The Prejudice is Gone

I've lived without the Internet for 3 days, which means isolation from the world nowadays. Hopefully, I'll get the computer tomorrow. In other terms I'm very happy: it has been a right decision to come to Tallinn, Estonia.

My first working day has been perfect!

I work in one of the most fancy offices in Tallinn, that is very close to the well-know Tonismagi. It's a 12-storeyed building made of blue glass. It takes me about 30 minutes to go there from my flat, where I live with guys from Brazil, Venezuela, Japan, and Estonia. Our house is a Soviet-type block of flats, but we have a big pine-tree park near us.

My colleagues are very active, friendly and happy about the fact that I've come. I work basically with Estonians, but there are some Russians, who seem to be not so sociable. Everybody speaks very good English, even ladies in the kitchen. So, the famous stereotype of Estonians as slow and mean people has gone for me.

Today Rait, one of my colleagues has showed me the city center. However, I've managed to explore it all for 2 days. It's so nice! Old houses, chirches, paved streets, stairs, towers... You feel like you are in the Middle Ages. Everything is very close and small. I've been to Viru, Tallinn's "big" shopping center, but it's so small in Moscow terms.

Even though the conditions are nice, I feel a bit lonely and sad for no reason. I can see lots of Russians and want to talk with them, but I'm afraid it will be strange. Yesterday I went to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral named after Alexander Nevsky to put candles. When I was listening to the Old Russian spiritual songs, tears came out of my eyes.

It would be easier to go somewhere like Bolivia, where nobody speaks your language. I cannot distinguish Russians and Estonians from their appearance, so that I don't know in what language I should approach. Today one seller has preferred to speak English rather Russian with me, even though I saw him speaking Russian.