Anna Wiegand is a senior integrated studies major and writes ‘Tower of Babel' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Anna at acwiegand@bsu.edu.
Here at the University of Tartu, the most common question upon meeting people is “Why Estonia?” After being here for two-and-a-half months, I’m finally starting to formulate an answer to this question.
Tartu, Estonia isn’t exactly a hot tourist destination. It took a long time to get here, and a longer time to get over my jet lag. Even having an academic interest in post-Soviet countries, I knew relatively little about Estonia before coming here.
Since my arrival, however, I’ve had nothing but a string of pleasant surprises. I’ve gone hiking through a bog, eaten kohuke (a traditional food that’s basically a tiny stick of cheesecake) and celebrated Estonian Independence Day.
In case you’re on the brink of deciding between studying in the “safer” option or in “that one country,” here are two reasons why it’s ultimately more rewarding to dive into the unknown.
First of all, it’s more fun to go somewhere that isn’t touristy. In Tartu, I don’t have to worry about fighting my way through camera-wielding crowds to get to class. In fact, the Estonians are actively encouraging tourism in their beautiful, but relatively obscure, country.
When I make one of my sad attempts to communicate in Estonian or Russian, people seem to appreciate the effort, rather than be annoyed by my poor language skills like I feared they might be. The Estonians realize that most people don’t know that much about their culture and language, and they’re excited to share with people who show an interest.
It’s also fun to have experiences that haven’t been streamlined and specifically geared toward tourists. I can go up to the observation platform in St. John’s Church and enjoy the view overlooking Tartu in solitude.
When my flat mates and I go to a restaurant or bar, we’re generally among locals. There are rough edges here, and it makes everything more interesting.
Second, it’s good to challenge yourself. I was incredibly nervous about coming here. I had no idea if I would be able to communicate with anyone or keep up in my classes. I make a lot of mistakes on a daily basis, but it makes each small success seem like a huge victory. Being here has made me realize how rarely I take myself out of my comfort zone in the U.S.
Especially if you’ve never been out of the country before (or, God forbid, never been outside of Indiana), going to a foreign country for a semester or a year where the people don’t speak your language and you don’t know anyone can sound completely overwhelming.
The point of studying abroad, though, is to immerse yourself in the unknown and to allow it to change you. So don’t rule out any options because they’re too different, or too intimidating, or because they don’t match the fairy tale vision in your head.
Before I left, I was sure that coming back to Muncie would be the hardest thing I would ever have to do. But I’m actually getting excited to go back and see how my life will look now that I’ve had this experience. I’ve even started to miss Muncie a little bit.
Honestly, though, to answer the question “Why Estonia” — it was for the Sarah Palin-esque thrill of being within driving distance from Russia.
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