Byrklei
Byrklei Joined: July 29th 2008
Logged in: June 8th 2010
Logged in: June 8th 2010
Travel Blog Posts
so many snails
I know that this entry is much too late, however here it is. Ever since I moved from my last host families’ house (which is about two months ago now), I have been so busy. More than I can believe, still, has happened. Here are a few pictures of my new host families’ house. It is a cabin and is real wood. There are four rooms, a sauna, two bathrooms, and a television room as well. They have an old dog named Rolli and a cat (who is younger than the dog, yet not by much) named Otto. Everyone just calls him kass (cat in Estonian). The house is in a village about ten kilometres from Kuressaare so if I go, I go by car or I take a half hour bike ride there. My host ... read more
Counter
Mexican food night was an adventure. It was held in a dorm that is on the school grounds so everyone that came had an easy place to get to. Then my friend Pille-Riin and I started with making rice krispy treats (not Mexican food I know, yet it was technically dessert). When we had that set up, then we started making burritos, and lastly nachos with meat. I found (no idea how yet I managed) some cheddar cheese in the stores, tortillas (which the Estonians pronounce like tortillas instead of the double L sounds), tortilla chips, beans, and some minced meat. The nachos were the best seller there. One friend was actually really scared to try the burritos. I told her just to try it, and she eventually did. Liked it too fortunately. Even though the ... read more
I thought I would tell you a bit about Saaremaa. Living here for about three months, and you guys still don't know too much about it. Here are some random things that I notice... still! Half the days (especially here on the island of Saaremaa) are filled with either snow or rain, or extreme clouds that look like either could happen at any moment. Once in a while, if the wind blows just right, you can smell the sea walking back to the flat. The walk to my school is only about 15 minutes or so from the appartment I live in now. If it is a really cloudy day yet no rain, then usually you can hear the seagulls too. In the stores here, I have found some types of salsa, tortillas, beans, tortilla chips, ... read more
Charlie's school
Just a few days ago, I visited the capital of Estonia (Tallinn) to see a few friends and to see the parliament building. The other exchange kids met us there in Tallinn of course too. When we got to the parliament building, we met Estonia's prime minister: Andrus Ansip. He is a funny man and showed us (just for a joke) a letter that George Bush Jr. hand wrote. Not meaning to be the sound hypocritical, yet his handwriting was quite terrible and we all laughed at the fact that none of us could read it- even me. Later Ansip showed us a "translated letter" of what he wrote. It was interesting to see that my previous president would take the time to write a handwritten letter though- sweet of him actually. Unfortunately, while I was ... read more
To ski. Being an exchange student should have one golden rule. Well a few, yet one above all else: Expect the unexpected. It is not as easy as it appears, and is just as rewarding when you figure out how those two sticks work as well as moving your feet with little boards attached to them. A couple of us exchange students (the one in Estonia) all went to this place that is in southern Estonia to go skiing. The cabin type of house that we stayed in was pretty cozy and very warm, unlike the weather outside. When we first got there (after it took me seven hours to go to Tartu from the island including the ride on the boat which was only about forty-five, and then another hour drive to the town), it ... read more
I am sorry that this has taken so long to write yet I have been quite busy lately. To start it off, I moved from Tartu to Saaremaa- the biggest out of the three Estonian islands. I live right in the capital city called Kuressaare and it is wonderful. My family here is made up of my host mum, my host dad, and three host brothers. One of them (Taavi) lives in Tartu and goes to University there so I don’t see much of him. He visits every now and then though. He is 20 years old. The next oldest is Artur. He is 16 and is in 10the grade so I see him at school almost all the time. The youngest brother I have (Mattias) is six going to be seven in March. He is ... read more
Tartu- Christmas Town
I will start off with some news that some people may find irrelevant, weird, and out of the blue. I got my visa! Officially, I am allowed to stay in the country until three months past the end of April! It is exciting that I don’t have to deal with that any more. My host sister took me to this place (kind of like the post office) and we waited for our number to be called, took up my passport, and then the lady ran some numbers, did this and that, and in less than a few minutes produced this little envelope. After I signed for it and dated it, she gave me the envelope. Inside it was an ID card, and some little things saying I am allowed to stay in Estonia, here is what ... read more
small hill
I love Lapland! It is in a very northern part of Finland, and I was there with the other exchangies for about four days. It was so wonderful! If you have ever heard 'walking in a winter wonderland', imagine that in REAL LIFE! That is pretty much exactly how Lapland was. There was so much snow that someone from Arizona and New Mexico, would have thought that it was impossible, except for on television. Nope, it exsists. Now, be prepared to be taken on quite an adventure. Because I live in Estonia, I first had to go to Finland. No worries- just two and a half hours to Tallinn, then two and a half hours to Helsinki. I am used to that trip so that was no problem. While there, we met up with the other ... read more
Morning Frost
It seriously was! Actually, there has been so much that has happened. Today first. There have been a few mornings when I go outside to get in the car to go to school, and there is frost on the ground. No big deal since it just signified that it was a little colder than before. So when I walked outside this morning, I noticed that there was frost. Fantastic. Now, I start walking into the building of school and notice that there are white things on my sleeves that were NOT there before. Snow. The dreaded word pops into my head. Alright, so I love snow, it is just the fact that snow is so cold that is the dreaded part. I run outside snap a few shots of outside and then I had to go ... read more
Sohfie
This cat pretty much makes my night. Whenever I am in my room reading or online, she always comes to visit me. We are pals and I decided that this cat makes me giggle so much that I am dedicating an entry to her. Sohfie is her name and she is one of the best host cats ever. Just take a look at the video and some of the pictures!!! I know it is weird because this is a travel blog site yet this is a real buddy of mine here. The cat is just like another member of the family except more of a comedian, naturally. I just want to share with everyone how much this cat means to me and how much she makes me bust a gut everyday. ... read more
