News and features about Estonia and Estonians
One would not expect to find an Estonian-run café in East Africa. Yet, it turns out that there is at least one — Pop Up Café in Kampala, Uganda. A cafeteria with a small garden in Ntinda area of Kampala, where people can enjoy self-roasted coffee and delicious meals. But what makes this place more unique is the […]
Estonians popping up in Uganda – the story of Pop Up Kampala (video) Read More »
The Baltic States’ diplomatic and expatriate community on Sunday gathered in St. James’ Church, Piccadilly, for a service commemorating the lives of those who were deported to Siberia during the period of Soviet rule. Representing their countries were ambassadors HE Aino Lepik von Wirén (Estonia), HE Andris Teikmanis (Latvia) and HE Asta Skaisgirytė-Liauškienė (Lithuania), who
The Baltic community in London remembers the victims of Soviet deportations Read More »
Estonian diplomats in exile worked tirelessly to ensure that Estonia was not forgotten and that the Soviet occupation was reported accurately. The current London Diplomatic List weighs in at a hefty 142 pages. Listed within are the names and positions of every diplomatically accredited member of staff of all foreign embassies, high commissions and international
Keeping the flag flying – Estonia’s diplomatic solo artists of the Cold War Read More »
When non-Estonian friends and acquaintances ask me to teach them essential Estonian words, I typically start the lesson with either “õlu” or “kurat”. The former is the Estonian word for beer and therefore comes in quite handy in the circles I keep. The latter, directly translated, is the Estonian word for devil. However, I do
Kurat – an Estonian language lesson Read More »
I must confess – I am a product of a very matriarchal clan led by my diminutive mother who rules like Napoleon and makes no apologies for it. Add a gaggle of grandmothers and aunts of every crazy caliber. It is no wonder I continue to be intrigued by men. My dad was the defeated
An American man by an Estonian woman Read More »
Katrin Winter taught Chinese in Xi’an, China. Here she writes what’s it really like to live and work in China. I arrived in Xi’an, China in January 2013 with my Zimbabwean husband David. Our primary reason for coming to this faraway and foreign place was to learn Mandarin, which is going quite nicely. We also
A girl from Võru ends up in Xi’an, China Read More »
Pärnu is a small resort town on the west coast of Estonia. A town that, for me, is not only a place to come and enjoy the beaches and parks in the summer, but also an endless source of memories and flashbacks. This is the place where I was born over four decades ago, a
This week saw a new blog dedicated to Estonia taking the local social media by storm, going viral and gaining thousands of followers in just few days. Called Estonian Moments, it is using GIFs (graphics interchange format) to nail cheekily into some ever-present stereotypes about Estonians, as well as poking fun at some current political
Mysterious expat and his funny take on Estonia Read More »
Estonian proper names pronounced true to form, but spoken in an English speaking setting, can lead to confusion, embarrassment, and on occasion, comedy. Take for example my first name: Andres. Phonetically, the Estonian pronunciation sounds pretty darn close to the English word for removing one’s clothes. So, as I don’t want to mistake whether someone
Lisa and Kristen Dobbin are two Canadian-Estonian girls with an Estonian mum and Canadian dad. They were born in Canada, but in 2012, inspired by their Estonian grandmother, decided to take a trip to Estonia and discover more about the country and its “secret language”. This is the first part of their story. We moved
Lessons in Estonian culture for beginners: an introduction Read More »
