'm in for an excellent stay.....
Friday, February 13, 2009
What does Erasmus mean?
"Wow, it's not that cold."
"Frankfurt's ariport was a lot easier to navigate than I thought it would be."
"These Polish students are really nice and speak really good english."
"I hope Mandy doesn't die by avalanche of suitcases."
These were the first thoughts I had when I stepped onto Wroclaw's runway. The first twenty four hours were pretty awesome. I was thrown into a room with new people but we were all in the same situation so we bonded instantly. I love it when this characteristic comes out in human nature.:-)
I thought it was weird that the dorm doesn't have wireless internet and that my laptop has to be plugged in to access the internet. I had to go down to the food court in the mall about two blocks away to get onto the wireless there. I realized that I needed to talk to my credit card company, view my bank statement, pay a bill, and that I really don't want to do that over a mall's wireless internet. So I've come to love being plugged up so long as it keeps hackers away from my important passwords and information.
The afternoon consisted of doing errands, filling out forms, and finding dinner. I fell asleep at 10pm.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I like it here a little more every day
The funniest thing happened yesterday. It was such a small thing, but it still makes me smile to think of it. There is a bakery in the town square that I had passed several times and a friend had recommended to me. After visiting the International Student Office and library that morning, I still had quite some time before my class began, so I thought I would visit the bakery to kill some time. After finally deciding which dessert looked absolutely the most delicious, I noticed one of the young workers standing behind the register with a slightly frustrated look. When I looked down I couldn't help but let out a laugh. There on the counter top laid piles of small coins being sorted by a small bundled-up boy. With his tongue sticking out to the side of his mouth in concentration, he preciously counted his meager treasure. By the time I had found a table and eaten half of my pastry, the little boy was finally successful in his endeavor and marched victoriously out the door with a bag of chocolate cookies in tow.
As I sat and observed the people coming and going through the antique bakery door, I couldn't help but think that my view perfectly described Tartu in a nutshell: Through the window I could see snow, trees, cars passing, and people walking on cobblestone streets. Inside I sat at a table charmingly adorned with a floral red Christmas clothe and a small basket of flowers. I listened to the sounds of the kitchen, watched a worker cleaned off tables briskly and thoroughly, and all the while these melodies played to the rhythm of a woman typing on her wireless laptop at a nearby table.
I am amazed and delighted at how this town has managed to advance at a furious rate in technology, yet still hold firmly to the old charm from which it has come.
As I sat and observed the people coming and going through the antique bakery door, I couldn't help but think that my view perfectly described Tartu in a nutshell: Through the window I could see snow, trees, cars passing, and people walking on cobblestone streets. Inside I sat at a table charmingly adorned with a floral red Christmas clothe and a small basket of flowers. I listened to the sounds of the kitchen, watched a worker cleaned off tables briskly and thoroughly, and all the while these melodies played to the rhythm of a woman typing on her wireless laptop at a nearby table.
I am amazed and delighted at how this town has managed to advance at a furious rate in technology, yet still hold firmly to the old charm from which it has come.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Narnia
First of all, I'm sorry it has taken me this long to post. Although Estonia is regaled for its Internet, I did not efficiently get Internet in my room until just today.
I arrived in Tartu this past Tuesday afternoon. The first impression of Tartu that I was able to take in was the 2.5 hour bus ride from the airport in Tallinn, the capital. I was exhausted from the trip and fell asleep shortly after the bus left the station. When I woke up a little later and looked out the window, I felt as if I had woken up on a train to Narnia. I saw crystal white snow for miles, tall evergreens, and charming small farm houses. I was quite relieved, because I had been prepared to arrive to a dark, wet, cold city. I had also been told in advance to expect Estonians to keep to themselves. Although an American may perceive them as rude or unfriendly, this is simply just "the Estonian way". They are quiet people, but extremely kind and helpful when initiated to.
Finding dinner the first night was interesting. The food here is quite different. I do not know how to explain it, accept that although many things are similar, they are just different. Everything seems to be in smaller portions, and glass bottles are quite as common as plastic ones.
I have enjoyed very much meeting so many students from so many different countries. My roommate is from Spain, and my 3 other flatmates are from the U.S., Paris, and Georgia. I love to talk to others about their culture in relation to mine and to Estonia. I have learned so much already just from these informal conversations.
Classes and registration begins tomorrow, so I will have more to say about academics soon.
Bye for now
Leigha
I arrived in Tartu this past Tuesday afternoon. The first impression of Tartu that I was able to take in was the 2.5 hour bus ride from the airport in Tallinn, the capital. I was exhausted from the trip and fell asleep shortly after the bus left the station. When I woke up a little later and looked out the window, I felt as if I had woken up on a train to Narnia. I saw crystal white snow for miles, tall evergreens, and charming small farm houses. I was quite relieved, because I had been prepared to arrive to a dark, wet, cold city. I had also been told in advance to expect Estonians to keep to themselves. Although an American may perceive them as rude or unfriendly, this is simply just "the Estonian way". They are quiet people, but extremely kind and helpful when initiated to.
Finding dinner the first night was interesting. The food here is quite different. I do not know how to explain it, accept that although many things are similar, they are just different. Everything seems to be in smaller portions, and glass bottles are quite as common as plastic ones.
I have enjoyed very much meeting so many students from so many different countries. My roommate is from Spain, and my 3 other flatmates are from the U.S., Paris, and Georgia. I love to talk to others about their culture in relation to mine and to Estonia. I have learned so much already just from these informal conversations.
Classes and registration begins tomorrow, so I will have more to say about academics soon.
Bye for now
Leigha
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Oops!
Well, I have been living here for the past five days, but had no reliable internet access. In which case, I will pretend I arrived today.
When we, Leigha, Kaylee, and I, tried to find what bus to take us to Tartu from the airport I found out that people did not/would not speak as much English as I thought they would. Of course, I could not fathom the Estonian accent in my imagination, but to some degree I thought it would be like living in Wales, where people know both English and Welsh fairly well.
The Estonian cities themselves were not what I had anticipated either. From the pictures I have seen, which were of the statue "Kissing Students" and old Tallinn, I was surprised to see the different styles of architecture. On one street, a person could see a house composed of wooden planks in a decorative design, a brightly coloured stucco house, and a "Soviet" building.
That's most of my first impressions, I suppose, I will post later.
Tootles.
When we, Leigha, Kaylee, and I, tried to find what bus to take us to Tartu from the airport I found out that people did not/would not speak as much English as I thought they would. Of course, I could not fathom the Estonian accent in my imagination, but to some degree I thought it would be like living in Wales, where people know both English and Welsh fairly well.
The Estonian cities themselves were not what I had anticipated either. From the pictures I have seen, which were of the statue "Kissing Students" and old Tallinn, I was surprised to see the different styles of architecture. On one street, a person could see a house composed of wooden planks in a decorative design, a brightly coloured stucco house, and a "Soviet" building.
That's most of my first impressions, I suppose, I will post later.
Tootles.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Your Course HSS 315
Sorry to have delayed getting this to you...your course work this semester will consist of posting to this blog. As I said, I would like for you to post on your observations of the first 24 hours...when you visit your UNCG pals in Estonia or Poland, keep a record of that "first impression" too. The rest is up to you. There are some suggestions below!
HONORS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE:
A Study Abroad Program in Estonia, Poland, and Russia
HSS 315
Kathleen Ahern 2009
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ON BLOGGING
Weekly Reports
Once a week you will be expected to write a brief blog on some aspect of life in the city or country in which you are currently staying. The first blog should be written within 24 hours of arrival either in Tartu or Wroclaw. This first blog should simply be your first impressions of the place. Among the things to think about are the following: to what extent is the place what you expected (does it relate to the readings you did prior to arrival?); how you feel about being there; expectations; concerns; excitement.
Every other weekly blog is more under your control; we simply require that you write about one or other aspect of your experience on a weekly basis. The following is simply a list of possible topics. Some of them can be about the sorts of things that you might typically do.
Visit to a local market (equivalent of a farmers’ market in Greensboro)
In a supermarket
Food and drink
Trying to buy [sausages] without yet knowing any of the language
Evening life
The university
Impressions of the students and the classes
A day in my life
Comparison with a typical day in my life in Greensboro
Other topics focus more on your thoughts about life in this society, and the changes (or lack of changes) over the past decade or so.
Life outside the city
Inside someone’s home
What’s life like for children?
What’s life like for students?
What’s life like for the elderly?
The past is still present (continuing impact of “state socialism”)
Things that are just like home
Unbridled capitalism?
Who visits museums, and what do they see?
You don’t need to restrict yourself to these particular suggestions, but the idea is that on a weekly basis you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on the realities of life in this city.
After you’ve visited the “other” city (those of you from Tartu have been to Wroclaw, and vice versa) you’ll have three cities to compare—these two plus Saint Petersburg. Your later blogs should include a comparison of what you’ve seen in the three places.
HONORS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE:
A Study Abroad Program in Estonia, Poland, and Russia
HSS 315
Kathleen Ahern 2009
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ON BLOGGING
Weekly Reports
Once a week you will be expected to write a brief blog on some aspect of life in the city or country in which you are currently staying. The first blog should be written within 24 hours of arrival either in Tartu or Wroclaw. This first blog should simply be your first impressions of the place. Among the things to think about are the following: to what extent is the place what you expected (does it relate to the readings you did prior to arrival?); how you feel about being there; expectations; concerns; excitement.
Every other weekly blog is more under your control; we simply require that you write about one or other aspect of your experience on a weekly basis. The following is simply a list of possible topics. Some of them can be about the sorts of things that you might typically do.
Visit to a local market (equivalent of a farmers’ market in Greensboro)
In a supermarket
Food and drink
Trying to buy [sausages] without yet knowing any of the language
Evening life
The university
Impressions of the students and the classes
A day in my life
Comparison with a typical day in my life in Greensboro
Other topics focus more on your thoughts about life in this society, and the changes (or lack of changes) over the past decade or so.
Life outside the city
Inside someone’s home
What’s life like for children?
What’s life like for students?
What’s life like for the elderly?
The past is still present (continuing impact of “state socialism”)
Things that are just like home
Unbridled capitalism?
Who visits museums, and what do they see?
You don’t need to restrict yourself to these particular suggestions, but the idea is that on a weekly basis you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on the realities of life in this city.
After you’ve visited the “other” city (those of you from Tartu have been to Wroclaw, and vice versa) you’ll have three cities to compare—these two plus Saint Petersburg. Your later blogs should include a comparison of what you’ve seen in the three places.
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