Estonia 1998: My Two Years in Sweden
From the archives: It turns out that I was blogging long before anyone had ever heard the term “blog.” Twenty years ago I was an exchange student in Estonia. While studying at the University of Tartu, I created an online travelogue to keep my family and friends apprised of my experiences. Both my life and the nation of Estonia have changed a lot the two decades since. This reprise is providing me with a glimpse at who I was back then and the excuse to learn more about more recent developments in my temporary home, even if some of the opinions that I expressed back then may make me a little bit uncomfortable today. It is interesting to see how people grow and change.
29 December 1997-12 January 1998
Okay, so I didn’t spend all of those two years in Sweden, but the new year did come while I was there and I have two sets of dates in my journal, hence qualifying me for that headline. I actually spent about two weeks in Scandinavia visiting friends and traveling from Tartu to Tallinn, Växjö and Stockholm in the process. It was an epic occasion. The time in Sweden was so wonderful and so full that I have recorded but a fraction of it here. I tried to capture every moment, but unfortunately so much happened that here are only the highlights.
For those of you who have never been there, Sweden is truly a gorgeous country. Even when the weather was as terrible as it was (gray skies, no snow and constant drizzle) everything was beautiful and amazingly well kept. Not a cheap place to go, but truly worth the expense.
It was a great time and I want to make a special effort to thank everyone who helped, entertained, put me up or simply put up with me. Especially Håkan, Elisabeth, Natalie and Jennifer in Växjö and my Stockholm connections, Karolina, Gustaf and Kristina. I want you all to know that I had a wonderful time and your hospitality was incredibly appreciated.
29 December 1997
Monday
I left Tartu at 9:00 in the morning for a short day in Tallinn before setting off for my two week odyssey in Sweden. Once in Tallinn I went to go visit Tricia and the friendly folks at the Tallinn in Your Pocket office. Unfortunately Tricia had already left for Christmas break but I did get to see Virve and her brother Raivo who was in Tallinn visiting for the holidays.
At 18:00 I boarded the Regina Baltica for my first extended trip outside Estonia in almost half a year. The trip itself was not too exciting, mostly because I was alone and too tired to bother trying to go meet anyone. I did get a lot of sleep and was refreshed and excited by the time we got to Stockholm the next morning.
After a half a year in Estonia I have left the land of the Finno-Ugrian behind. After so long being around people only speaking Estonia, being back in a cosmopolitan English speaking environment is quite a shock. I know that I am on a boat to Sweden, but the experience of hearing Swedish everywhere I turn is incredible.
I can’t figure out whether I am enjoying this boat trip or not. Here I am on a boat going to see friends, but the trip itself is kind of dull and a little bit lonely. I will be quite happy to hit the shore in Stockholm, the boat is just kind of a necessary evil to be endured before the fun can begin.
30 December 1997
Tuesday
Sunrise that morning as we came through the Stockholm archipelago was absolutely beautiful. There was a crystal clear sky with just a slight chill in the air. No wind, and trace snow dusting the hills of the islands. It is impossible to try to capture the feeling of freedom, beauty and contentment that I felt right at that moment. I think that the best I can do is to describe it as a sense of utter fulfillment. That kind of peace is the kind of thing that we should all be striving for in our lives. Whether one gets it from art, music, sports or, as is my case, traveling, once we get it we must cherish it forever.
I arrived in Stockholm with no serious problems. I took a bus from the harbor to downtown and spent the next two hours waiting for a bus to Växjö. I did get to walk around just a little and whet my appetite for next week when I return to the city. Perhaps the most incredible thing about Stockholm was being back in a multicultural environment. While walking down the streets I heard not only Swedish but also Vietnamese, Japanese, Turkish, Russian, Mandarin, Finnish, English, Estonian and several others that I can only guess at. In Estonia multicultural means Russian and perhaps a little Finnish, maybe English on a good day.
Getting on the bus was a painful experience. For whatever reason, the bus ticket did not contain a listing for the terminal gate number, nor were they announced over the loudspeaker. I had to run from gate to gate looking at signs listing destinations. Because Växjö was an intermediate stop it was not listed individually. After fifteen minutes of looking I ended up asking people who happened to look official for directions. Every time I was in the wrong spot but got directed to where they believed the bus was. After four misdirections I finally got sent back to the same exact spot where I had first inquired. A driver took pity on me and called someone somewhere on his mobile phone. He got the right gate and after another mad dash through the terminal (at least me running by repeatedly while profaning profusely did provide a good bit of entertainment for the other passengers) I arrived at the right bus with a scant three minutes to spare, cursing and exhausted, but at least finally in the right place. Thank you kind sir, whoever you were.
I arrived in Växjö safe and sound at 18:45. Håkan came and picked me up at the station. We sat, talked, ate and caught up all evening long. A very happy reunion. So much fun I haven’t even looked at my watch or the clock once since arriving. This is going to be a lot of fun. Is this really happening?
31 December 1997
Wednesday
I just returned from a glorious New Year’s party at the home of Håkan and Elisabeth’s friends. It was a good celebration and a good glimpse of Swedish culture. A lot of fun, I wish I could write more, but I am more than a little exhausted right now.
1 January 1998
Thursday
The first day of 1998, the new year. What treasures lie in store for me this year? What excitement awaits? I know not what the future will bring, I know only that whatever comes it will be under the plan and guidance of God.
When I will learn not to doubt, to only trust in the Lord, to remember that all will work out better if I leave the details to him? A bout of homesickness and future fear cured by letting go and giving the details over to God.
This afternoon I went for a walk with Håkan, Elisabeth and the girls. The forests here are so beautiful. I will truly miss it when I leave. Later in the afternoon I went to a Swedish Lutheran Church service with Lisa. It was nice, but unfortunately I understood nothing (just like when I started attending church in Estonia).
We finished off with some home movies. It was fascinating watching the girls grow every year. Håkan deserves a lot of credit here. It’s amazing what a difference it makes when people actually edit home videos before they show them to others. No enduring thirteen hours of Uncle Fred’s visit to Dullsville. These were genuinely fun to watch. I wish that other people would learn that simple trick.
2 January 1998
Friday
We went to Växjö today to see the medieval Bishop’s Church, while Håkan sold his car. Now into the car shopping business… In the evening we watched a video compilation of their trip to Warrensburg last year. It’s amazing how quickly the memories came flooding back. I miss that town and it’s people a lot. They touched me deeply and will always be with me in some form or another. What an incredible experience.
4 January 1998
Sunday
My week in Växjö is now over. I have returned to Stockholm and am staying with Karolina (a friend from Tartu) and her boyfriend Gustaf. It is a nice apartment only one stop away from the main train station by subway. Stockholm is a beautiful place. I am just relaxing right now, exhausted after the trip up from Växjö. Sitting on a bus is amazingly unrestful.
5 January 1998
Monday
Today was my first full day in Stockholm. Nice and comfortable. Gustaf and I ordered a pizza for lunch, I caught up on my email and then had dinner with him, Karolina and Kristina. It was my first time to see Kristina since Tartu. I enjoyed the conversation and company. We finished up the night with a stop at a bar down the street. A good day.
6 January 1998
Tuesday
Today I went for a walk with Karolina around downtown Stockholm and in the afternoon visited the Vasa warship museum. The Vasa is a Swedish ship built by the same king who established Tartu. It was a glorious constructions but was unfortunately so unstable that sailed only a few hundred meters and then sank in the harbor. A kind of sad story, but makes for a very interesting museum. I had dinner and spent the night at Kristina’s place.
7 January 1998
Wednesday
In the morning I went to visit the Stockholm Estonian house. It was a nice place with very friendly people. Unfortunately the restaurant and gift shop were closed, but one of the women was kind enough to show me around and I got to meet several interesting people connected with the Estonian community in Sweden. The most bizarre part was using Estonian for the whole time. Estonian is not the first language that a person thinks of as an international language. This trip is definitely changing my perspectives.
In the afternoon I went back to Kristina’s place. we had dinner and watched the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. I also had my first Budweiser in several months, just to see if it was really as bad I remember. Unfortunately, it was even worse. Rancid.
8 January 1998
Thursday
I went with Kristina to visit the royal palace at Drottingholm. It was beautiful. Coming from a “non-royal” country I am still not quite sure about the institution of royalty, but when I come right down to it, we have much the same symbolism in our devotion to the flag, constitution and founding fathers. Besides, in most republics there is a symbolic president with most of the true power held by the prime minister. The practical differences between a ceremonial president and a ceremonial king are almost nonexistent.
Afterwards, Kristina worked on her master’s thesis and I tried to stay out of the way. Later in the afternoon we had dinner at her brother’s place and then finished things off at a pub on the south side of Stockholm. Night at Karolina’s place.
9 January 1998
Friday
I had a final breakfast with Kristina, who was on her way to Lund to finish her thesis project, and her friend Johanna. In the afternoon I went to visit the Royal Arsenal museum under the Stockholm Palace. In the evening I watched the movie E.T. with Karolina.
10 January 1998
Saturday
Today was the opening of Stockholm’s year as the “Cultural Capital of Europe“. There was an outdoor art exhibition along the waterfront just down from Karolina’s apartment. We saw some truly bizarre and some truly nice pieces of art. Later we went to visit the Swedish Historical Museum and received free tickets to the Mediterranean Museum. Both were quite interesting, but we are still trying to figure out the logic of a Mediterranean museum on the Baltic Sea. Good fun anyway. In the evening I got to meet some of Karolina’s family. Lot’s of aunt’s and uncles, all very friendly but I will never be able to remember all of their names.
11 January 1998
Sunday
In the morning I went with Karolina to visit Sigtuna, the site of Karolina’s former school and the ancient capital of Sweden (a major center until, ironically enough, it was burnt down and ransacked by Estonian Vikings). It was a beautiful little town and stood in stark contrast to the built up splendor of Stockholm. Nice and peaceful.
On the way back to the city we stopped and met Karolina’s mother. She was very nice, but unfortunately because of the boat schedule we did not have time to sit and chat. I left Stockholm at 18:30 on the Regina Baltica. On the ferry I bumped into Tommi, a German friend who is working in Tartu. He had been back in Germany for the holidays and was on his way back by car. We had a good night meeting a couple of Estonian women and dancing the night away.
12 January 1998
Monday
After two weeks on the road, here I am back at home. I have had a most incredible experience and am still trying to believe that it all actually happened. What a great opportunity. I am so happy that it worked out.
Today I met Tommi on the boat for breakfast. We talked about last night and agreed to meet in Tartu. I bumped into the Estonian women we met after passing customs and shared a cab with them into town. Later I stopped and saw Tricia who is now back from a holiday trip to Western Europe. She is doing well, although very bust trying to get everything finished up for the next issue of Tallinn in Your Pocket.
A bus ride later here I am at home, exhausted but fulfilled. A great trip. Time to rest.
