Tartu Estonia...The beginning of a new story


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May 23rd 2009
Published: May 24th 2009
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Students KissingStudents KissingStudents Kissing

The symbol of the city. If you are wandering why they have an umbrella the answer is simple....BECAUSE IT RAINS MOST OF THE TIME
Some of you already know, some other don't but at this point i started a new chapter in my life, Tartu Estonia. I will be here for one year working for a national company in a field that is kind of new to me, automation industry, i will be responsible for all marketing, communication and Exports to Eastern Europe (Marketing communication and Export manager) and not only. Well yea, i know it is a shock that i am no longer working in the HR area but don't worry i will keep on preparing 😊.

TARTU: Second largest city in Estonia (101.000 inhabitants) and In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. By definition Tartu is a student city with a high concentration of internationals studying in the universities. There are a lot of clubs, pubs and parks, and it is really easy to find something to do, at least in the first days. The weather is not one of the best, usually in the morning it is raining and during the day you have up to 15 C or as in some cases it rains most of the time 😊.

Adapting here is also a bit unusual as the day starts early and ends late, at 4 in the morning it is almost full light outside and at 22.00 it is still light and this is just the beginning as the longest days will be in June, so at this point sleeping is a bit hard but i hope that in a week or 2 I will get use to it. The overall feeling of the city is kind of nice, people are calm and don't seem to be in a hurry, except for the students that have the same line "I am sorry but i have to study"...it seems that they are really taking it seriously he he. It is funny to see them in stress because of the exams period, you meet them in the store and they have red eyes and they are telling you that they are in a hurry cuz they need to study ...while buying energizers and chocolate...The city has an old part and a lot of modern buildings as well, there is a river cutting the city in
Grass steppingGrass steppingGrass stepping

Students enjoying the good weather
two and creating a lot of space to chill and relax...some people are even fishing in the city center. Main transportation in the city is the car...students use the bus and the bikes. I am now living in a student dorm and sharing the room with an Erasmus student, but i hope that this will change soon, i like it but i owuld still like to live in an apartment of my own...i am just waiting for some more trainees.

Getting here was a pain in the ass, thanks to some Romanian and German ticket sellers i ended up paying a lot more than i was expecting, but i managed to see some of my old friends in Vilnius (Lithuania)and also i went and visited Jana in Riga (Latvia) All in all, including Romania in 4 days i passed 8 countries.

Facts about Estonia:

- The total population of the country is smaller than the population of Bucharest.
- They are considered to be the slowest people in Europe....(just a rumor)
- They have beautiful churches..that are most of the time empty.
- Here you are allowed to step on the
Art MuseumArt MuseumArt Museum

No it will not fall....
grass in parks.
- Cars actually stop if you want to cross the road.


Well, this is my first post from the cloudy Estonia, soon i will write more, keep in close contact.

PS: Sorry if this was not as ironic as some people expected...






Additional photos below
Photos: 24, Displayed: 24


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Statue 1Statue 1
Statue 1

Lots of statues in Tartu
BridgeBridge
Bridge

Being a student in Tartu requires 3 things during the student life 1. To fail an exam 2. To cross the river on top of this bridge. 3. To have Sex in the library. wouldn't you want to study here??
River from the bridgeRiver from the bridge
River from the bridge

The River goes straight trough the center of the city
Another park Another park
Another park

and a statue
ChurchChurch
Church

This thing is HUGE, my camera could not get it all
City centerCity center
City center

In the old city on the streets you have loads of spaces to chill and enjoy the day
City hallCity hall
City hall

With lot of space to drink
Drinking spotDrinking spot
Drinking spot

In Estonia drinking in public places is not permitted but this is the only place in the country where you can legally drink in a public place
PaintingsPaintings
Paintings

The university painted on a building
The real thingThe real thing
The real thing

The real university
ModernModern
Modern

The modern center of Tartu
ParkPark
Park

Parks are really chilled


24th May 2009

1. Wow. 2. Estonia's song was my favorite in Eurovision. :) 3. I'm starting a new project (School of Values). Waiting for you to come back so we can go nationally. :) 4. Good luck, man! May the God of Automotives lead your way.
24th May 2009

Hm... I am still wondering how it will go with our bet... (You know what I mean... :P) and... how come we did not make any pics? :(
24th May 2009

Already there?
Hey Danny! Did you already get in Estonia? That is really cool and I wish you a great year in Communication and Export :) Keep us posted!
26th May 2009

Hmm..nice
Hmm, what can I say? Reading your posting I realized that I admire your desire to build new stories, new challenges and to gain more experience. I can only wish you to spend great time in Estonia and to always post new things to be in touch with you. Still angry, but missing u...
25th June 2009

It is actually the first time I hear from someone's experience that cars actually stop in Estonia. It used to be a lot worse. But since we saw the order in Finland, we have done a great job and the traffic is much better now. And we are not the slowest in Europe, this is sort of an urban legend. The Finns are THE slowest :) and we are sort of related to Finns...Latvians and Lithuanians are the ones calling us slow :D. We do tend to be very (very very) calm most of the time and with a cold personality. Still, I hope you will enjoy Tartu, I hope I will when I become one of those students in the university this autumn:)

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