We went to Pärnu last week so I thought I would post a picture finally. The picture is of me, Megan, and Andrea. As you can see, it is still cold in late April (I was the crazy one who put my feet in the freezing water). :)

Saunas and Football Friends

So today was awesome! First, I got a call from a friend, Lauren, from back in the states saying she was in Tallinn on a mission trip, so in excitement I told her that I was going to meet up with some people to play football (soccer) and after we were done I would give her a call so we could meet up. So Megan, Josh, Andrea, and me went to play football and there were about 15 other people there from different places in the world like the Netherlands, Egypt, Finland, and of course from Estonia. A lot of them were part of a group called "couch surfing", which is where you can travel for cheap by staying on someone's couch for a couple of nights in a different country where another member of this group lives. It's a great group to be in (I'm thinking about joining). :) But anyway we hung out with some of them afterwards (Triin came for the hanging out - yay!). I took them (8 of them) to meet Lauren and the group she brought with her from the states. We all had fun talking and then we all went back home to rest up. Later that night two girls from football, Minna and Kadri, Andrea, Lauren, and Brittany (friend of Lauren's), and I went to the sauna. We went in nude. Here's the thing you have to understand though...it is cultural to go in nude (especially with the same sex). They think it is unclean to go in the sauna with a swimsuit on. So needless to say, that was my first time to be totally naked in front of people since I was a baby. :) But really it wasn't bad at all and now I think America makes too big of a deal out of it (Estonians don't get why being nude is such a big to Americans). People wouldn't think so much about body image if they realized everyone looks pretty much the same underneath it all. After the sauna we called it a night because Lauren and Brittany had to go and the rest of us were tired from football. So I'll say it again, TODAY WAS AWESOME! Oh yeah and Andrea and I are hanging out with Kadri and one of her friends tomorrow to help clean up the forest! Also, Kadri said that she will help me get on a girls football team and she will join with me! New friends, great times! Yay! :)

Until next time, nägemist (goodbye or see you later)!
Shera

It's About Time!

All right, I'm finally going to post. I've never been particularly good at journals and blogs and such. Remember when Xanga was the cool thing to do? Don't try to play cool, you probably had one. Well, I jumped on that band wagon back in the day, but I fell off that same month. This ought to be better though, I'll actually have stuff to write, hopefully.

I wish that I had cool stories of all the Estonian people I've met and traded numbers with like Shera, but I don't. I'm about as introverted as you can be. I balk at the thought of walking up to strangers and starting conversations; however, put me in a class or a small group of people, and I'm good. So, I can't wait until language school starts in the fall. Until then, I'll just try to get out of my comfortable little box and join the party happening outside.

Estonia is a great country. Really, if I could read and speak the language, I would forget I was in a foreign country. Everything is so orderly, logical, and practical. Well, except for the women who wear stiletto boots on cobblestone streets. I really can't get over that. I have yet to see anyone fall; It's amazing! One thing that I am so grateful for is the food. I looked up traditional Estonian food on the internet before I came and found multiple sites describing jellied meat. But to my relief, they have great food from all over the world! Plus, they eat pancakes often. Pancakes filled with berries, chicken, chesse, honey, and more. It's pretty amazing. I have not seen a single jellied meat in the last two weeks. True, I haven't exactly looked for it, but still.

All in all, things are great this side of the Atlantic. We are acclimating well and slowly but surely picking up the language. For me, I'm going to have to make it a priority to get out, become familiar with the city and the public transportation, and practice the language I've learned that day.

Nägemist!
Andrea

Possible Estonian Friends?!?

So lots has been happening this week. Not only have we been doing some language learning, but God has given me some great opportunities to make some Estonian friends.

On Monday, April 6th I emailed two Estonian girls that I had been talking to online for awhile that I had finally arrived in Tallinn to stay. The very next day, Tuesday, April 7th one of them texted me to meet and hangout, so we did. We went to a place to eat that you would only know about if you were from there, then she showed me where her band practices and to meet her friends, and then we all went back to the dorms and talked. It was funny how God works. Her boyfriend has a tattoo and was talking about what he was going to get next, so I showed him my tattoo. My tattoo says John 14:27. He asked me what it meant so I told him the verse, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid," and then he asked where it was from, so I told him it is from the Bible. He quickly told me he was an Atheist, so just told him ok showing that I'm not one of those who's going to force something on him. I wonder what he will believe in in the future.

After getting home, the same day on Tuesday, I saw that the other girl had emailed me back saying it would be delightful to meet, so we did the very next day Wednesday, April 8th. She was very open to talk about anything. We talked about life, relationships, what her plans are for the future, what there is to do in Tallinn, etc. I am very surprised how genuine and open she is. I'm so glad to have met her. Yay! :-)

Shera

First Days

Friday, March 27th - So we (Andrea, Josh, Megan, and I) arrived in Tallinn, Estonia on Friday, March 27th. The flight was long (starting on March 26th), but definitely tolerable. Our supervisors, Tom and Jennifer, and their three little girls picked up us from the airport, took us out to pizza, showed us around a grocery store (which by the way is like in America except in the Estonian language and they may have different foods) and then to our hotel/house at 10:00 that night (or 22:00). Let's just say, I fell asleep with no problems and slept till 8:30 the next morning.

Saturday, March 28th - No jet lag whatsoever (of course I didn't really sleep but a half an hour on the plane). So the next day Jennifer took us all out to Old Town in the middle of Tallinn. She showed us around the town and then took us to an awesome little coffee shop to have hot chocolate, but this hot chocolate is literately just chocolate that is melted into a cup. It was amazing! I will definitely go for that kind of hot chocolate again. :) That night we went to Tom and Jennifer's apartment to have dinner and hangout.

Sunday, March 29th - Tom picked us up to go to Estonian church at 12:00 noon, which was pretty cool. You could definitely tell the Spirit was there. They do their services for 2 hours. After the service, Tom left us to explore Old Town by ourselves till the international service started at 17:00 (5:00 pm), so we did and ate at a Chinese place which we didn't realize until we got it but the portion sizes are huge. We still ate most the food which was very good. The international church was interesting with a good message about how we must not judge one another, because no one is better than anyone else. We met two Finnish girls there in their younger 20s, Minna and Kirsi. We made plans to hangout the next day.

Monday, March 30th - Minna called me and we all met up in Tallinn at the movie theater. Before going to the movies though, we went to a pizza place and then they showed us a park. We walked on a frozen pond at the end of March! But anyway, it was fun getting to know them both. After hanging out with Minna and Kirsi, we went to Tom and Jennifer's for dinner.

Tuesday, March 31st - Josh, Megan, Andrea, and I slept in, and then went off by ourselves together onto the buses and trams to figure out how to get places. The first bus we got on went the opposite direction we thought it would, but it was okay, because it took us to a beach. The beach wasn't very nice or anything but it was cool to see the sea. Then we got back on the bus and got off near Old Town. We walked around to many places taking many pictures that I will hopefully put up someday. We went to where Josh and Megan's apartment will be to see the surrounding areas (Andrea and I will live in apartments near them). Basically, we live by everything we will need and want to go to. Andrea and I move in to our apartment tomorrow!!! I am so excited to be here and to meet new people!

Leaving the World I Know

Tere (hello) everyone! This is Andrea (left) and myself (right) before leaving for Estonia. We leave Thursday, March 26 to Tallinn, Estonia. I'll be sad to leave all my friends here but it will be awesome to get there and start a new adventure. I'll try to write again soon after we get there. :)

Armu ja rahu (grace and peace),

Shera