It took a couple weeks to get used to being in Estonia BUT I didn't get a culture shock like last time I came back after being away for a year. It just felt lovely to be home. It was such an inspiring year, I'm full of motivation. I still sometimes turn my head a little too quickly when somebody talks in Estonian behind me on the street, with an amazed look "Estonians??", and still wanna say "excuse me" when I walk into somebody or "hi" and "cheers" when buying something in a store. Other than that I think I haven't completely forgotten my own language. Love driving my car again BUT the roads are horrible, never have I ever seen such large-scaled road-works EVERYWHERE. Driving to the city at rush hour is close to impossible. Of four lanes (2 both sides) often only one operates as a curvy slalom lane. And this is only one of the many closed roads.
"A fork for two" - new restaurant near our country-side at Laulasmaa
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I got a job! Applied already when traveling. I feel lucky to have found a job that quickly, and not a random job, but a job in my field. Probably everybody has heard me saying a million times how I don't want to work in court.. Guess where I work now? Correct. In court. And have to admit, it's quite exciting. Headaches causing complicated, at first, but exciting! And a good Russian language practice, as half our 'clients' are Russian. I do not speak Russian that much. Yet.
Also, I'm a student again! Law masters, let's do this! Three weeks until lectures start.
Estonians are mostly as reserved and closed-up to strangers as I remembered, which definitely needs getting used to after overwhelmingly open Australia, but there are exceptions. We were enjoying dinner with Ingrid at Rocca al Mare Grill, when saw a phone and a wallet outside on a bench. Notified the waitress and she found the owners across the room. A couple who went for a smoke and forgot their valuables outside. They couldn't thank us enough, speaking loudly across the room and insisted on buying us a coffee, we said it is alright, but still ended up with cake and coffee :).
Felt french one evening,when went to the artsy cinema "Artis" to see "The Hundred-Foot Journey" - what a great feel-good movie. Indian-French collaboration that you should not watch when you're hungry. Beautiful characters and a sweet plot, sad, not over-dramatic, one that deserves a happy ending. After the film walked through our beautiful old town with Liisa and Ave and sat down in Telliskivi hipster borough at a wine-bar "Pokaal" - having a glass of red wine and smoking a cigar was the only right and french-enough thing to do.
Wednesday was official Obama-day. Haven't seen that many policemen, ever! Roads in the central were closed and all the cops were gathered to the streets, I was quite afraid to walk towards the court as it is right besides the US Embassy and quite convinced that I'm not gonna get through and have to walk a couple extra km's around Tallinn to make it to the destination but apart from suspicious looks nobody paid any attention to me. PS! Witnessed Obama driving past at the afternoon.
The defense of Tallinn and Riga and Vilnius is just as important as the defense of Berlin and Paris and London. /.../ Article 5 is crystal clear. An attack on one is an attack on all. So if, in such a moment, you ever ask again, who’ll come to help, you’ll know the answer: the NATO alliance, including the armed forces of the United States of America, right here, present, now." (Barack Obama)
Last but not least. Meet Sophie! A darling now almost 3-months-old golden retriever. A bundle of joy and quite a crazy and restless character.
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