Exploring, preparing for classes and a Chabad Shabbat

Well it has been a full week- and I am feeling more acclimated and settled. I am also looking forward to what the beginning of classes next week will bring.  The weather continues to be worth mentioning, it has been consistently just barely freezing (which is much better than Minnesota which has been having double digit sub-zero temps). There were two mornings when there was a beautiful sunrise (at about 7:30 am) and blinding sun light, until about 10 am when the clouds rolled in.  And yesterday it was sunny all day. Yesterday, I decided that if I weren't already a nature worshipper, I would immediately become one...the power of sunlight is palpable here. (When I used the afternoon to explore with my camera, I was drawn to the altar of one of the ancient churches in Old Town.  There was a golden sun surrounded by many delicate rays of gold light and in the center, was inscribed in Hebrew letters the name of God. I thought ..."yup, you got that right- God IS light" The sun is probably one of the most incredible, miraculous things in this time of year in this part of the world.)  But I am getting ahead of myself:


The primary focus of this week has been preparing for classes. I met folks in the department, my department head and was shown around the two lovely buildings where I will be teaching my classes. (Imagine a beautiful medieval stone building painted many different pastel colors and filled with creative and expressive arts students and faculty. Now add to that that the equipment, as well as much of the insides of the rooms are sleekly modern in a beautiful clean-lined Scandinavian style.  And then add that almost all offices seems to have dishes of Kalev* chocolates available for eating. If you can put all those pieces together you get a sense of my home department.)  


I will be working with extremely supportive and helpful colleagues at Tallinn University.  They are patient with my pitiful attempts at remembering Estonian and my millions of questions. I will be teaching at least three classes (for both BA and MA students as well as one for choreography students) and possibly more workshops...so far it seems that once I get my syllabi and readings to the department secretary (which I did by Friday, thank you very much) I can make changes as I need to. This is good, since I don't really know what students already know and what they can manage to read and understand in English.  I am both excited and a bit nervous about meeting folks next week, I love what I do and love to teach about it, so I hope they will love it as well......I have already been warned that Estonians are somewhat shy with teachers as well as with their English speaking skills, so I am prepared to be met by a wall of silence. Although I will do my best to make it more of a revolving door or window.


I have been continuing my explorations as well, trying to find my way around streets, discovering what is carried in which markets and trying to discover the cheapest wine shops.  I have been having fun cooking but also finding fun restaurants for eating out (This town is amazing so far at least 3 Turkish kebab houses, a Vietnamese restaurant, several good Indian places- I have been told- and lots of Italian and pizza, not to mention basic Estonia restaurants and cafes with yummy soups. Yesterday in my exploring I stopped for coffee and solyanka - a traditional soup- in a green gazebo next to the kiek in de kok - and old guard tower. It was almost empty but had sweet wooden tables, two fire places and an amazing view. So I stopped to journal and watch life go by a bit.  And it is only about 5+ minutes from my apartment)


This weekend has been particularly wild. Friday evening I went to a wine and cheese party for staff and other folks from the Embassy. It was held in a lovely apartment in Toompea (The upper town, where the rich-folk lived). I was able to meet some really interesting people, many of whom have served in many different countries for the state department. For most of them, Estonia is a 'reward' placement for folks who have or will be serving in more challenging locations of the world (e.g. Afghanistan or the Middle East).  It was a wild mix of government employees, marines, and locals and everyone was relaxed and very inclusive. It happens that there are a number or Minnesotans currently working here so we traded weather stories and suggestions for good places to eat. (There are also some Californians as well.) So a diverse group of folks.  I particularly appreciated that I /we were included, since Fulbrighters aren't automatically included in these type of functions. 


This morning I walked to the only synagogue in Tallinn, a new Finnish designed building that is absolutely beautiful, filled with light. The interior is filled with carved tree-of-life wood panels that are simple but elegant. I had met the rabbi last week in my earlier explorations, so I thought I would go check out services.  It is about a 25 minute walk from our apartment but I was able to easily enter the building (memories of needing letters of permission, passports and pleading to prove I was Jewish to get into services in Istanbul flitted through my mind as I approached the building and saw two beefy guys in windbreakers blocking the gated entrance. But they just said 'tere' and in I went.)  For those of you who are not familiar with Jewish services much, this synagogue is connected to the Chabad branch of Judaism and the Lubavitch Rabbi.  This means it is pretty orthodox and is one of the few branches of Judaism that focuses on bringing people of Jewish heritage back to Judaism. Luckily I had brought both my kippah (head covering) and a scarf, in case I need to have all of my hair covered. I was point upstairs (normal for orthodox Jewish services) and sat down. There were about 10 women there and about 15 men downstairs in the main prayer space. Most of the women had their heads covered, and had prayer books in Hebrew and Russian in front of them but most did not participate or speak any of the prayers. (Later the rabbi told me that this was because they were visiting Lutherans...although they all seemed to be speaking Russian, a strange combination.)


Services were nice and somewhat familiar...although the rabbi seemed to be doing most of the leading and work. I joined in for many of the almost familiar melodies (one of the tunes he used for the standing Amidah was hava nagila...and ha tikvah). After services I was invited to a light lunch and sat at a table with three other women. We actually were able to hold a bit of conversation...between their Estonian, Russian and occasional German, one recent convert's Hebrew and lots of body movement. Quite amazing to me that we could understand each other at all.  The other interesting part of the lunch was an older man with a long grey beard who stood and sang Shabbat songs throughout the meal,  It turns out he is a Christian pastor who is drawn to Judaism...and he really got into his singing...I wanted to join him a bit, but wasn't sure if that was permitted so I just listened. 


Afterwards, I talked briefly with the rabbi who explained that most of the congregation were Russian Jewish and they knew very little about Jewish traditions, so he had made many adjustments in the service to be more accessible to the congregation. 


So, it is now evening here, it is grey and there is a wind blowing. Outside my window immense white sea gulls swoop and dive on the wind currents.  Tonight, perhaps a quiet evening...hanging out and reading a bit..or working on an outline for my first day of class.  Bruce arrives on Thursday evening so we will be able to share Tallinn together. In addition, as part of the festivities for Tallinn2011 (Tallinn is one of the two cultural capitols of Europe this year) there will be a Chinese new year celebration and ice carving  in Freedom Square (near us) and at a slightly further away park.  


This is a wonderful time to be in Tallinn...have I mentioned it is an amazing place?


I hope all of you are well...Oh, news update from the Fire Sculpture Competition. No surprise... Lithuania won, followed by Latvia and Estonia.  


* Kalev is the main Estonian hero. I haven't finished all the stories, but he was a powerful giant of a man who fought sorcerers and married his wife Linda before dying. The legend has it that he is buried under Toomea Hill...the upper part of the old town...so he must have been a huge guy. Anyway, the 'best' Estonian chocolate is named after him.   And chocolate is big here, similar to Lithuania. 




More photos:

Dome Church on Toomea/upper old town

Vabaduse Valjak-Freedom Square

Kiek in de Kok- guard tower

Lithuanian Embassy

Typical street scene in lower Old Town

Random gate on Toompea...

View from
Toomea Hill (old town) the street is Pikk Street and my school is down a bit 

Clear day view from Toompea Old town and harbor

Fire and Ice-the Ice Sculpture competition and other activities......

It is Sunday evening here after a busy weekend. I will try to write a briefer entry, since I have alot of photos that I want to include....but so much has been happening since the last entry.


First I am delightedly getting know some of the people in the department as well as one of the other Fulbrighter's here (and this includes some very sweet children as well...). I am finding my way around and yes, it continues to snow every day...I keep feeling as if I have gone through the wardrobe in the Prisoner of Narnia...and have entered the world of eternal winter...except there is something lovely about having large soft snowflakes in the air.


This weekend was a busy one. First, a local Estonian dancer has finished training as a Body Mind Centering (BMC) practitioner and was offering a workshop for local dancers. So, having studied BMC in the past, I joined it. We met in a many-roomed dance studio below a nearby shopping center and next to our workshop space was a class of small girls in pink tights and leotards with bows in their hair marching to music and a group of young adults practicing national folk dances for this summer's folk music competition.  Our workshop was a bit different and mainly crawling, scooting and creeping on the floor as we practiced early infant developmental movement sequences. It was fun, although I had a harder and harder time understanding what was being said, as the other participants used more and more Estonian.  But a wonderful way to meet some of the people who I will, hopefully be teaching.


I also went to the final competition of the First International Fire Sculpture competition which was held outside the old town of Tallinn.  I went with a fellow Fulbrighter, her incredibly precocious son and we were joined by many more Estonians.  The event was .....well....spectacular....in the most glitzy, dynamic and moving sense of that term.  


The point of a fire sculpture competition, for the uninitiated is to create something that can be lit on fire (duhh) so that the fire itself is the work of art. Judging is based on the shape of the flame as well as the technical complexity of the piece. Teams were from all over the world and they have one day to build their sculpture.


We arrived in the twilight to see the teams finishing the building process of what, at that point, looked like large strangely shaped wooden structures covered with hay.  The finalist were teams from Korea, the US, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia and Norway. Preceding the burning, was an ice skating performance, complete with torches and 5 couples of little children performing ice dancing routines. The ice skating concluded with fire works shooting out from several different locations around the stage..to the accompanying oohs and ahhs of the crowd.  


Next were several speeches and the entry of two drummers who keep a rhythmic beat going through out the burning process. When it was dark, the competition began. Each sculpture was lit individually as judges with red forehead flashlight marked on sheets of paper.  It was 'spectacular' (there goes that word again...), we all crowed forward in the snow, all of us including small children and older Russian grandmas in their fur coats and hats. Somehow the cold snow beneath our feet and the cold air around our heads didn't seem to matter. I am not going to describe each art work, but some were pretty basic and others were incredibly complex. Russia went first and their work looked like a large iconic angel with wings (I later found out, the real inspiration was the Russian team's response to the 'beauty of Estonian women'. While Estonian women are incredibly beautiful, what that meant as they lit their art work on fire...well do what you want with the implications of what that could mean).


The most impressive work (not the US, by the way) was Lithuania. Their tall sculpture, shaped in traditional Lithuanian folk designs, glowed from the inside when lit. In addition, it was crowned by a boat form that began to sway forward and backward as the fire burned. And in the front was a large windmill that whirled around with the heat. It was amazing and we all decided that it should definitely win. (I dont know yet who DID win, since the website hasnt listed anything yet...but I will check tomorrow) From there we went to eat at a local Italian restaurant and then home to sleep. Quite a full day but also wonderful to experience the raw power of fire in such an artful manner. 


Next week I begin to meet with my department and need to write my syllabi (which might mean less writing on the blog and less time to explore...) but here are some photos of the Ice and Fire competition:

Fire Walkers getting ready to do their thing

Lithuanian Entry in daylight

Russian Entry 

Ice Skating finale with fireworks

Ice Skating rink

Lithuanian entry in its glory....

a few more photos...

View in Old Town near the harbor on  Pikk Street

Our apartment, main room and kitchen..small but charming and cozy

Bedroom- color scheme is Finnish blue

OK...this is our sauna...can you blieve it??? 

Russian Orthodox Church in Old Town 

Here are some additional photos..of our apartment and some of the random scenes from Vana Tallinn (Old Tallinn) 

Tere Hommikust/Good Morning

I woke up this morning at 7 am, the earliest yet (not counting my first few nights of waking at 3 and 4 am). I am relieved that I might be, finally, adjusting to the local time.  Because Estonia is on the Baltic and so far north, most days and nights are multiple nuances of grey.  Yesterday - 'clear' according to the weather forecast- meant we had a blue grey sky in the morning followed by an afternoon of delicate and light snow. I walked around in the afternoon feeling like I had entered a lovely snow globe.  I woke this morning to find that the tree branches across the street were etched in white.  I made tea, lit a candle and watched the sky turn light grey as the sun arose (it was about 8 am). 


Walking in Old Town or down by the harbor, it feels as if I have entered a different time and universe that is both old and modern (as I walked yesterday, inside the pastel colored medieval walls of Old Town buildings were coffee  and chocolate cafes filled with young people attending to their glowing computers on wifi.  An incredible mix.


The past few days I have been settling in e.g. finding out where to buy food and toilet paper, exploring the town and meeting some of my colleagues Here are some first impressions:


1) Similar to the time I spent in Vilnius, Lithuania, Estonians fit what I think of as 'typical ballet body people'.  The young men and women are tall with (as they say) 'legs up to their armpits'. They are delicate boned and light skin with either dark or white blonde hair.  People are friendly but private.  I suspect the people I meet who initiate conversations with me in shops and on the street are probably Russian rather than native Estonian.


2) This country is super high tech...at least in the city. Everything is done by credit card connected to a local bank account...so I will pay all my bills by transferring money from my account to the account I owe money to, and people are fine with my charging even small amount of Euros (this is actually useful, since Estonia has only recently changed from Estonian Kroner to the Euro and there are apparently alot of fraudulent bills floating around. Some of the more upscale stores have scanners for all Euro bills I use).


3) The mix of old and new is apparent when I think about where to shop for food, In the City Center there are several large up-scale grocery stores with prepared food, alcohol and fresh produce for sale. Close to me (and further away from the Old Town) there is a cheaper local market that seems to sell bulk items but also has less consistent products availability.  What they have is cheaper and in quantity.  They also have a fresh bakery selling the typical Estonian dark rye bread next to fancy creamy sweet pasteries  and a fresh/smoked fish market all housed in a Russian-type concrete bunker building. I also went to the Central Market yesterday (about a 15 minute walk...I think...if I don't get lost on the way.) which resembles the markets I remember from Lithuania and Latvia the last time we were here. This market is a group of separate shops, mainly run by older Russian men and women. Outside the main and only building are stalls selling clothing, socks, shoes and other cheaper items. Inside different stalls sell eggs, fish, meat, fruit and veggies- mainly cabbage, potatoes and onions, (it seems that kale is a gourmet food item here).  I bought some honey from an older babushka-headed Russian women who mimed to me that 'this honey' (from apple blossoms I think) is for stomach and digestive problems while this other honey (not sure what flowers they were from) was for colds and chest ailments. We smiled alot and I got a container of honey.


4) The town seems easily walkable. In my exploring it seems to take less time than I expect to get to places.  In walking the old and new is also quite apparent. In the city center there are sleek and tall glass and steel buildings next to old style wooden houses painted a pastel green or blue.  It is easy crossing the street (not like the Middle East or Vietnam), people follow the street lights and there are pedestrian crosswalks and cars actually STOP, when someone is crossing.  I see lots of moms with baby carriages navigating the snowy streets. Lots of older people too, using canes to keep their balance. If someone slips on the ice no-one reacts or turns to help them. The person who has fallen usually kneels or stays fallen for a moment, probably to make sure they are OK, and then they just stand up and continue on their way. When I asked a colleague about this (no one seemed to look at fallen people or ask if they need help or are OK) she said ' well what can you do, it happens and you just get up and continue on...'


5)  Asian restaurants seem to have cooks from India BUT the menus are mainly Chinese with a few Thai specialities and also a few Indian dishes (mainly curries and rice dishes). I have eaten out twice and also actually found two Turkish kebab places in town, so I can get my Mediterranean food fix as needed. 


6) I am just beginning to get a sense of ethnic diversity and prejudice here. I walked to the only Jewish synagogue yesterday. It is a beautiful modern set of buildings with a synagogue, school and community center with Jewish museum, I met the rabbi (Lubovitcher from Israel). The congregation is mainly expatriated Russian, including the shul secretary, who didn't wear traditional orthodox covering (her head was bare and didn't look like a wig) but also made a slight face when I described my home synagogue with its female rabbi.  (I hope to attend more and learn about the Jewish community here) To get into the synagogue there was a guard and metal detector but minimal actual enforcement. People have said that they have very little anti-Semitism here- and in someways there feels like there is a minimal Jewish presence in general. 


Interestingly, while there is a larger Muslim population (mainly from Kazakstan and other Soviet areas) there is apparently only a small masjid (not a mosque..more like a community center) I was told that while Estonia is supportive of this community building a mosque, they have not yet actually approved any of the proposed locations.  


OK, this is getting long, and its probably time to close. I meet folks from the school next week and will start focusing on academics more intensely, so for the moment I am enjoying time to think and explore my new surroundings. 

Tere Tulamast (welcome)

I am sitting in our apartment watching the grey rain/snow that is falling gently. It is my second night in this 'home' and I am settling in...now if only my sleeping and eating rhythms would match the local time!!! It has been a few days of getting settled, beginning to connect with people and also starting to explore a bit. 


First our apartment is lovely. It is not too large, clean and very MODERN (the many who owns it is Finnish..so think light wood everything, blue and white color scheme and a bathroom that has its own sauna.)  We are on the 5th floor so have a bit of a view and there are no big building across the street so we have a view of roofs, snow and a few of the big buildings of city center. So far I have found the closest market (local folks go there and there is actually a small shop that sells dried beans (yummy lentil soup is cooking as I type) and fresh veggies, cut rate bulk house supplies and around the corner a fish market with more types of smoked salmon than I could ever imagine.) We are also one bus ride away from a HUGE supermarket where I was able to buy cheap baskets, coffee filters and other less-Estonian basics.  I love having dark dark rye Estonian bread for breakfast....while I stream NPR on my computer with my red candle glowing in the table.  We also have a small fireplace, but I wont know how to use it until the landlord comes on Tuesday.  All in all, the place is very cozy and even posh for us (I have gotten so used to basic amenities from our other journeys that Scandinavian-type basics seem opulent.)


I have also started to meet some of my colleagues. Yesterday I met the local Dance/Therapy teacher. We had a lovely chat in one of Tallinn's gigazillion coffee cafes (they have great coffee and most cafes have free wifi...and most people seem to hang out there- given that it is dark until almost 9 and gets dark again by 4:30, hanging out in a cafe with friends seems the way to go. This also makes sense because Estonians don't socialize by inviting people to their homes.  So I met Helena and her two wonderful girls. She and I talked a bit, in a 'getting to know you' manner...sharing our stories and what we did in our work. She seemed great- very warm but matter of fact and practical..which I am told is typical for Estonians.  We also walked through the old town, through the giant central square which still has an immense Christmas Tree (see photo), past the school buildings and to the water from to see the first International Fire Sculpture competition being held in Tallinn as part of their cultural celebrations.


It was cold, dark and snowy with a full strength wind that make the snow feel like crystals of glass on our faces. I went because someone I met at the airport (when I first arrived) had invited me to attend.  The ceremony was impressive. The opening ritual included a processing in of a group of people  singing  a call & response chant while beating large drums. The sounds and rhythms reminded me of Native American ceremonies, but I was told that this was also typical of Estonian Shamanic rituals as well. They started by burning a large maze like mandala and then proceeded to the other entries one by one, as the drum continued to maintain a slow pulsating pace.  If you don't know what I Fire Sculpture is (where have YOU been all your life????) it is something that is traditional in this region. We saw something similar in Lithuania as part of a winter festival 14 years ago. The basic idea is to build a large sculptural form of wood and straw which is then lit, to great wonder and excitement. In the competition there are additional requirement such as the sculpture having to change form or move in some way as it burns. Very wild and perfect for the dark cold night.  


We stayed for a while and then, because it was cold, walked to the tram and then Helena offered to drive me to the large supermarket nearest me. I got things I needed for the apartment and was able to do it on one trip...since it was much more than I could carry by myself. (Such a wonderful generous act) I also got to ask lots of food questions...basically variations of: what is this in this package???? or where would mustard by shelved in Estonia, if it is not by the ketchup or mayonaise?  I also have a huge package of toilet paper which should last us most of the time we are here. (My depression generation grandmother would both understand and be proud of me.)


So that is it so far. My next big projects are 1) starting to get the syllabi together for classes and 2) starting to work on my visa application- I just downloaded the 10 different documents (some for me and some for Bruce) to be completed. I am glad I have the next few weeks to work on the forms but they feel a bit overwhelming at this point. Luckily there are several folks I can ask if I need help.....
So until the next time....signing off.
I am going to try to import some photos....here they go (this is fun !!!!)

Raekoja plats- Old Town central square

Fire Sculpture Festival with icy snow in photo

view from our apartment window

Welcome to Tallinn

A brief note to let everyone know I have arrived.  It was a long but uneventful flight (3 of them) and I was generously met by one of the other Fulbrighter, who is here with her family for the entire year. It gets dark here by 4 pm in the evening so the descent into Tallinn airport was like entering a snowy fairly tale, with vast expanses of darker woods alternated with white areas of snow. Interspersed were just enough lights from streets and houses so that my first impression was of a place both cozy and magical.  At this point I am just arriving and still very jet-lagged. Because this entire year Tallinn will have more than normal cultural events (as one of two European cultural cities this year) there is alot happening.  I plan to go see the Fire Sculpture competition this Sunday, having met one of the organizers for this event at the airport.  I am already making plans to connect with folks from school and in the Creative Arts Therapy community, but am moving a little slowly....since I am also assuming that for the next few days, I will crash out at random hours. Right now, it is morning and having woken up hungry at 3 am here -(The next few days will be one of arriving, getting oriented and acclimated and taking it easy.)  And.....I still can't believe I am actually here!!!!! 

And so it begins......

I am sitting at my desk at home -the sun is streaming in the window, although I know that outside it is bitterly cold.  I will be going to the airport in a few hours. I am trying to collect my thoughts before I put everything into my bags and go.  The time for leave-taking has arrived.

Welcome to our blog !!! Once again we are off to another intriguing corner of the world- and live in a place we never thought we would be able to get to know more intimately. (Apologies to the lovely city of Tallinn, Estonia, spelled incorrectly in our blog name because the correct spelling was already taken.)

To start, I should probably fill some of you in on the details. We, Bruce and Barbara- are off again to live and experience life in another part of the world. This time we are going to Tallinn, Estonia- one of the three small Baltic countries on the edge of what was the Soviet Union (now Russia) and across the Baltic Sea from Finland and Scandinavia.  This is not our first time to this area of the world. In 1997, Bruce received a Fulbright grant to teach Women's Studies at Vilnius University in Lithuania. We were there for 5 months and had the opportunity to learn about the joyful and painful process that come with a people trying to rediscover their newly liberated identity.

We will be in Tallinn for 5 months as well, only this time Barbara is the Fulbright Grant recipient. She/I will be teaching Dance/Movement Therapy at the University of Tallinn, which is housed in the Department of Applied Creativity (how is that for a great name?).  If you don't have any idea what D/MT is, check out: www.adta.org for more information.  I don't know what my schedule will be, but I hope to be able to meet alot of people, learn about psychotherapy and Creative Arts Therapies in this region and also have time to explore and travel and learn more about this area of the world.  Bruce will be joining me in about 3 weeks, after he finishes teaching January term, but I will let him tell his part of the story when he arrives.

As I sit here typing, I realize I have some memories of Tallinn from our last time in this area of the world. I remember an amazing old medieval city, with massive walls and an inner center courtyard surrounded by buildings and shops. I remember wandering down small dark alleys, towered over by tall dark stone walls, just beyond the central square.  I also remember walking to the bus station and noticing how quickly the neighborhoods became a bit run-down and rural.  I remember friendly people, but being frustrated that I did not know how to communicate with them (Estonian is nothing like Lithuanian. Instead, it is related to Finnish, Hungarian and Turkish- one of the more complex languages of the world, I am told).  I am curious what will have changed in the 14 years since our last visit. I wonder how it will feel to live here for a while, rather than to just be passing through, on our way to someplace else. I look forward to the experience of arriving during the darkest time of the year and being able to enjoy the growing sunlight since we will be here through the Summer Solstice (although we might not be in Estonia on the Solstice).

For me, this journey is also on two levels- external and internal. The external one is about sharing what I know and do with a community of colleagues who, hopefully are interested in my experience.  I look forward to being able to learn and collaborate with others in the Baltics, so that I will also have the opportunity to continue to learn. It will be interesting to be in a different role than the one I usually take in our travels (usually Bruce is the one teaching and I am the one organizing and managing other details)

The internal one is more of a mystery. I will be experiencing several landmarks in my own life journey. Last month, I (finally) completed the requirements for licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (duplicating what I had already done to become a BC-DMT). I will also turn 60 years old while in Tallinn. Rather than a time for 'black balloons', this birthday feels like a wonderful and unknown mystery, that I will gradually be discovering and transforming for the rest of my life.  I wonder what it will mean to be celebrating NOT in the USA.

So, the time to pack has come. see you later....and Tanan....(look it up) Barbara