It's about time to write something again. I'm so sorry that I don't post more often, but I am so busy! I am usually home at 4 o'clock and I am so exhausted after school. Twice a week for 1 hour and a half I also have violin lessons at the small music school in our village. In Estonia you usually also learn how to play the piano, if you are learning the violin-so I have piano lessons for half an hour per week too. That makes me so happy, because I have wanted to learn this instrument anyway. Additional to the music classes I also have to study Estonian and for school, my days are certainly filled.
School. A topic I could write pages about. The students study so much here. It depends, of course, but usually they study 3 hours after school. I wouldn't say that the subjects are harder in general, they just have to learn much more by heart. I'm in the easier Math course (at least I think so), so it's really easy for me. I already have had all topics last year, it's just revision, but that's totally fine for me, so I can understand more. English however is harder for me, because we are only a small course, you have to pay attention every second. This is also the only course (besides Drama),in which the teacher really involves the students. In the other lessons the teaching is more frontal. The teacher talks, the students write, and sometimes the teacher tests a few students orally about the subject. If the whole class is asked, the students just shout/say/mumble the right answer. There is no thing like raising your hand like in Germany. And you call the teacher 'õpetaja' (=teacher), not Mrs.x. That's really useful in the beginning, when you don't know their names yet :D Between the lessons there is always a 10 minute break, after the 4th lesson is lunchtime for half an hour. Lunch is free at my school! The students change the shoes in the basements and they leave their jackets and the shoes in their spind. In school you wear 'school shoes', mostly ballerinas or snickers.
My favourite subjects are Filmindus and Drama. Last week our homework in Filmindus was to take several pictures, and we discussed them in the next lesson. The teacher also gave us more photography tipps.
The last Drama lesson was the best lesson I had so far. We improvised and I also had to do it, but it was really fun. I'm just going to try to play roles, which don't use much language like little children or grumpy old people or I have to do it in English and be pepared that I am the only one talking. Some people can't speak English that well (well har har)or just are too shy to do it.
I also attend the Informatics class although I don't have to, because my class teacher told me that it would be too difficult for me, so I thought they would programe things. But they don't. They do Exel, which I already have done in 8th grade in Germany, so I can join without having bigger problems.
What I like most about the school here is e-school. that's a website on which every student has its own profile. You can see all your homework, important messages and your grades there (your parents can see your profile too) I want to have that in Germany as well, it's much easier to stay organized!
Of course I can only talk about my school and I can compare the school only to my German school I attended. It's the same for everything in Estonia I compare with Germany.
On the last weekend I went to Tartu and Tallinn to go shopping there with exchange students.
In Tallinn I didn't have the chance to go into the old town, I spent the whole day in the shopping centre. As far as I know there are no shopping promenades here with small shops like I know it from Germany, just huge shopping centres. You also don't have the little bakerys here, you buy you're bread in the supermarket.
Now I am already a month here. One year ago I hadn't even come up with the idea for an exchange year. And now I am here. In Estonia, sitting at the desk in the living room, typing, living a new life.
 |
| Our garden |
 |
| Simuna-our neighbourhood |
 |
| I saw deers on my school way today!! Just about 10 metres from me one of them hopped across the street. I was so excited! |
 |
| Now the pictures of Tartu: |
 |
| I want to eat it all |
 |
| We bought all Pirukas we could find. They are like pasties. This one is with rice and carrots, but there are lots of variants |
 |
| A whole shop with cheapened sweets. Paradise. |
 |
| The train station |
 |
| market place of Tartu |
 |
| Theatre of Tartu |
 |
| old-fashioned |
