ros

Made this guy from my favorite Gerard Donelan comic

ha. relatable

jokes aside though, when it comes to the language:

Estonians are very understanding and patient, as long as you're polite about it. (I know this comes from a blog titled "estonian is horrible" but it was never supposed to be a popular blog.) They will appreciate you learning a few words, "how to order a beer" type phrases even if nothing else. You WILL fail with the pronunciation a lot of times, (especially with õ) but don't give up.

Even if you just learn "tere" "head päeva" "aitäh" "tänan" "perse" "kurat" "no niii" "issand jumal" "nägemist" "vabandust" and basic grocery item names and numbers and day names, you will make a large step towards making connections, and when you get back home you'll have a cool party trick.

Other survival tips:

you made it to March so the worst is over. just be ready that spring will be tricky and there will be many days when it's t-shirt weather at 1pm and winter jacket weather at 8pm

go to the restaurant V!!!! don't care if you aren't vegan, just book a table right now

you should try every grocery store to properly understand the culture

in case of Maxima, you will be transported to a very different world. you will come back changed

in case of Toidumaailm and Stockmann, your wallet's contents will be transported to a very different world. and not come back

you should most definitely hop on a random bus/tram/trolley and just take it to a random stop and not stare at your phone during the ride. (for safety reasons, do it in daylight because if you don't know how to blend in, night time in further ends of Kopli and Lasnamäe, while generally safer than they used to be, still might get unlucky)

try kama once

try mannapuder once

try kohuke. once a day

if you can afford it, look around for "kasitöö" stuff - both to bring home as souvenirs and to eat

also Biomarket has a bunch of weird cool stuff, on the pricier side

if you're ok with alcohol, go to Valli Baar and have a shot of "millimalikas" with friends

if you're out in the old town after 1am, go to "Levikas" (Levist Väljas) and ask for black tea (and be pleasantly surprised at the price)

even if you never do that usually, dress as fancy as your wardrobe allows and go to an ERSO concert once. "Oh I don't even like classical music." Don't care. You're in a different country, make memories.

when the weather is nice, and you have a friend with a car, go to the RMK website and find a random trail! If you want a trip out of town without a car, take a train to Aegviidu, there's one shorter trail right near the train station.

You can always go for a nature walk within Tallinn, obviously besides Kadriorg

visit KUMU and EKKM (if/when it reopens)

visit something in Kultuurikatel! truly a vibe

Power meets Izutsumi the cat devil. Together they completely decimate the local wildlife..