Why should one want to spend an exchange
year in Estonia? In this article we will
explain why an exchange year in Estonia might just be the greatest year of your
life.
Exoticism
Our current exchange students agree that little is known about Estonia. It is even hard to find information about it online. Therefore the first months in Estonia mean constantly experiencing new things. Everything seems fresh and unknown. It really makes you come out of your comfort zone and is therefore more interesting than spending time in a country you already know a lot about. Also, most people will probably think that you are a little bit crazy (in a good way)
Our current exchange students agree that little is known about Estonia. It is even hard to find information about it online. Therefore the first months in Estonia mean constantly experiencing new things. Everything seems fresh and unknown. It really makes you come out of your comfort zone and is therefore more interesting than spending time in a country you already know a lot about. Also, most people will probably think that you are a little bit crazy (in a good way)
for wanting to live in a country like that.
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| Meelika Riiberg 2013/14 - Estonians are weird sauna-people |
The
language
Estonian language belongs to the finno-ugric
language group. It might sound strange and complicated in the beginning,
however, once you start to learn it you will realize that it is not so
difficult after all. It is rare to find a foreigner who can speak Estonian –
this makes learning the language even more rewarding.
Estonians
themselves
In the beginning people might seem cold
but once you get to know them they are warm and kind. Therefore creating
friendships might take courage but it will pay off as the friends you make here
will probably be your friends for a long time. Also, as Estonia is a small
country everyone knows everyone and it is easy to visit people in other towns.
The host family is probably the social
group the student will spend most time with. On weekdays a normal Estonian
family leads a quite busy life (school/work, hobbies) so there is little time
to spend together. However, many families dine together in the evening which is
also a time to share each other’s joys and sorrows. Weekend is the time for
family activities which include visiting relatives/friends, spending time in
the countryside, doing sports together, visiting the sauna.
The
nature
 |
| Jef Declerqc 2013/14 |
Estonia’s nature is beautiful and
untouched with lots of forests, bogs, swamps, lakes… It is quite common for
Estonians to visit country houses on the weekends so one will definitely spend
time in the nature during the exchange.
The
schools
The teachers in Estonia are very social, They try hard to make school as enjoyable as possible and are interested in each
student. They are very happy when our exchange students try to speak Estonian.
In addition to this, Estonian schools are
very clean (because students have to wear separate school shoes) and the school
lunch is delicious!