Pickles on pizza, mushrooms in hair, and other Estonian insights

Some somewhat random observations gathered over the last week or so:

Pickles on pizza: I ordered a vegetarian pizza the other day for lunch. Amongst the cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, corn, and onion were heaping amounts of pickles. Now, I have eaten a lot of weird things on pizza before (and corn does not even rate among them!), but this was my first experience with a pickle pizza. Being a big fan of almost all pickled, I gave it a try and dug in . . . and it was pretty good! I may just become a regular consumer of pickle pizza.

Mushrooms in hair: Estonian romance must be an interesting phenomenon. In my Estonian class, we listened to a song that has been popular over several generations called Mis värvi on armastus? or What color is love? The song has been rerecorded more than once as a testament to its continued relevance to the Estonian concept of romance. Lauding the features of his beautiful love, the narrator of the song praises "your hair as brown as a mushroom". I know that Estonians have an affinity for mushrooms, but I had no idea that it was an attractive hair color. Actually, it seems kind of strange considering that many of these Nordic men and women have beautiful white-blond hair. Perhaps mushroom-colored hair is a bit exotic? ;)

The next Shakira?: I went to shake my hips at an Estonian belly dancing class this week. Most Estnonians, I am told, are not well-known for their abilities to dance and generally stick with somewhat restricted body movements on the dance floor. I figured that this environment might be a safe one to try out my own belly dancing aptitude. At the door, I was offered a bangled scarf to tie around my waist and I struggled to keep up with the instructor, who, by the way, didn't exhibit any of the afore-mentioned inhibitions about moving. I think I may just have to go back . . . after all, I could be the next Shakira.

Dustbunnies under my bed: I have now been in my Tartu apartment for a month. As I celebrated the anniversary and undertook a major clean yesterday, I uncovered a number of dustbunnies under my bed and in the corners. I have the following thoughts: How is it possible to have accumulated so many? Where do dustbunnies come from? Why do we call them dustbunnies? They are not cute, so perhaps it is because they multiply rapidly?

Sauna: Estonians take saunas often and consider them a necessary ritual nearly year round. Almost all apartment buildings or homes have some sort of sauna in them; my apartment is no different and has a sauna attached to the upstairs bathroom. I fired mine up (no worries -- it's electric!) yesterday night. I may still have to practice getting the right combination of heat and water, but the experience was incredibly relaxing. I may have to take on this Estonian habit as my own.

Big feet: I really like shoes. Really like shoes. One of the major downsides of living and traveling abroad for me has been difficulties in finding shoes my size (not enormous by American standards, but still a size 10 or European 41). Another reason why I love Estonia: women have big feet! I can find my shoe size nearly everywhere -- this bodes well for an upcoming winter boot purchase.

Sandals in the rain: Experiences in Central and Eastern Europe taught me that many people are strongly set against wearing sandals when it is cold outside or raining, not to mention have a deep disapproval of leaving the house with wet hair or sitting on cold cement surfaces. I have been chided and reprimanded for doing all of the above. Said in a caring or disgusted manner, my friends, colleagues, and students have had the best intentions in telling me such things; one can get sick (or, in a worst-case scenario, become infertile!) from such careless actions. My upbringing and education has led me to believe that such advice is formed upon superstitious wives' tales. I expected to encounter some of these same attitudes here in Estonia. However, I have been pleasantly surprised. It's almost October, getting pretty chilly, and, even in the rain, Estonians are still sporting sandals and bare feet. Perhaps they are only cooling off from the sauna?