2014. 8. 24.

Hi from Estonia!

Today I left Helsinki at 11.00 after a rather insomnic night. When boarding the Viking Line ferry I was rather afraid, I am not at all used to seas and ferries, it was even more scary than the airport. But in the end all went fine and I found my way onboard along with more hundreds of people. :D For like half an hour I sat on the open part of the board, looking at passing Helsinki and passing Soumenlinna and all the islands. There was an island like 100 m2, and there was a house in it, some people sure appreciate loneliness and private sphere! :D :D 

Then I went inside, searched for an electric plug, sat on the floor - people withotu booked cabins just sat everywhere - stairs, chairs, windows, etc, it was nice :D An had my lunch. 

Cozy, ain't it?

I wasn't bored during the 2h40min, the 11 story tall huge ferry is like a hotel, a casino, a supermarket, a spa and just everything in once, it's incredible! 

When I arrived there was nobody waiting for me and my hand was breaking off because I had to pull my 20+kg suitcase for long minutes and it was really hurting :( Then I just decided to ask for a taxi, I asked in Russian and got a Russian reply that it's 8 eur to the hostel so I decided to go for it. 

I arrived, checked in, everybody seemed so very nice! 

I instantly got to know a guy in the dormitory room. The first week I will spend in a 12 room shared room and then I will move to the 4 bed room where I will permanently spend my next 5 months. I have met this Polish guy who speaks some Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Estonian, English, it's awesome, we constantly had conversations with mixing languages.

Then I decided to go out to explore which resulted in going around the Old Town of Tallinn, which is simply BEAUTIFUL. Also, the experience was also something very interesting... yesterday I was in the farm buildings with the cows and today I am living alone in a tooootally new country, suddenly it is Tallinn and I can go to explore and everything is new and I am free.. . Wow.

I found my way to the Main Square and there was a folk ensemble playing traditional Estonian music - last semester I have participated on an university course called Nordic Dances so I kind of know and enjoy such music, it was a very nice welcome for me! Then I went to this shopping center part of the town called 'Viru Keskus', and shopped grocies. 

Then I went to meet this Hungarian girl who I already knew from the internet, who lives in one of the universtiy dormitories. After like 6 minutes phone talk of trying to find each other we finally did and headed to her dorm. There the Erasmus feeling almost immediately got us! I got to know like 6 Poles at the same time and atleast two of them will be my groupmates :) 

Then we came back to the hostel, finally had a shower, ate dinner and now I am hanging out in the common room with these nice international people :)

Tomorrow first information day. I should figure out how to get to the uni. :D Even tho I have walked a loooot and it seems kind of easy. 

Now some pictures 

A cabin on the ferry

Tallinn Old Town ♥ 

Seaaaa

Rain in Tallinn - kind of a summer shower

Xbox room on the ferry, wtf! :D 

The Freedom Square in Tallinn

First views of Tallinn

View from kinda before the Hostel. Beatiful churches everywhere!:D Such a nice location. 

Another sea