Your story, in your language, in your country – some thoughts for students arriving at an Estonian university
Patricia Suimets
University of Tartu, master's studies in law / RSR
If a young Estonian from abroad wants to write the story of their youth in Estonian, then Estonia seems to be the only place to do it. We have top-notch education; distances are small and young people are keen to communicate. It often seems that even the president is only two phone calls away here, which is why Estonia offers plenty of development opportunities for those who are particularly ambitious. You can find your own place in the university town, whether you are aching to discover the secret world of fraternities and sororities, if you are a big basketball fan or if you would like to win a mud wrestling match during Student Days!
Finding your place is not an easy ride – at school, in a city or in a country. At least that’s how I feel, having travelled through three Estonian cities. In addition to searching for friends and self-realisation, there are always reflections on one’s national affiliation. Solving this knot has always seemed endless: at home, I speak a strange language and I am part of a culture that most of my friends don’t understand. Outside my home, I often feel that this part of me is a figment of my imagination, something that maybe does not even exist in the real world. These thoughts could be debunked by contacts with other similar young people or with people of the same language and cultural space in the place where it actually hails from. However, as long as the authoritarian regime remains in power in the homeland of my predecessors, I sadly cannot return to this place.
However, this does not limit my ability to pursue a sense of belonging in Estonia. It seems that within us is this invisible network that can often extend to other countries, counties, cities, villages and streets. Perhaps it is the same thread that makes people dance in Australia, celebrate St. Catherine's Day in the United States, and bake rye bread in Israel. This urge does not come from nothing, instead, it is a legacy that has been conveyed with great love from our parents and loved ones – a love that has been so great that, despite all kinds of difficulties, they have tried to pass it on to their children.
There have been times when I have felt the joy of recognition from contacts with young Estonians who have returned to Estonia from abroad. My closest friend was born in Seattle, almost 8 000 kilometres from Tallinn, to an Estonian mother and an Egyptian-American father. She was also very lucky when she grew up. Namely, she managed to spend her youth in a proper Estonian mini-bubble, which was made up of Estonians from abroad. She spent her summers in beautiful Estonia. In the United States, people always wore beautiful folk costumes with passion, danced folk dances and, as always, sang folk songs. Estonian blood sausage was always present on festive tables. When she came to attend school in Estonia, she did have something in common with us, but we were always excited to ask her about her US traditions and memories.
Last summer I got the opportunity to meet other Estonian young people born abroad: some of them came to Estonia for internships and some summer camps. In the winter, I met two other young people who came to Estonia to attend college. The Estonian language of each of them was special and beautiful in its own way, each of them showed their particular home customs. Many were probably affirmed that they were not the only ones with a strange native language. Some were read bedtime stories in Estonian by their mothers, and some grew up eating bread soup. We were particularly interested in stories about how their families came to live abroad. It seemed to me that at the heart of every story were often heroic parents, whom we decorated in our minds. Thanks to them, we managed to preserve a magnificent part of ourselves.
Somehow, all these young people found their way back to their roots – perhaps pulled by the invisible threads of this network. If you are considering a similar journey, I highly recommend it! One option for doing this is through college.
There is no denying that packing up your life and moving somewhere else is never easy. I even remember sending my parents to Tallinn four years ago, crying my eyes out, and starting to figure out what to do with my university town of Tartu. I had to slowly build my own community.
With time, I learned that there are activities for every taste: professional student organisations (e.g. EPSÜ for psychology students, RTS for political scientists), societies, fraternities and sororities, debating clubs, mixed choirs, sports clubs and much more. I found my place in the Rahvusvaheliste suhete ring (RSR), which brings together students from all disciplines joined by an interest in international relations. It also quickly became clear that they could be found in the most unexpected places. That's how I got my first Russian-speaking friends from this organisation, as they also shared my great interest in foreign policy. It was remarkable, as my everyday life was spent attending law lectures. Together, we received the recorded Russian-language version of the RSR podcast, so that our foreign policy analyses could reach the Russian-speaking youth as well. But that wasn't all, because in the RSR, I found like-minded people everywhere: someone shared my niche interest in UK politics, someone knew about the Russian opposition movement. Thanks to countless meetings, lectures, quizzes and trips abroad from Moldova to Finland, the RSR has become my Tartu community. I gained a sense of belonging as well as self-realisation.
If a young Estonian from abroad wants to write the story of their youth in Estonian, then Estonia seems to be the only place to do it. We have top-notch education; distances are small and young people are keen to communicate. It often seems that even the president is only two phone calls away here, which is why Estonia offers plenty of development opportunities for those who are particularly ambitious. You can find your own place in the university town, whether you are aching to discover the secret world of fraternities and sororities, if you are a big basketball fan or if you would like to win a mud wrestling match during Student Days!
I can let you in on a secret that many here dedicate their life's work precisely to making returning to Estonia as smooth as possible. You are always welcome to Estonia to search for your sense of belonging!
OLE ROHKEM – working to make sure that every student finds an organisation in Tartu where they could actively contribute in a way that suits them.
https://olerohkem.ee/tudengile/
