First Update

The last week has been kind of a blur. Since arriving in Estonia on June 20 (after a cancelled flight and hours upon hours of layovers) I have camped in the middle of nowhere, slept in a barrel, been attacked by angry swans, eaten food that I've never even knew existed, and more. I'll just start with the basics in this post, and try to include everything noteworthy insubsequent posts, as I'll have more free time now that the week of activities is up.

A little over a year ago, my roommate Luke introduced me to two Estonian girls that his mom was hosting at her home in Cincinnati. Jane and Mary he called them, as their names in Estonian roughly translated into thesein English. They were nice, if not quiet at first, and then they moved home. Luke got an invitation to come visit them in Estonia, and so e did after graduation. Since Luke and I are going to Taiwan together, the invitation was extended to me, and also to Caleb, a friend of ours who was coming along for the first week or so of the trip.

Flash forward to two weeks ago when I was preparing to leave. I knew very little about Estonia, including none of the language, only two people that I had ever met from there, and only a very crude idea of its geography or climate. Having been here a week, I'm a little better. I know a few key phrases of Estonian, have travelled a bit around the country, including Hiiumaa Island and the capital city of Tallinn. I know roughly five or six times as many Estonians as I did before coming here, and my knowledge keeps growing.

Right now, I'm in the house of Jane's family, the Meisters, in the quaint seaside town of Haapsalu, whose old town (where we live) dates back to the 13th century.

Luke and Mary outside the Meisters' guest house, where Luke and I stay

A street in Haapsalu about 500m from our house, notice the Episcopal Castle

Luke, Jane, and Caleb risking their lives for a photo opLiis, Jane, Luke, and I enjoying a pub in Haapsalu.

A building on the edge of Haapsalu's Old Town

We have spent our downtime here reading, eating at the local eateries (including Mr. Wu's Chinese restaurant, and Pizza Grande, which is my favorite) and bowling at the local 6 lane bowling alley.

In subsequent posts, I'll tell you about camping under the stars for the Midsummer Night celebration in which all of Estonia lights bonfires and drinks vodka, going to Hiiumaa Island, my experiences in the beautiful and interesting international capital Tallinn, and a brief overview of Estonian food. Feel free to email me, as I always like hearing from people back home. Also, for those of you who use Skype, keep checking back, because I plan to get it soon.