I have always struggled to answer this question. When people ask me where I’m from, I hardly ever answer Estonia. That’s simply because I don’t have that many memories of Estonia or living there. And I guess also partly because hardly anyone ever knows where Estonia is. “Oh Russia you mean”, I can’t even count how many times I have heard that sentence. However, my passport still says that I’m Estonian and that’s something I would never change. I don’t think I have a particularly strong national identity, but I am proud of the country I’m born in and the fact that despite all the difficulties the nation has encountered they have never lost their spirit.
Estonian’s might seem quite closed up and shy in
the beginning. I guess this might have something to do with the history.
Estonia has been occupied by several different countries during the course of
history, and I guess because of this, it’s a second nature to Estonian’s to expect that the foreigners
will only want to take over their wonderful land. However, when you get to know the Estonian’s,
they can just turn out to be the kindest people you will ever meet. Their English
might not be perfect, but they will find a way to communicate with you. They
will invite your their home, will offer
you the last piece of bread and butter in the house to make you feel truly
welcome. So if you ever get a chance to visit this lovely country I suggest you
will get to know the locals. Because you might just develop friends for life!
This song from my childhood makes me always miss Estonia and
makes me feel proud to be Estonian. It’s from a movie called “Viimne Reliikvia”,
which can be considered as a cult movie in Estonia. I guess the song describes my spirit quite well as well.
