Author: Caroline Dienes
Program: Cambridge Study Center
You never know where you’re going to end up when you study abroad. You sit around with your cohorts and end up planning a trip to Spain. You could be standing in the kitchen with your roommate and ask, “Hey, can I go to Paris with you and your parents?” And you end up going to Paris that weekend. On the rarest of occasions, you could slightly know someone who lives in Estonia and take a trip to the capital of Estonia. I did that last one.
Long story short, I have distant relations in Tallinn, Estonia, who opened up their
home to me. I hesitated at first to jump on the opportunity, but then I started thinking, “When will I, or anyone I know, ever be able to go to Estonia or anywhere remotely close to Estonia?” The answer to that question was never, and I booked my tickets. I was off to Estonia, which is a little country bordering Russia, Latvia, and the Baltic Sea.
I arrived and the first thing I noticed was snow. The two things I wasn’t expecting to see with my time abroad was snow and a beach. I have now seen both of those things. I met my host, and he took me on my own personal tour of the old town in Tallinn. It was absolutely breathtaking and pastel. Every single building was pastel. I also saw Tallinn from above when we visited the TV Tower. I also got to experience a supermarket all in Estonian…that was difficult.
It’s weird for me to describe my trip to Estonia. I didn’t go to any museums, if you don’t count the TV Tower. I didn’t spend my time as a tourist there as you typically do in brand new places. I think this trip was meant for me to just be. No set plans or bookings for tours. I was an Estonian for two days, and I was content with that.
This abnormal viewpoint may scare some future travelers. Most people want set plans, pre-booked tickets, and a list of restaurants that they found on Trip Advisor. I think I threw these normal pre-planned tasks out the window for one reason. I honestly knew nothing about Estonia before going. I knew I wanted to see the Beatles sites in Liverpool, and I know I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but I hardly knew what was even in Estonia. I let my hosts be the guides and show me around.
Don’t be afraid to take a trip like this. Always make sure you have a way to get somewhere and a place to stay when you get to that certain somewhere, but let the rest of the trip be a surprise. That way, expectations won’t be ruined, and everything will turn out for the better. One thing I will never forget about my trip was being shown a Buzzfeed video of Americans trying Estonian sweets. I watched the video and was then GIVEN some of the sweets that were in the video! It was unexpected, and it was a special, yet simple moment. Estonia was so ordinary, but not at the same time. Places like this are hard to come by.
Stay fresh,
Caroline
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