Estonia 101

Spring Days in Tartu

2009-04-11T13:10:00.009+03:00

Kevad on käes! - Spring is at hand, so all Estonians celebrate the warm weather.
In Tartu, the city stops during a week with the traditional Student Spring Days.

During the weekend, there are many concerts, competitions, and events for young people to celebrate! Take a look at some of the events in the 2009 Program:

Wednesday - Wet T-shirt Competition
Thursday - Downhill Box car racing
Sunday - Red Bull Flying Machines

Or you can see the pictures from the events of previous years, like:

Wet T-shirt competition

Female Mud Fight

Beer cage climbing

Bambus - Downhill kart racing

Red Bull Flying Machines

Sounds Interesting? All this together with a great mood, beer and food waits you in the city of good thoughts

Tourism in Estonia - How to Shop Tax Free

2009-02-21T16:02:00.000+02:00

If you are traveler residing in a non-EU country, you can get back the VAT (18% in Estonia) payed when you bring your purchased items back home. When buying something big, like electronics, this can be a big discount!

First, if you want the money back, make sure you buy your item in a store with the "TAX FREE" sign, and ask for the shop to fill a Refund Cheque! (You might need to show your passport for filling the form)

Second, when leaving Estonia, or leaving EU, show your purchases, receipt and passport to a Customs Office and get your refund Cheque stamped. (Can be done before or after check-in in airports).

Last, show your Stamped Refund Cheque and passport to a Refund Office before leaving EU (usually every international airport has one) and ask for the credit in your credit card or the refund in cash! (If you want cash, you can get the amount converted to the local currency, or in Euros).

Easy! But there's some tricks. You have 3 months after the purchase to ask for the refund, and there's a minimum purchase value for asking the tax refund. For Estonia, this value is 2000 eek (around 180 U$D).

Have you ever got your tax money back? Was it easy? Add your info in the comments!

Working in Estonia - Tax Declaration

2009-02-16T12:03:00.000+02:00

Estonia is famous for E-Government, flat income tax rate, decreasing since 2004 (21% in 2008). From February 15 till March 31, Estonians fill their Tax Report (Online at Maksu- ja Tolliamet - Estonian Tax and Customs Board), in order to receive their tax refund (within 5 working days!).
Unfortunately, the Online Form is available only in Estonian or Russian, but with some easy steps, you also can make your Tax Declaration!

Login using your ID-Card/Phone ID-Card or Bank account.
Click on "Tuludeklaratsioonid", then "2008".
Review your personal data, typing the current address at "Postiaadress". Click "Salvesta", then click "Edasi".
Verify your income and tax data, and add your deductions. Usually, all the information is filled and correct, it means you can simply click on "Edasi".
Review all the entered information. Everything should be fine, just press "Edasi". You can go to previous pages pressing "Tagasi".
The total of tax refund you will receive will be written, and you can see the refund calculation by pressing "Vaata arvutuskäiku". Here you verify your banking data, where your refund will be deposited. There will be 2 checkboxes, leave them blank. Click on "Edasi".
Last page, where you review Bank data, and clicking on "Kinnita" and then OK, you finished your Tax Declaration. Now just wait for the Tax Refund money! Easy, isn't?

IMPORTANT DATES

6 February – you can view the pre-populated income tax return in the e-Tax Board. Check the data and amend or update them if necessary.

16 February – submission of pre-populated electronic income tax returns from the website of the Tax and Customs Board starts.

26 February – refunding overpaid income tax on the basis of the electronically submitted income tax returns starts.

31 March – final deadline for submission of income tax returns. You can submit the tax return electronically or on paper.

1 July or 1 October – the final deadline for returning overpaid income tax if the tax return is subject to additional inspection. The Tax Board will inform you about the need for additional inspection from the day following the day you submitted your tax return.

If you want, you can review or re-enter the Tax Form, on the same website. Did yo have any problems, any doubts? Add your comments!

Winter in Estonia - Ski Marathon

2009-02-14T13:39:00.003+02:00

It's Winter in Estonia! It means Winter Sports time!
If you already practiced Ice Skating and Skiing, it's time for the ultimate winter challenge - Run a Winter Cross Country Ski Marathon!

38. Tartu Maraton (15.02.09) - 63/31km (Classic Style)
Tartu Ski Marathon, the most important winter marathon of Estonia, hosted in Tartu region every year, from Otepää to Elva. This year, with more than 5000 participants.

XII Tallinn Suusamaraton (22.02.09) - 48/24km (Open Style)
Tallinn Ski Marathon, happens every year in Harju region (near Aegvidu, a small village 55km away from Tallinn), presents a little easier challenge.

So, have you ever run a marathon? Over snow? Add your comments!

Winter in Estonia - Skiing

2009-01-31T18:39:00.008+02:00

Estonia is a very popular resort for Skiing!
But as the highest mountain of Estonia is only 318 meters high, we are talking about Cross Country Ski!.
This sport is very popular in Estonia, and on the last Winter Olympic Games, all Estonian gold medals were in Cross-Country Skiing!

In Tallinn, there are many winter tracks for Cross-Country Skiing. Renting of the full equipment (boots, skis and poles) is available for good prices (usually 50 eek), and if you have your own equipment, you can just come and ski as long as you want for free!

Nõmme Sport Center (Külmallika 15) - Nõmme Sport Center is open every day (08.00 - 22.00) and has 4 tracks for cross country skiing in Winter (from 1 km till 5 km). The access is not easy by buss or public transport, but has well kept and illuminated tracks, and places for beginners to practice. See the temperature and amount of snow in Nõmme (in Estonian).

Pirita Sport Center (Rummu tee 3) - Pirita Sport Center is open everyday (10:00 - 20:00) and has 2 tracks for cross country skiing (2km and 4km). With easier access by public transportation, but not so easy tracks for beginners. See the temperature and amount of snow in Pirita (in Estonian).

By the way, did you know that every winter, the FIS (International Ski Federation) hosts the Cross-Country Ski World Cup in Otepää, the "Winter Capital" of Estonia?

Do you have any other good places to ski in Tallinn? Tell us in the comments!

Winter in Estonia - Ice Skating

2009-01-25T18:29:00.008+02:00

One of the pleasures of winter is to engage in Winter Sports. In Estonia, you have many places where you can try Ice Skating all year around, but only during winter you can try ice skating in open air, like in frozen lakes in town, or if you are more adventurous, in the frozen baltic sea. (Yeah, it freezes, and usually each winter there are official driving roads from the mainland to the islands).

Jeti Ice Hall, near the Ülemiste Center, has many indoors ice rinks available for Ice Skating, Figure Skating, Curling and Ice Hokey.

The Linnahall Ice Hall is a ice skating rink closer to the city center, but open only on Fridays and weekends.

The Old Town Outdoor Skating Rink is open only during winters, but there you can skate every day of the week from 10:00 to 22:00. You can even check out how many people is skating with the Skate Rink WebCam.

In Tartu, there's Liuväli, a full size skating arena in LõunaKeskus, with the best ice rink, but you have the check the schedule, not all the hours are available for ice skating, as they have Hokey trainings and Figure Skating.

But if you are looking for more, why not Ice Skate on the Frozen Baltic Sea? 360.ee offers Ice Skating in Big Open spaces, like many of the Estonian big lakes or in Baltic Sea, between Haapsalu and Vormsi. Be prepared to skate for more than 4h, more than 20km, in a wild and beautiful scenario, surrounded by ice and Estonian Nature. See what kind of adventures you can do in some of their online pictures (Estonian language required)...

... Or you can check my pictures when I was skating in the Baltic Sea!

Do you have any comments on Ice Skating in Estonia? Leave your opinion below on the comments!

Head Uut Aastat!

2009-01-01T23:35:00.003+02:00

That's Estonian for Happy New Year!
Or if you want in Russian, С Новым Годом!

And if you want to see how is a winter day in Estonia,
this was the Last Day of 2008 in Tallinn!

31.08.2008: Temperature average -1°c, day of 6h and 12min (sunrise at 9:18, sunset at 15:30).

More info in TimeAndDate.com and weather.com websites.

Introduction

2008-06-10T13:33:00.006+03:00

Tere (Hi)!

This is a tool for anyone that wants to come, lives in, or just want to know more about Estonia.

The starting point is Estonia in Wikipedia, but if you want something less veridical, there's Estonia on Uncyclopedia. For a closer look, check also the official tourism info website.

Here you will find information about Estonian and Estonians, Culture, Language, Geography, Economics, History, and anything that is useful to understand better Estonia, for foreigners like me. That's why English is the main language (but don't be scared if you find some Estonian words).

I'm a Brazilian, living and working in Tartu - Estonia since 2006. I think I have some experience to share about Estonia, and I'm open to discussion. If you have a better idea, or you disagree, comment!

Traveling to Estonia - By Plane

2008-06-11T12:11:00.007+03:00

If you want to come to Estonia by plane, Tallinn has an airport (called Tallinna Lennujaam) very close to the city center (4km), with very fast connections by city bus or taxis to the city center! If it's your first time, it might be the best choice. Plus, the airport has free wireless internet! :)

- Estonian Air
The National Airlines flies from Tallinn to many European capitals and cities.
In the website (in Estonian, English and Russian) you can book and pay with local bank cards or international credit cards. Prices are good if you book in advance, and you can have a interesting taste of Estonia, with blond flight attendants, surrounded by Estonian language.

- EasyJet
A British low cost Airline that connects Tallinn with daily flights to London (£19.99) and Berlin (€19.99).
It's cheap, but with some gotchas: Hand luggage price not included (cost by piece); Extra luggage (more than 20kg) is veeery expensive (cost by extra kilo, watch out!); Payment adds extra costs (if you can, pay with visa debit cards, it's cheaper).
The website, and the whole service, is done in almost all European languages, and don't be surprised if you find a flight attendant that speaks your language.

There are more airlines working in Tallinn, like the Finnish Finnair, Latvian Air Baltic, Dutch KLM and German Lufthansa, but it all depends where you are coming from, and what you want. If you are looking for the cheapest way, I recommend getting to Europe first (London, Berlin, or other European capital), and then with one or two flights you are in Tallinn.

Traveling to Estonia - By Plane II

2008-06-12T11:27:00.012+03:00

So, you want to come to Estonia, but using a more adventurous route?

Why not come from one of the neighbors countries? Now that Estonia is in Schengen, you can travel to Helsinki or Riga (cities with bigger Airports) and then come to Estonia easily.

Finland

Helsinki is separated only by 80 kilometers of Baltic sea from Tallinn (some say that on bright summer days, one can see Helsinki from Tallinn TV Tower) and the Vantaa Airport has very good connections with many cities in the world. Like in Tallinn, Port of Helsinki is very close to the city center, with great transport service. Finland use Euros, and you can easily communicate in English with anyone. Just remember that Finland has Nordic prices (more expensive than the Baltics).

- FinnAir
The biggest Finnish Airline, with good prices and service. Offers destinations to North America (New York and Toronto), Europe and Asia.

Latvia

Riga, considered the hub of Baltics, is around 300Km from Tallinn. There you find more airlines (and more low cost airlines). But pay attention to some details:
- Latvia currency is Lats (1 Lat is aproximately 1.5 Euro).
- It's harder to get by with only English in Latvia (speaking Russian helps);
- Riga has a Bus Station right next to the city center, but the Riga Airport is not so close. You have to go by bus or taxi (and it can get expensive);

- Air Baltic
The biggest Latvian Airline, with good prices and service. Connects Riga to more than 50 cities in Africa, Asia and Europe (also many cities in Russia).

- Ryan Air
A Irish low cost Airline that connects Riga with some European cities like London, Milan, Frankfurt and Stockholm. You can find tickets for 1 euro (plus taxes), but be careful with traps, like extra luggage.

So, here you are! With more choices, you can enjoy a different trip, and spending some time at the neighbors capitals you should be able to answer: Estonia looks more like a Baltic country,or a Nordic country?

2008-06-12T15:45:00.003+03:00

Last weekend was a beautiful knock at summer’s doors. The sun beamed joyous rays relentlessly onto a sparsely populated park in Tallinn, Estonia. Lying at the water’s edge with gentle calling of birds and crashing waves acting as an ambient to the usual city sounds, the wind was blowing ever so gently (the most perfect of speeds), not too fast to give you chills and also not to slow so that the Sun slowly raised your body temperature to an uncomfortable level, but at a perfect pace. A couple of beers that had been bought before at the local store around the corner had been opened and were being passed around to be shared with friends. The cold bottle glistened as they touched the warm air and as I looked up at the beautiful blue sky, noticing the slight intricacies of the clouds that made my imagination run wild with shapes of cats, dogs, and dragons—I took my first sip of my beer. I put the beer down and lay on my back for a minute or two. It could have been a lifetime, for time had stopped, and I became entranced into my self-spun web of thoughts. I contemplated the future, the past, the people that I have met that weekend, and most of all, I contemplated how much Estonia has changed me. To use words like ‘good’ or ‘bad’ seem shallow to try to describe my feelings. I believe that words would fall rather short of how I really felt, and to be completely honest, I don’t think it is a feeling that can be felt anywhere else in the world.

Estonia is a beautiful place. Most of the time I am to wrapped up in my own world to see it, but it is moments like this that cut through everything inside of me and just brand me with happiness. It is times like these that I am reminded of the wonderful friends who have turned into my new family and the wonderful strangers I have yet to meet here. I look forward to the journey that is on front of me. That path is long and hard with many obstacles and I still have miles to go, but sometimes I can rest on the side of that road with people on the same journey and just take it all in with one breath then exhale the experiences out and feel a renewed sense of hope and optimism for the past, present, and future. These are the moments that truly make me happy—the moments that are collectively shared that lie beyond the realm of known communication.

Christopher P Kedzierski

USA - Estonia

Traveling to Estonia - By Land

2008-06-13T13:27:00.003+03:00

If you don't live so far from Estonia, or you want to appreciate the landscape of a road travel, you can come to Estonia by the freshly renovated European roads. :)
Estonia has land borders with Russia and Latvia, so check your route to avoid crossing borders unnecessarily.

By Bus

- Eurolines
European bus travel network, connects 500 cities in Europe. Very good service, you can buy tickets in bus stations or by their website. Prices are not always cheaper than train or plane, but offers discounts for seniors, students, children and groups.

- EcoLines
A Latvian bus travel network that connects 145 cities in Europe. With less lines to Estonia, but different time tables, and sometimes cheaper prices.

By Car

If you like to drive, Estonia is not far away from you! You can take a ferry from Finland, Germany or Sweden (maybe Norway and Denmark also), and then drive your way in the Baltic countries. If you have a motor-home, or just like to drive in your vacations, its a good idea (specially in summer, because in winter, expect to use winter tires and very slow and slippery roads).

Some friends traveled from Spain to Estonia, in 2 winter days (almost) non-stop driving! Crossing France, sleeping in Germany, crossing Poland, trying (unsuccessfully) to get a shortcut from Belarus (remember that so far Europeans need visa to enter there) and all way up the Baltics to Tartu, the city of good thoughts!

So, do you have a good driving route to Estonia? Let me know in the comments!

Working in Estonia - Minimum Wage

2008-06-16T10:11:00.014+03:00

If you are coming to Estonia for work, it's good to know how much you can earn. Estonia has a minimum wage defined by law since 2002. This year the minimum wage for a full-time job (40h/week) is is 4 350 eek (278 euros). You can see the evolution of this value (bruto, in euros) in comparison with other European countries:

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Estonia	118.0	138.0	159.0	172.0	191.7	230.1	278.0
Latvia	107.0	116.0	121.0	116.0	129.2	172.0	229.4
Lithuania	120.0	125.0	125.0	145.0	159.3	173.8	231.7
Romania	62.0	73.0	69.0	72.0	90.2	114.3	141.4
Bulgaria	51.0	56.0	61.0	77.0	81.8	92.0	112.5
Belgium	1163.0	1163.0	1186.0	1210.0	1234.0	1259.0	1309.6

Statistics Estonia (Eesti Statistika) is a government agency at the area of administration of the Ministry of Finance. To see other European countries minimum wages, check Minimun Wages in Europe page in their web site, or the Eurostat web page.

Working in Estonia - Searching for a job

2008-06-18T12:17:00.006+03:00

So, you are a skilled professional and decided to work in Estonia. Where to start?

First, add you curriculum to the main Estonian job seeking websites:

CV Online
A very good database of jobs of Estonia and the Baltics. You can add your CV and search for opportunities in English, as well as Estonian and Russian (for free). Plus, they have a very interesting feature for registered users: Salary Wizard! You select some options to describe your job position, put your current salary, and compare with others in the same categories anonymously, so you can see if you are making less than others in the same field!

CV Keskus
A good job database for Estonia, with plenty information in English. CV Market started in year 2000 as a e-recruitment company in Estonia. Part of CV Market group, offers jobs also in Latvia, Lithuania, Czech, Netherlands, Hungary and Poland.

Some other options (harder, though) are the Labour Market Board, and to search in Estonian newspapers; Eesti Päevaleht group has the Hyppelaud, Eesti Ekspress has the EkspressJob. Be aware, it requires Estonian language.

Eures
Finally, the European Job Mobility Portal offers a high level database in all European languages, and its worth the visit. Maybe you find some good opportunities in Estonia there. As described in the website, "Job vacancies in 31 European countries, CVs from interested candidates, what you need to know about living and working abroad and much more brought to you by the EURES network."

You already know about the average salaries (bruto), but how much will you make? Estonia has a fixed income tax rate (21% in 2008), and you can calculate your neto salary, with all tax discounts in this Palga kalkulaator. Just type your bruto salary and click on 'Arvuta'. They explain in details your salary (in Estonian), how much goes for the government, etc.

Traveling to Estonia - By Sea

2008-06-19T12:49:00.007+03:00

Estonia has connections with many countries by the Baltic Sea, with very nice and calm boat trips to many cities (sometimes a little rough and bumpy in autumn). You can bring also your car or motorcycle, if you would like to drive around Estonia (many Finnish come with their motor-homes).
Tallinn Port (Tallinna Sadam) is located quite in the city center, with a beautiful view to the Old Town. In their website you can find more information about ferry companies and timetables. Usually, you can book and buy tickets for ferries in their company websites or in travel agencies all around Estonia.

Tallink
Estonian company that operates ferries between Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Germany. Unfortunately, website only in Estonian language, but there you can book the tickets and find discounts and season-offers, which are great (like a day-cruise from Tallinn to Stockholm for 500 eek). But you can always go to their office or call and talk in English.

Viking Line
A Finnish company that has ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki, part of a bigger network that offers 5 Ferry routes to Estonia from Sweden, Finland, Germany and Russia. Website in English and Estonian.

Eckeroline
A smaller Finnish company that has ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki, and cheaper prices (my local friends who travel frequently to Finland usually take this one). Website in English and Estonian.

Traveling to Estonia - By Land II

2008-06-25T17:49:00.004+03:00

Estonia has a good rail system, and is connected to Russia and (not directly) to Latvia. If you are coming from Russia, why not take a comfortable overnight train to Tallinn, specially when the Rail station (Balti jaam) is located in front of the Old Town, providing you a beautiful view on arrival.

Go Rail
Estonian rail company, daily trains from Tallinn to St. Petersburg and Moscow. The website (in Estonian and Russian) has timetables and prices, but you can buy tickets only at the rail station. To find good seats, you need to book the tickets in advance (specially if its near weekends or holidays). The train has different seat categories, and prices varies during the seasons, starting at 300 eek (Tallinn - St. Petersburg) or 600 eek (Tallinn - Moscow).

So, with all this options (by Air, Land, or Sea), what is the best way to get to Estonia? Tell us about your experiences in the comments.

Dangerous Estonia - Tick

2008-06-26T14:05:00.004+03:00

Long sunny days (with some rain), warm weather, it's summer in Estonia. Perfect time for being outside, enjoying Estonian sun and nature. But nothing is perfect, and you should be aware of one of the biggest danger in Estonia - Ticks.

Puuk (in estonian) are very small and usually live in thick grasses or forests (sometimes dropping from high trees). If you have just came from nature, search your body carefully for this little creatures. They like warm places like body joints. Be careful to remove them without squeezing the body, to avoid unwanted parasites in your body.

Why they are so dangerous? They carry with them some nasty diseases, like encephalitis and borreliosis. But only if they are infected, and usually there is no problem if removed and disinfected within 24h.

So, enjoy the summer, the beautiful and wild Estonian Nature, but play it safe!

Estonia National Holidays

2008-06-30T14:17:00.007+03:00

When coming to Estonia, is good to know about Estonian Holidays - or in estonian Puhkepäevad.
From the astonishing number of 12 free-days, is interesting to note that more than half of them are religious (as Estonians often define themselves as non-religious). Check the dates for the Estonian Holidays in 2008 below:

· 1 January - New Year's Day (Uusaasta)
Nothing unusual here (except perhaps for the Estonian president pronunciation in TV on the 5 minutes before midnight in new year's eve).

· 24 February - Independence Day (Iseseisvuspäev)
Day of declaration of independence by Republic of Estonia from Russian Empire (1918).

· 21 March - Good Friday (Suur Reede)
Movable holiday, always on Friday :)

· 23 March - Easter Sunday (Ülestõusmispühade)
Movable holiday, always on Sunday :)

· 1 May - Spring Day (Kevadpüha)
Come again, Spring day? Wasn't that Worker's Day? Not for Estonians, though...

· 11 May - Pentecost (Nelipühade)
50 days after Easter, also on Sunday :)

· 23 June - Victory Day (Võidupüha)
Coincidently one day before midsummer day :) - Commemorates the victory of Estonian forces over the Baltic Germans' forces in the Battle of Võnnu (Cesis) in northern Latvia in 1919.

· 24 June - St John's Day or Midsummer Day (Jaanipäev)
Midsummer Eve is a traditional celebration held on the night of 23-24 June. This day marks a day closest to the longest day of the year when twilight and dawn appear to merge. The evening of the 23rd and well into the morning of the 24th is celebrated with bonfires and a traditional festive menu.

· 20 August - Day of Restoration of Independence (Taasiseseisvumispäev)
Dramatic developments in the Soviet Union in August 1991 resulted in the three Baltic countries finally regaining their independence. On 20 August 1991, Estonia issued a decision on the re-establishment of independence on the basis of historical continuity of statehood.

· 24 December - Christmas Eve (Jõululaupäev)
The day before Christmas, a full-day holiday...

· 25 December - Christmas Day (Esimene jõulupüha)
The first Christmas day...

· 26 December - Boxing Day (Teine jõulupüha)
And the second Christmas day! 3 Days of Christmas vacations, isn't that great? Combine that with new year's day and a weekend, and you have almost every year one week of free days! Specially useful to cheer up unmotivated souls from the long nights of winter.

What do you think? Too many, too few? Post it in the comments!

City Busses in Tartu - Estonia

2008-07-13T18:41:00.007+03:00

If you live in Tartu, or is going to stay for a while, then you will be happy to know that this city has a good network of buses and microbuses. Check the bus lines map (bussiliinid) to see where is the closer bus stop, and then check the Bus Timetables at the BussiInfo site.

So, how can I use the buses? If you pick the yellow microbus (Automen Ekspressbussid), then you pay 15 eek to the driver when you enter and that's all. But if you are taking the city GO buses, it gets a little bit more interesting! Randomly red cars from private security enters the bus checking if you have a valid ticket. If you don't, you will be eligible for a 600 eek fine!

So see below how you can buy your ticket and don't travel like a rabbit (Jänes, like the estonians say for the one who travels without paying).

You can buy your tickets in the bus with the bus driver (16 eek in cash for 1h trip), or by little one-trip punchable bus tickets (13 eek, 8 for students) in advance at the R-kiosks (just remember to punch them when you enter the bus. You can also buy a 10 bus tickets pack, with great discount (100 eek, 10 eek each, way cheaper)!

If you need to use more than one bus trip, then you can get the paper one-day ticket, 30-days ticket, or even a 90-days ticket. You don't need to punch them, they are dated in the R-kiosk when you buy it. More info about the prices (in estonian) at the nice City of Tartu website .

But of course, in Estonia, an electronic solution is also available: Id Pilet . With your Estonian ID, you can buy your hour ticket, day ticket, 30 days ticket or 90 days ticket from Internet or mobile phone, and its cheaper than the paper version! I've been told that some people try to buy them when they see the ticket fiscals car in the bus stop, but I haven't seen that yet :)

Just be careful because every season the bus time tables changes, and sometimes some roads are in repair, making some bus lines changes as well.

Well, for a city where you can get from the city center to the city limits in half an hour walking, maybe its better to walk. What do you say?

Estonian Language - Tere Tulemast!

2008-07-17T11:43:00.010+03:00

Estonian language belongs to the Finnic branch of Finno-Ugric group of languages (check out the family tree picture).

Of the ancient European languages, Basque in the Pyrenees, the Finno-Ugric languages in the North, and Caucasian languages (e.g. Georgian) in the southeastern corner of Europe have managed to survive. As you can see, it's not related to the neighbouring Indo-European languages such as Russian, Latvian and Swedish.

Estonian language uses the Latin alphabet (including the letters Õ Ä Ö Ü), is often pronounced like is read, with word stress fixed on the first syllable. This makes it very easy to start learning, reading and speaking!

The Estonian Institute has many interesting publications (available online) about Estonian culture, including this booklet about Estonian Language. It shows many different aspects of the language, and it's easy to read.

When in Estonia, speak like Estonians! You can practice some basics online with BBC languages. Or you can hear a little from my Estonian friend:

Tere, mina olen Anna-lisa, olen pärit Eestis, ja õpin Tartus.
Hi, my name is Anna-lisa, I'm from Estonia, and study in Tartu.

Easy? Difficult? Tell me what you think about Estonian Language in the comments!

Estonian Language - Books

2008-07-25T11:52:00.000+03:00

If you are decided to learn Estonian Language, a good book will help you out.
Unfortunately is not so easy to find books about Estonian language in English.

In Estonian

E Nagu Eesti
The first Estonian language textbook and most used by foreigners to learn Estonian. All his 30 chapters doesn't have one single word in English, but includes a useful Estonian dictionary (Estonian to German/Russian/Finnish/English). NB! It requires a teacher (or a Estonian friend) to understand its lessons. Can be found for 12 euros in TEA (Estonian Publisher / Language company).

Naljaga pooleks
This book is used by Tartu University foreigners that want to learn Estonian for entering Estonian courses in University (in other words, its the best available). Includes a CD (50 minutes) with sound exercises, and can be found for 20 euros in Apollo (one of the biggest book shops in Estonia).

In English

Colloquial Estonian
First book made for English speakers, with many explanations about Estonian grammar. It starts easy, with English translations till chapter 5. Then Estonian is more used. The book has an audio CD (sold separately), and can be found in Amazon.com for around 35 USD. This book is commonly found at public libraries in Estonia, so you can try it before you buy it.

Teach Yourself Estonian
From the same authors of 'Naljaga pooleks', a self study textbook for English speakers (not available yet), pre-release listed in Amazon.com for 35 USD (I believe that it will be better than the above one).

As far as I know, there's many books for Germans and Russians to learn Estonians
(basically because of historical reasons). There are many dictionaries available also between those languages.

If you happen to know the name of a good book for learning Estonian (in English, German, Russian or any language) feel free to add it in the comments.

Living in Estonia - Renting a Flat

2008-07-30T18:59:00.006+03:00

You have decided to come for a bigger stay in Estonia, and don't want to stay in Hotels or Hostels. You want to rent your own flat. So, what do you do?

First, check online the available flats for rent in the biggest real state portals:

and

These portals collect entries from mostly all Real State companies websites, and has nice search interfaces in English, so you can browse the Estonian Real State market.

When you see the price of the rent, remember that at the first month you will have (usually) to pay 3 times its price for the Real State Agency: the Rent in Advance; the Deposit; and the Real State fee; So if you want to rent a flat for 5.000 eek, you will have to pay 15.000 when signing the contract.

Check with attention the Heating System of the flat. There are many options in Estonia, going from Oven heated houses (where you have to buy wood to heat it in winter), Electric Heaters (the most expensive system), Gas Heating, Central Heating... Ask always for the prices of the utilities (water, electricity, heating) in summer and winter!

Be aware that this is a very volatile market, so if you saw a interesting place, you have to call the agency, book it for visitation, and in 24h decide if you are taking it. It might happen (often) that you will be racing against other consumers, and the first one to sign and pay everything gets the deal.

Usually you will find information in English, but here is a little glossary to help, just in case:

Kinnisvara - Real State
Üür - Rent
Müük - Sale
Korter - Flat
Maja - House
Korrus - Floor
Tuba - Room (including living room and bedroom)
Magamistuba - Bedroom
Vannituba - Bathroom
Hind - Rent Price
Tagatisraha - Deposit Money (usually the same as the rent)
kommunaalkulud - Utilities (water, electricity, heating)

Well, if you speak Estonian, you might try to find a flat in the newspapers and rent straight from the owner (avoiding paying the Real State company fees), but its not common to find owners that rent to foreigners. Also another option for the young foreigners is to share a flat. Do you have any good hint for living in Estonia? Post it in the comments!

Learning Estonian - Language Schools

2008-08-01T17:00:00.007+03:00

If you are beginning to learn Estonian, a good language teacher can do wonders! Many foreigners I've met learned a basic Estonian (that they could speak and understand with people in the streets) before the end of one study semester (not my case, though).

Of course you can learn in the Estonian Universities (like Tartu University and Tallinn University), but they are usually more expensive and don't offer many time options. A good hint is to go for an Estonian Language School. There you will meet others foreigners interested in Estonia from many different parts of the world (and it's helpful when your colleagues know English and other languages, like Russian or German). Usually, you pay a semester fee (around 2500 eek) for 2 classes per week, with 2 academic hours (45 min) per class, and get the materials for your level.

Language Centers in Tallinn

TEA
TEA Language Center has been teaching foreign languages, such as English, German, Finnish, and Estonian, since it was established in 1988. In 1991, due to a lack of high quality foreign language textbooks, TEA Publishers was established. The languages currently taught at TEA Language School are: English, Estonian, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Swedish, German, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic.

ILS
The ILS group of schools was established in 1998 in Tallinn, with our sister schools in Riga and Vilnius, we are able to offer a truly Pan-Baltic Service. Whoever you are and whatever you do International Language Services will try to provide the language course for you. At ILS we aim to provide top quality language training at prices which are affordable.

Language Centers in Tartu

Tartu RahvaÜlikool
Tartu Folk High School Training Centre offers training courses for adults. Our school is open to all who wish to develop their talents, refresh their knowledge, or learn something new in order to cope with life. Language Courses: English, Estonian as foreign language, French, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Dutch.

Dialoog
Dialoog offer possibilities to study Estonian, Russian, English, and the Finnish languages in Estonia. As you can see, we are offering the same services as others, but if you value professionalism, flexibility, and accuracy, you are in the right place. In addition, we already have 14-years experience in offering these services.

In Estonia, the academic year starts on September till December (Autumn semester), then a short winter break, returning in February till June (Spring Semester). It's always better to start from September, so schedule yourself!

Do you have any feedback about these Language Schools? Want to recommend another? Post it in the Comments!

Estonia and Brazil - Tallinn Winter Tropics Festival 2008

2008-11-19T19:13:00.005+02:00

Tere!

Since 1992, the international community in Estonia has grown a lot! Also the relations between Estonia and Brazil flourished, with many Estonian traveling to Brazil, and Brazilians coming to Estonia.

Many Estonians are learning Portuguese (with Gustavo), practising capoeira (with Lauro), listening to Brazilian music (with Denise and Jay in Clazz every Tuesday 21), and even eating in a Rodizio (All-you-can-eat meat) Restaurant (Ipanema Rodizio), among many other things.

This weekend, the First Brazilian Music Festival is happening in Tallinn. Brazilian vibes, with international attractions.

Tallinn Winter Tropics Festival!
(Tickets sale online)

Check out more about the biggest attraction, Elza Soares, anthological samba and bossa singer, awarded "Best Singer of the Millennium" by the BBC.

See you all there!

City Transportation - Tallinn

2008-08-15T00:00:00.004+03:00

Tallinn, Estonia capital, has a good and integrated public transportation system, composed of city Bus, Tram (electrical train on tracks) and Trolley (electrical bus).

A travel ticket can be used in any of those systems, costing 13 eek (beforehand from kiosks or shops) or 20 EEK (from the driver). You can also by a 10 ticket package for 90 EEK. Students with valid identification pay less (6 eek beforehand, 12 eek from driver).

If you will use the public transportation a lot, you can have better prices if you buy a daily pass, 10, 30, or 90 days pass. This can be bought in paper at the kiosks, or if you have an Estonian-ID, online from pilet.ee.

Please, buy tickets before using public transportation. Every now and then, some private security personal enter checking if you have a valid ticket. If you use your ID-card, just handle them, they check in a small machine in front of you. Support Estonian economy, and don't get Tased, bro!

You can get the timetables, stops, and travel directions in the Sõiduplan site of Tallinn City Portal. More info in the Tallinn Tourism site (also a great page, full of useful info in English).

Now, for informative fun, you can check a little of the History of Public Transportation in Tallinn at Tallinna Ühistransport. Did you know that Trams in Tallinn are celebrating 120 years of operation in 2008?