Winter Solstice

The shortest day of the year is over.

December 21 Sunrise: 9:00 am
December 21 Sunset: 3:22 pm

Duration of day: 6 hours and 22 minutes
Duration of night: 17 hours and 38 minutes
The days only get longer now... and sunnier. Woo-hoo -- Now, this is a reason to celebrate!

Feuerzangenbowle in my living room!

Last weekend I hosted a gathering at my home involving lots of flaming alcohol. Feuerzangenbowle is a German student tradition involving a movie about university student pranks and a flaming bowl of alcohol. The drink is made by laying a cone of sugar over the top of a pot filled with spiced red wine. A very highly concentrated bottle of rum is then ladled over the top of the sugar and lit on fire. The dripping caramelized sugar that ensues sweetens the drink while burning. The whole event is a visual delight and warmed both my apartment and the lovely spirits of those that were here to witness it. Perhaps it is not the most Estonian of ways to begin the holidays, but I think that the international bunch (Estonian-American-German-Russian-British) enjoying the event and the drinks would agree that it was a festive way to begin the holiday season.

Christmas tree updates

Last weekend some friends came over for a night of playing a German board game called Settler, and, together, we made some new paper cut-out additions to my tree. This creative collection of ornaments carefully constructed during a cozy evening of game playing makes my tree an even more special centerpiece in my living room. Perhaps you can appreciate the difference a few adornments and warm company adds to the tree.

From Game Night

The tree is actually better captured without so much light. Its multi-colored glow reflecting in the glass of my window begs me to slow down in the evening (or morning or night -- it's now dark here a majority of the time!) to admire its beauty and reflect on the season.

I have made one very important philosophic and linguistic discovery this season: Christmas tree is not only a noun but also a verb, something to be contemplated and done during quiet winter evenings as the holidays approach.

Impressions from way out east

Last week, I traveled to Narva, a town situated on the very edge of Estonia where this city meets with the Russian border. Mentioning my travels, even to Estonians within their own rather geographically small country, garners a few appreciative inquiries and a whole slew of stereotypes. A predominately Russian town (90%) technically within the borders of Estonia, the town is known for its different character, industry, economic problems, and Russophone environment. A sceptic for all generalizations about places and people, I was prepared to defy the opinions of those who gave me a verbal preview of what I might find there. Listed below are a few things that I found.

1) Russian is, in fact, the de-facto lingua franca of Narva. Upon arrival by bus, I became suddenly aware of this difference when I asked for directions in Estonia and was met with a quizzical "ja nepanemayo" in Russian before trying out my own skills in Russian (quite conveniently, there is a lot of transfer from Slovak, the Slavic language I speak).

2) Towering over the river next to the city is the 14th-century Narva Castle. Although originally built by Danes, it has also had Swedish and Russian ownership. Now, in true Estonian style, there is Wi-Fi in the courtyard and a juxtaposition of cultures as Narva's statue of Lenin is also here.


One of the best views of the castle and Ivangorod Castle on the Russian side is from a Swedish lion gifted to the city.

3) English teachers here are friendly and excited about teaching! I spent four hours with teachers-in-training at Narva College (a branch of the University of Tartu where I normally teach) and a couple of hours at the American Corner at the Narva library working with local English teachers. They were approachable, fun, and quite creative as we spoke about language, culture, and pedagogy.

4) Bohemian life is also a piece of Narva's cultural landscape. For the two years prior to my arrival, there was an ELF (English Language Fellow) located in Narva, Kim. As chance would have it, Kim and I just happened to be colleagues at graduate school in Monterey and are still in contact with one another. While preparing for my trip, I asked for some advice about the area and Kim kindly put me in touch with some of her friends. We went out to a bar called Modern that was seemingly non-descript from the outside (you would never find it if you didn't know it was there). Truly Bohemian, the marker for the bar is a picture of the familiar Czechoslovak character, the Good Soldier Švejk. Apparently Svejk also mentioned Narva at some moment, and a plaque showcasing this quotation along with a picture of Svejk is tacked outside beside an lit advertisement for Czech beer. Needless to say, I felt quite at home in this artsy cellar drinking beer and philosophizing with Kim's friends.

Minu Jõulupuu

It's getting rather dark and gloomy outside as daylight truly dwindles. Last weekend was the "official" opening of the Advent season though and, suddenly, lights have appeared everywhere, somehow making it easier to cope with the dreariness of a December without snow. My home was no exception and I put up my Christmas tree this weekend! I take all of the flak for an artificial tree; it's a first for me and my preference, of course, would be to have the authentic spruce-scented article in my living room. However, the sparsely decorated item (more decor to come as I plan to hand-make some ornaments as time slows and the season nears a bit) really brings a lot of light to my living room. I can spend hours in the cozy darkness -- the advantage here is that it is dark more than light this time of year in Estonia -- contemplating the season.

P.S. Isn't jõulupuu a lovely way to say Christmas tree?

Anniversaries, Traditions, and Torches

This past Friday was the 87th anniversary of the University of Tartu as an Estonian Institution. Full of tradition and celebration, the university shut down at noon to commemorate. The president of Estonia visited... there was song... there was torch carrying and processions... there was dancing. Unfortunately, I did not attend it all (or understand it all probably), but I did enjoy parts and managed to snap a few photos of some of the highlights. Here are pictures of the torch-carrying ceremony on Friday when fraternities, university staff, and local businesses processed through town to the university main building where they were met with greetings by the university rector. An impressive site, as you can appreciate, even from my shoddy photography!

Another part of the festivities included an anniversary ball, the Tartu Ülikooli Aastapäevaball. Unlike formal dances in the States, this one included fancy dress AND formal dancing with the dance card printed for all to preview ahead of time. Highlights included live orchestral music, a performance by a well-known choral sextet, fireworks, cake and cognac, and of course the spectacle of everyone out for an evening of fun and dancing. I was no exception and enjoyed getting gussied up and breaking out my dancing shoes. My spirit did get caught up in the fantasy of the event; smiles didn't leave me the entire evening. It will remain a great memory of my time so far here in Tartu. Apparently, the event has been captured by others better than by me, so perhaps pictures will be forthcoming. The community of Tartu is rather small and everyone seems to be aware that I appeared at the ball (bit of a Cinderella story, no?) -- apparently some of images, hopefully flattering, of me dancing were captured by the local TV station and aired the other night!