From Town Hall Square in Old Town Tallinn

I am sitting in Town Hall Square in Old Town Tallinn having just finished my coffee. I figure I should write about my journey to Estonia now before my thoughts on the experience are replaced by new experiences in Tallinn.

The plane ride was definitely the longest I have ever been on. I flew LOT Polish Airlines, which means I have heard more Polish in the last two days than in my entire life. On the plane I sat next to two nice women, one of whom was from the Ukraine and spoke a little English. The other did not, but we exchanged lots of smiles and hand gestures during our eight hours together. In fact when we were leaving she thanked me for helping her get her bags from the overhead compartment and grabbed my hand to pull me down for a kiss.

In front of each seat was a touch screen that allowed you to track the flight, watch movies, listen to music, play games, etc. As much as I tried to help the woman sitting next to me, the system seemed very perplexing to her.

On the plane we were given two nice meals and as far as airplane food goes, I am not complaining. I tried to sleep on the plane, knowing that it would be day time when I arrived, but despite my exhaustion, sleep was just not in the cards.

When I got to the airport in Warsaw I had to go through the passport check and security. I had to wait a little bit and my backpack had to be double checked after taking out more of my electronics, but all-in-all it was pretty simple.

After using the bathroom and buying a Polish candy bar and bottle of water I headed to the small terminal at the very back of the airport. You have no idea how happy I was to hear people speaking Estonian!

This second flight was rather short and I arrived at the airport with no problems. It is the smallest, quietest airport I have ever been in. I waited at what appeared to be the only baggage claim conveyor belt and retrieved my luggage. Just as I was wondering why I didn’t have to go through customs yet, an Estonian man pulled me aside. I was the only person going through customs and it was very quick. He checked my passport, put my luggage through the machine, asked me why I was here, and then sent me on my way. Definitely much simpler than going through customs in Jamaica!

Taking a taxi was super simple too. I checked into my hotel and then found a place to eat thanks to the suggestion of the hotel receptionist. Now after a goodnight’s sleep, an excellent breakfast, and a quick walk through Old Town, I am sitting people-watching and, I admit, eavesdropping a bit on the English-speaking tourists sitting at the next table. I can’t wait to meet up with my teacher from this summer and get shown around by a real Estonian. The later today I will be off to meet people at the US Embassy.

Pre-Departure Orientation

At the end of July I flew to DC for my Fulbright Pre-Departure Orientation. It was a wonderful experience and made entire adventure start to feel more real. We stayed in a very nice hotel right in Downtown DC and in my free time I was able to walk around a bit and even check out a few museums.

The best part of the orientation was the opportunity to meet and get to know some really great people. From the people I sat next to at breakfast and my roommate to my fellow Baltic Fulbrighters everyone had a fascinating story to share. I definitely made some connections that will be useful to me in the future and possibly turn into friendships as well.

I flew into Reagan Airport Sunday morning and was picked up by my Uncle who lives about thirty minutes out of DC in Fairfax, Virginia. Since there was nothing scheduled for Sunday except for check-in and registration I was able to spend the entire day with my uncle, my two younger cousins, and their grandma. It was a lot of fun and it was great to see them. We did a little bit of shopping and then walked around Old Town Alexandria, where we had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant. After dinner, they kindly dropped me off at my hotel to get settled.

I shared my room with another Fulbright Student heading off to Kosovo. She was also finishing up her doctoral dissertation and the orientation perhaps did not come at the best time for her. That first night I went with her to grab some dinner (even though I had already eaten with my family). We had great conversation about all our various travels and experiences and also talked about our projects. She got me thinking a little deeper about what my research would entail and gave me some great advice as well. I slept like a baby that night.

Monday morning started off with breakfast and a welcome and then we split off by region. All the Fulbrighters to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were grouped together with a “Baltic expert”. While the talk was not quite what I expected, it was a very informative session about the history of the region and its current relation with Russia. The speaker later sent us a suggested reading list with some books that I absolutely intend to look into.

The orientation also consisted of a considerable amount of time with the other people heading off to Estonia and two returning Fulbrighters from Estonia. This was, without a doubt, the most beneficial time for me. There is one other student who is going to live in Tallinn and research art history, and three Fulbright Scholars (one to Tallinn and two to Tartu). While I will be the only one in Viljandi this year, the returning Scholar had taught dance at the Viljandi Culture Academy and was extremely helpful. The other returning Fulbrighter was an artist who had spent most of her time in Tallinn. I had the chance to talk with both of them and hear about there experiences. I was surprised to learn that I was the only one at the table who had never been to Estonia before. It seems that the Fulbright Scholars had all spent a considerable amount of time there and were able to offer quite a bit of insight, themselves. I have never been in a room with so many people interested in Estonia before (it really is a rare occurrence).

One session (that was apparently new this year) was the “discipline round-table discussions”. This was an opportunity for everyone in the arts (dance, theater, art, music, film, etc.) to come together and share their experiences and concerns about working in their respective fields abroad. It was great to have so many artists in the same room. I mostly listened and although the conversation mostly revolved around teaching at a foreign institution, it was incredibly informative.

I also was able to spend some time getting to know the group of Latvian Fulbrighters. They are all such intelligent, unique, and friendly people. We have decided that we (the Baltic Fulbrighters) will try to get together throughout the year to travel and explore the region together. I am very much looking forward to seeing them all again. I could go on and on about all the things I learned in these two days, but I will save something for my next post. All in all it was a fantastic experience and invaluable opportunity for face-to-face networking that was a great kickstart preparation for the beginning of my grant.

Some of the Baltic Fulbrighters at the Botanic Garden

We waited in line to see the stinky flower (the titan arum that only blooms every seven years for one day)

Dinner and drinks after walking around DC

Jaanipäev

Jaanipäev or Saint John’s Day, is one of the most important holidays for Estonia and the other Baltic states. It is usually celebrated during the night between June 23rd and 24th, during the summer solstice when the sun never sets. Jaanipäev was celebrated long before Christianity came to Estonia, but it was given its name later by the crusaders (even though the day tends to have more to do with pagan beliefs and fertility rituals than with going to church). Everyone celebrates Jannipäev, because, I’ve heard, if you sleep on Jannipäev you will be sleepy all summer. The celebration almost always consists of a bonfire, singing, dancing, drinking, and a few special rituals. The first midsummer ritual is to jump over the bonfire which guarantees good luck and prosperity. The fire also keeps away mischievous spirits. It is tradition for couples to jump over the fire together as well. On Jaanipäev children are sent to look for “fern blossoms” because ferns supposedly blossom only on this night. Girls also make crowns of wildflowers to wear.

The BALSSI program was invited to join in on the Jaanipäev festivities held at the Lithuanian house this year. We had a rather large bonfire, so jumping over it was not at all a consideration. We made and wore wildflower crowns and had lots of good food and conversation. The timing worked out well because we were able to bring some leftovers from our picnic the day before to share. Our three classes along with our teachers performed three songs for everyone; one in Estonian, one in Latvian, and one in Lithuanian. I especially enjoyed learning a Lithuanian dance and game. It was great to see people, young and old, come together to celebrate their culture.

Performing our songs for the Lithuanians

The Latvian class infront of the unlit bonfire

The lighting of the bonfire

Thank you again to Liz for the photos!

Nädala Üks on Lõppenud! (Week One is Complete!)

I survived my first week of learning Estonian. I am really enjoying the class, I like my classmates, and our teacher is pretty great (she has a good sense of humor as well). The class is moving fairly quickly, but at the same time it is relaxed and I don’t feel too overwhelmed. I am amazed by how much I can already say in Estonian. At this point it is difficult, but manageable. However, I expect that it is about to get a lot more difficult. Tomorrow we are supposed to start learning the 14 cases in Estonian.

In addition to my Estonian class, the Summer Language Institute offers some cultural/social opportunities. For instance every Monday and Wednesday there is a yoga class. I decided to go this week, despite how tired I was after five hours of class. I think it was a little intense for my taste. I have never been to a yoga class where we did pushups with one foot in the air. SLI also shows movies from different countries on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesday I went to see a Polish film called “80 Million” about Solidarity activists trying to withdraw money from their own bank account when Poland was under Soviet Communism. It was certainly very interesting. The movie that was being shown on Thursday was a Slovak film called “Music”. After contemplating whether to go or not for about half an hour, my friend from class and I decided to study for our test on Friday instead.

The test went very well and I got an A. The four hours I spent studying for it were probably more than was necessary. On the other hand I’m not really studying Estonian to pass a test or even to pass a class; I am studying to learn as much as I possibly can before heading off to Estonia in a few months.

Every Friday SLI does a picnic called “Happy Hour”. Every week a different language group cooks traditional food from their country for the rest of the program. This Friday was Polish Happy Hour. We had pierogi, potato salad, some sort of open faced sandwich, and gingerbread cookies/biscuits. The pierogi were definitely my favorite. I am looking forward to Baltic Happy Hour when I will learn how to cook food from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. This Friday the three Baltic language classes also got together to watch “The Singing Revolution”. I think this was the third time I’d seen the documentary, but I was happy to watch it again. The last time I watched it with my dad because he was interested to learn more about this country I wouldn’t shut up about. It is the movie that, in a way, initiated my interest in Estonian folk music. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a little about Estonia’s history of occupation.

Photo by: Real Epicurean

My First Day of BALSSI

BALSSI stands for Baltic Studies Summer Institute. I learned today that BALSSI moves around to different universities every few summers. That explains why when my friend Kevin attended the program it was held in Wisconsin. This year it is hosted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Summer Language Institute for the second year.

My morning started with orientation at 8:30. Basically I got to meet the other students studying Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian this summer, the instructors, and hear some details about the program. The other languages taught at Pittsburgh are Russian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Bulgarian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Turkish, Ukranian, and Slovak. Quite the spread.

When the orientation finished up we had a little over three hours before class started. Class is from 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-3:00, but because it was the first day only the afternoon session met. The guy I was sitting next to at orientation was going to be in my class. Since he needed to get his student ID and I knew where to go (I had already gotten mine), I showed him the way. Then since we had time to kill (which I’m sure will not happen again after today due to how much homework I will have) we decided to explore a bit. We stopped at a local coffee shop and then walked around. We discovered (as I had anticipated) that trying to walk to the downtown area resulted in a dead end when you reached the highway. The good news is with my Pitt ID I can use any public transportation for free. I’ll definitely have to make a trip on the weekend.

After grabbing some lunch and confirming that the strange domed buildings we saw from the top of the Cathedral of Learning (world’s 2nd tallest academic building) were in fact greenhouses, we headed to class (with some very tired feet). There are three of us in the Estonian class (myself and two others). I am definitely excited about the personal attention I’ll be getting, but perhaps a little intimidated as well. Even though we only worked on vowel pronunciation and a few basic phrases, I can see I am going to like my teacher. It is clear why Estonian is considered one of the more difficult languages to learn…14 cases (for verbs and nouns) and words like “aiaääres” that have 5 vowels in a row! I definitely have my work cut out for me. I’m looking forward to really diving in tomorrow.

My dorm room for the next six weeks

The Cathedral of Learning

Through the windows of the Cathedral

The view from the top

Christopher Columbus, of course!

Ready for my first day!

Catching Trade Winds

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain

I am EXHAUSTED! Today was my travel day to Pittsburgh. I didn’t sleep at all last night and then got to Bradley International Airport for my 6 AM flight. I had a short layover at Dulles and then arrived in Pittsburgh. (Both planes were those little tiny ones that you have to walk outside to get on. I think this was also my first time on a propeller plane). Everything went smoothly for the most part. As I was walking up to baggage claim my bag was coming out right in front of me. Then I headed to the shuttle that would take me to the University. I found it without a problem and only had to wait a couple of minutes for the next shuttle. The driver dropped me off at Panther Central where I checked in and got my student ID.

Now here’s the part of my trip that was a bit of a challenge. I had to walk from where I checked in to Pennsylvania Hall where I am living. It’s not a long walk, but it seemed like it took an eternity. Let me back up a little. I am at last minute packer. Since I was flying I had a lot off stuff to fit into one suitcase. So yesterday my mom and I went out and bought the biggest suitcase I could find. At 2 AM when I had finally finished packing, I was lying in bed worry that my bag would not meet the 50 pound weight limit. So I went through it again pulling things out and hoping it wouldn’t be too heavy. Alas, when we got to the airport my bag was about 7 pounds over. I did not want to be that person franticly going through their luggage while holding up the line. I was that person. Because, you see, I also did not want to pay $100 for 7 pounds. I stuffed my hairdryer and my laptop charger into my already loaded backpack and sent my mom back with my shampoo and some clothes. In the end my bag was 50.5 pounds. I wish I were a light packer. I like the concept, it just never seems to work out that way.

Anyway, after figuring out where my dorm was I started to drag my 50 pound suitcase, backpack, and violin through Oakland and up the mammoth hill to my dorm. I don’t know what was worse the hills, the multiple flights of stairs, or the heat. I think I’m going to be sore tomorrow, but I made it! My calf muscle are going to be huge after six weeks of walking up this hill.

Alrighty, enough complaining. I am so excited to be living in Pittsburgh! I have never spent a considerable amount of time in a city and I think now is the perfect time. I can’t wait to start my Estonian class tomorrow too! I found out this week that I am going to take classes in Viljandi after all (I will give more details soon). Which means I really have to work hard since I will be studying at the graduate level in Estonian. Tomorrow morning starts off with orientation for the Summer Language Institute. I had my two weeks sitting at home after graduation now it’s time to start doing and start living. No regrets!

Estonian Traditional Music Center

Photos by: www.folk.ee

My Fulbright project is about folk music and the impact that traditional music has on the culture of Estonia. However, it is also about education in Estonia and how folk music is taught. Part of my plans were to be involved at the Estonian Traditional Music Center that is located in Viljandi.

Estonian Traditional Music Center is a countrywide, independent, open, and innovative non-profit association which promotes and organizes folk music hobby education, promotes live folk music, follows the folk music curriculum of the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, and operates as a partner and an information center for all the Estonian music schools, associations, folk bands, folk groups, solo artists, and folk music enthusiasts.
Since spring 2008, Estonian Traditional Music Centre is located in the renovated storehouse in the Viljandi Castle Hills. Estonian Traditional Music Centre also launched the non-formal educational centre August Pulst School and opened the Traditional Music Centre Library.

Although I have been talking about it for a while, I had not actually heard back from the people there until this week. Yesterday I received an email from the Head of the August Pulst School and the Head of Studies saying that I would be “most welcome”. This is really important to my project because it will allow me to observe and participate in courses so that I can see first hand how folk music is taught in the community. I may also have the opportunity to learn two different traditional Estonian instruments: the talharpa and the kannel.

The talharpa is a four-stringed bowed lyre or bowed harp that has tuning similar to a fiddle. The instrument is played with an arrow-shaped bow and is held on or between the knees. It has a rectangular body and the strings are made of horsehair of sheep intestines. The talharpa probably came to Estonia in the 13th and 14th centuries, brought by the Swedes who settled in the islands and coastal areas.

The kannel is the oldest traditional Estonian instrument. It has supposedly been around for approximately two thousand years. This type of instrument is common in Baltic Finn and northwestern Russian cultures. There are four kinds of kannel: small kannel, modern kannel, harmony kannel, and chromatic kannel. It is most likely that I would be learning the small kannel (or zither), so I will tell you about that. It is a shaped like a trapezoid and hollowed out of one plank of wood. It is often made of fir, but can also be pine, linden, or birch. The small kannel has only six or seven strings made of horse hair, sheep intestines, or wire.

What’s Next?

There are a few questions that I hear a lot when I tell people I got a Fulbright to Estonia. The first: “Where’s that?!”

Photo by: http://wanttoknowit.com/

Another question I get is: “Does that get you a degree or a job or something?” Answering this one is not as easy as pointing to a map of the part of Europe no one ever noticed. Some people do finish their Fulbright grants with a graduate degree of some sort. However, the fact that most of the classes at the Viljandi Culture Academy are taught in Estonian and I will only have studied the language for six weeks officially, makes this implausible for me (not to mention that most Master’s programs in music take more than one academic year). So the short answer is no. Being a Fulbright Student will make me more marketable though. I have been told Fulbrighters are often accepted into graduate programs that would have otherwise been a reach.

Originally my plan was to apply to grad school and Fulbright simultaneously. That way I would have a backup plan or just defer enrollment for a year. What actually happened is that I put so much time and effort into the Fulbright application that by the time October 17th rolled around I was a little burnt out. Plus I needed to focus on my classes because graduating with a Bachelor’s is somewhat of a prerequisite for grad school.

Although I do plan to go through with getting a Connecticut teacher certification so that looking for a teaching position will always be an option, I think I would like to go straight to grad school after my year in Estonia. I have put a little thought into it and I have decided I want to go into ethnomusicology. It is really where my interests lie right now and is also the most compatible with my research in Estonia. This way the work that I do the first couple of months of my Fulbright, I can also use to apply to grad school. It’s amazing that now I am seriously considering schools like Harvard (where I would work directly towards a PhD), that I never would have dreamt of before. Right now I have a very limited idea of what schools have good ethnomusicology programs, so if you have any advice I’m all ears!

What is ethnomusicology? Here is how the Society of Ethnomusicology explains it:

Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its cultural context. Ethnomusicologists approach music as a social process in order to understand not only what music is but why it is: what music means to its practitioners and audiences, and how those meanings are conveyed.

Ethnomusicology is highly interdisciplinary. Individuals working in the field may have training in music, cultural anthropology, folklore, performance studies, dance, cultural studies, gender studies, race or ethnic studies, area studies, or other fields in the humanities and social sciences. Yet all ethnomusicologists share a coherent foundation in the following approaches and methods:

1) Taking a global approach to music (regardless of area of origin, style, or genre).

2) Understanding music as social practice (viewing music as a human activity that is shaped by its cultural context).

3) Engaging in ethnographic fieldwork (participating in and observing the music being studied, frequently gaining facility in another music tradition as a performer or theorist), and historical research.

My New Toy

Photo by: http://www.dphotojournal.com/

Normally I don’t just go out and buy something like this after thinking about it for just a couple of days. Because I am leaving for Pittsburgh in two weeks, however, I didn’t want to order something online and then have to wait for shipping. I also have enough to research, so I didn’t really do my homework on this one. I just went out and bought a Canon PowerShot A4000 IS. It was one of the cheapest ones in the store (about $99). It probably doesn’t take THE best pictures and it doesn’t have a whole lot of features, but it’s definitely a step up from the camera on my phone. I can’t wait to start taking pictures of my adventures!

In other news, I got a letter today from the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) congratulating me on my Fulbright award. It did not give me any more information, but it’s always nice to get mail from the UN.

Tomorrow, I will be interviewed about my Fulbright for the first time. My alma mater (I love that I can say that now!) is doing a little article about me. I am excited and a little nervous. At graduation last week I was interviewed by a local news station (not about getting the Fulbright) and I kind of stumbled over my words a little bit. I think this one will go better because there won’t be any cameras and let’s face it, I’ve been talking about Fulbright for over a year now. I just wish my plans were a little more solidified so I could be more specific about what I will be doing in Estonia. Anyway, I’m sure it will go fine and once it is written I will post a link to the article.

Say Cheese!

I have decided that I need a better camera than my iPhone for when I go to Estonia. So I think I am going to buy a new digital camera. I don’t need anything too fancy…because as much as would love that, I can’t afford fancy. Plus I want something compact that I can take everywhere with me. I’m thinking maybe the Canon PowerShot, but perhaps I’ll go to Best Buy and play with a few cameras to see what I like. Any suggestions?