Teachers day / How to learn Estonian

On Monday we had Teachers day- that means that all the teachers could stay at home and the lessons were given by the 12th graders. Unfortunately they were pretty much the same like normal lessons- an exception for that was English. We watched a video about education. About how school often fails to educate us, although education is so important. This video is really worth a watch, it made me so thoughtful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI

The weather is getting cold here. 0-7 degrees mostly. It's like a warm german winter. Brrrr. In the last two weeks my class has been busy with the preparations for the circus project. For the frame story we decided for an old woman, who tells her grandchild (played by me *feeling excited*) a story about her past, when she was working in a circus. We have a dances, magic tricks, livemusic... I think it's going to be awesome!

On the last weekend we had a meeting from YFU. We talked about how the first weeks have been, what problems we had, how we feel and so on. It was so great to see all the exchange students of my group again! Ma armastan vahetusõpilasi! ♥

My language skills are improving, at least I think so. For example I read a very easy children book yesterday and I didn't have to look up any word, because I understood everything out of the context and the pictures. Every little achievement in this language make me so happy! But when I try to speak in Estonian a bit, there are usually at least two mistakes in every sentences. (The Estonian sentence is also the corrected version)

The biggest problem for me is that you have to learn four forms of every noun... But if there should be anyone reading this, who is interested in learning Estonian, I can totally recommend to you the website keeleklikk.ee . You can create your own free account and learn with small videos and varied exercises. I am also using two textbooks:
Estnisch für Anfänger by Lextra: http://www.cornelsen.de/lextra/1.c.3092623.de

Estnisch Intensiv https://books.google.ee/books/about/Estnisch_intensiv_das_Lehrbuch_der_estni.html?id=yw97NwAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

But the last one is very taxing and I think it is maybe even too profound for an exchange year.
 I recently found a youtube channel, on which an Estonian girl explains some basic Estonian stuff, like the numbers. So if someone wants to know a bit more about this language, this playlist is perfect! :)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwzaKL53VjNZVSHAkwHJR31A2YfcBlvfh
(I am sorry for the many links)

Besides that I sometimes translate children books or AABITS. That's the book, Estonian first graders learn reading with and I am watching Estonian TV.

So we have autumn vacation next week (I have too many plans for only one week :D). Today is also the 16. of Oktober, that means that I am already here for two months. On the one hand I feel like I have been here forever and on the other as if I left Germany two weeks ago.

Estonian nature / Foxweek

On the weekend we visited my host aunt and her family who live in a house in the middle of the forest in Soomaa National Park in the South of Estonia. After we arrived, we took a long walk through the forest. In the deep woods there live bears and wolves, but you pretty much never see one of them.
Instead you can see blueberries and mushrooms, lining the edges of the pathes.
If you're alone you can only hear your own breath and the whispers of the tree tops, maybe one or two birds, which are chirping their songs.

like claws sticking out of the ground

just pick and eat. 

The biggest anthill I have ever seen!

The foxweek is a special Estonian tradition. The 10th graders are the foxes and the 12th graders their 'gods'. That practically means that the foxes are their slaves. Our foxweek only consisted out of two days. The first day was the Friday before we drove to the National park. We had to jump from classroom to classroom, do some squads and pushups in the breaks and got bottles sticked to our arms with tape. That was...painful for me, but really fun in the classes, because some couldn't write. 

I also got an agreement from my gods with things I had to do like bring them chocolate and take a selfie with my history teacher and put it on Instagram. The highlight of the foxweek should come on Monday.

As we came back from the South on Sunday I already was having a sore throat, but it wasn't bad and so I had fun with meeting two awesome exchange students, who live near me. We just talked and messed around and it was such a great day!

But on Monday morning I felt too bad to go to school. My sore throat turned out to be a tonsillitis (Mandelentzündung)-of course it couldn't have come at any other school day. That's why I missed on fox day and couldn't fulfill my agreement. So I spent a lazy week cuddled up in my bed, watching series and relaxing. I was alone all day and had too much time to think, so I felt a bit homesick and overwhelmed with the whole situation.

On Sunday I finally had recovered, so I baked cupcakes with my hostsister. After one week of illness it felt really great to be back in school and to see all my class mates again and the little down I have had was immediately gone. As long as I stay busy, I'm really happy to be here and I feel totally well and comfortable.

There are much more school events on my school than in Germany. 

We had a relay between the classes around the school house, where some classes wore costumes. My class deciced for aprons and gas masks (<this is the reason why we lost, but hey we had the best costumes :D)

Today was also a school concert. That means that two professionals (at least I think so) came to our school. A woman sang classical opera songs and another woman accompanied her on the piano.

My new life isn't new anymore. I got used to the small things. I got used to sleep in the new bed, I got used to hurry to the bus in the morning and to sleep there again. I got used to my class mates, got used to talk in English all the time. I got used to not to understand most things, which are spoken around me. I got used to eat warm lunch in school, I got used to come home and to be welcomed by our dog with loud barking, and jumping at me and wagging its tail.I got used to the TV, which is running all day and I got used to go for a walk with my host family and to much more. I got used to my new daily-routine.

 I'm arrived.