1997: What an Incredible Life

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.

Previous entry: The First Week of School

September 8-14, 1997

This was a very nice week. I have been able to do a bit of traveling and have really gotten into the lifestyle here in Tartu. No matter how much I think about it, it is always amazing to me how much I experience every moment of every day while I am here. It seems that every second is an adventure and every evening a date to remember.

Despite the fact that I have been doing for well over three quarters of a year by now, I still have not gotten used to it. When I sit here and ponder the incredible things that I have doing and unique life that I have come to live, I am simply baffled. This is not meant as a boast. Rather it is the musing of a truly lucky and simply blessed individual. The life that I am living here is one in a million.

So many people in the world will never have or will never take the opportunity to experience the kinds of things that have become routine to me. Just because they have become routine, please do not think that I have gotten used to them or am taking them for granted. It is a routine unlike any other and it is one that still brings the love of life and adventure to the surface every day of my life. Life is an adventure, a journey that we simply must make the most of. I have found my ideal. I love it, I live it everyday, yet I have still not gotten used to it and, God willing, never will.

Find something in your life that makes you totally happy. Even if its only one simple thing, cling to it and make it the reason for your existence. Stick to what you truly love and you will always be truly satisfied and truly happy. Life is far to short to live an unhappy existence. You’ve only got one chance at this, make it worthwhile.

8 September 1997
Monday

Life just seemed to go perfectly today. Since my conversation class does not begin until next week I had a free day. I went with Raivo to Viljandi to look around while he attended to some business meetings. Other than passing through on the bus I had never been there before. I liked it. It was a nice quiet place that was remarkably similar in size and feeling to Creston. There was not a lot of spectacle and a couple hours there seemed just about perfect.

In the evening I went with Herle, one of the German students, to try Estonian folk dancing. Unfortunately we got the time and place wrong and were unable to find the group so we will have to try again next week. Instead we settled for a drink with Silke, another German exchange student, at Krooks. It was a good evening.

I finished up here with a night of television with the Kuldmets. We saw X-Files and Operation Center. Its nice to see that some good American shows are coming to Estonian in addition to the horrible Santa Barbara/Dallas style soaps that have been here up until now.

9 September 1997
Tuesday

We really hit a lot of new material in my Estonian grammar class today. It was all right, but this language is going to be quite a struggle. There is so much new material I am still a little bit dazed by it all. I’m learning a lot, albeit slower (of course) than I would like. Truthfully I am moving along quite quickly, it’s just that I would prefer to simply know all this without having to endure the hassle of studying for it. If only there were some sort of Estonian language pill that I could take and magically have all of this knowledge appear in my head. In a way, I suppose that there is one, and I have taken it. It’s called studying abroad. Whenever I start to feel like I’m dragging I just look back how far I have come already.

I finished up the day at the movies watching Jerry Maguire. It was a nice, fun movie and I enjoyed it even more than when I saw it the last time. I think that my enjoyment was amplified by perhaps being the only native English speaker in the theater.

10 September 1997
Wednesday

After classes today I went with Herle and Mark in a second vain attempt to join the Estonian folk dance group. It was much the same story, wrong place and wrong time. We will try again next Monday. I bumped into Tiina, a friend from Rakvere that I had not seen since I left Tartu last year. I love small countries.

11 September 1997
Thursday

Happy birthday Nathan!

12 September 1997
Friday

A most amazing night. I met up with some of the Finnish crowd. We went to Illegaard and Zavood and had a wonderful time.

13 September 1997
Saturday

I went clubbing for the first time since I got back to Tartu. After a good birthday party for Marika, one of the Finnish students, and a concert at Krooks I went with Kairit and friends to Atlantis. I was able to speak native English for the first time in a long time, bumping into Conor, an Irish man who is here working as financial director for Pepsi in Estonia.

14 September 1997
Sunday

I just had my first Estonian language dream of this trip. It was a remarkable experience. I am not quite sure what it meant, my interpretation skills are a little rusty, but it is such a strange feeling to have spoken in another language subconsciously. The best part was that in the dream the Estonian was perfectly fluent, accentless and far better than I will ever be able to speak in real life. (In retrospect, perhaps that’s not quite so good. Oh well.)

Next entry: I Begin to Speak