Photo of the week: before/after

(minus the snow)

On Friday I defended my thesis and then celebrated by spending the entire weekend yanking out nails out of boards and painting a house. Today I can no longer use my right wrist (and have to type using only my left hand which is incredibly annoying) and I'll probably be finding red paint on my body for weeks to come, but, it was really really fun! And the house I've known as yellow(ish... sort of) my whole life now suddenly looks really strange. Pretty, but strange.

Photo of the week - handing in my thesis

I've been bad, I know. But I'm trying to redeem myself. I promise I will write once I'm done with school (at the latest), but until then, I'll at least try and post one photo each week so you'd know I'm still alive... if there's even anyone reading this anymore.

But yeah, anyway. This week I handed in my thesis. I will probably do other stuff this week, but nothing will be as great as that moment was. It was so great, in fact, that I celebrated it three times by buying a purple lipstick, eating cake and watching horror movies. One day I will celebrate again with a real big party. One day... maybe in August.

That time I learned to ski

Among many other things I learned in America that this world and especially Europe is really really tiny. So tiny in fact that when you meet people awesome enough to keep in your life, distance means nothing at all. So since we'd been talking about a ski trip with Teresa and I got a really good offer on plane tickets to Munich last fall I didn't hesitate too long. I mean, I was gonna go bankrupt anyway, why not at least take the most of it, right?
So after asking Christian to join us on this wonderful adventure and weeks of strenuous planning (mostly, I must admit, on C's part) the day finally arrived when I woke up at 6 AM, grabbed my suitcase and took the taxi to the most adorable Tallinn airport. But instead of flying straight to Munich I first flew to Vilnius, where I got to hang out with a bunch of Lithuanian businessmen for about an hour and drink some coffee that I swear was mixed with heroin, because hours later my hands were still shaking from it and I felt I could have run to Germany. I finally touched ground in Munich with a tiny plane that looked more like a toy than a real aircraft and was reunited with Teresa which was oh-so-great, even though she was sort of exhausted and I was still spaced out because of the Lithuanian magic coffee (seriously, do not drink that stuff!) and getting a serious headache. So we spent the next two (?) hours searching for the train station Christian was arriving at and a pharmacy, so I could get some aspirin and finally make use of my German vocabulary (willst du mit mir Drogen nehmen?) Eventually we managed to get everybody into the car and headed towards Austria for our Most Amazing Ski Adventure (with a stop at McDonald's, ofc).
This would probably be the time where I mention that prior to that trip I had been on skis exactly once in my life. It ended 15 minutes later after I'd broken both my poles and twisted my ankle... so I wasn't overly confident. But hey - good company, mountains and stuff, right? Plus I was still hopeful that I would turn out to be naturally good at skiing.. like I turned out to be naturally good at shooting. Never know!
----
Kunagi sügisel müüdi Münchenisse odavaid lennupileteid ning kuna ma kohe üldse-üldse ei olnud valmis leppima sellega, et ma oma uute rahvusvaheliste sõpsidega hüvasti pean jätma, ei mõelnud ma väga pikalt, kui selle ostu tegin. Pankrot ootas mind ees nagunii, miks siis mitte enne veidi lõbutseda, pealegi olime me Teresaga suusareisist rääkinud.
Mingil hetkel kaasasime oma seiklusesse ka Christiani, kes, tuleb tunnistada, lõpuks suurema osa organiseerimisest ära tegi, nii et 29. jaanuari hommikul lendasin esmalt Vilniusesse ning sealt edasi Münchenisse, kus Teresa minu ja C auto peale võttis ja kust me edasi üheskoos Zell am Zee suusakuurorti sõitsime.
Pean tunnistama, et suusaphukus ei olnud minu jaoks just kõige loogilisem valik, kuna ma olin varem olnud suuskadel täpselt ühe korra, palju aastaid tagasi Jõulumäel, kus ma 15 minutit pärast suuskade alla panemist need uuesti ära võtsin, olles lõhkunud ära mõlemad kepid ja pahkluu välja väänanud. Aga noh, elu on seiklus!

Taste of the Baltics: Lithuanian, Estonian and Latvian chocolate

Eesti, Läti ja Leedu šoks (Leedu võitis... kes oleks võinud arvata?)

Christian, being the good breadwinner that he is, took a walk to the local bakery every morning to supply us with freshly-baked croissants and rolls. Nom!

Igal hommikul ärkas C veidi varem ja tõi meile pagarist värskelt küpsetatud saia.

First selfie: on our way to Europe's highest waterfall. Hanging out at the backseat, intense Germaning going on in the front. All I understood is that they were talking about neither bombs nor drugs (yes, my German vocabulary is really extensive).

Kui su reisikaaslased eesistmel saksa keelt räägivad ja sina oled sunnitud igavuse peletamiseks tagaistmel patse punuma ja enekaid tegema.

Hike up to Europe's highest waterfall. We didn't make it all the way up because some weird fat goat-like creatures caused a small avalanche and we lost our trail. I wasn't too sad about it though, hiking up a mountain in deep snow is exhausting! There may or may not have also been some snowball fights and running involved. Coming down was way more fun.

Euroopa kõrgeim kosk siis. Me oleksime saanud sinna päris üles ka minna, aga paraku olid mingid veidrad paksud loomad natuke maad enne lõppu väikese lumevaringu tekitanud, nii et rada ei olnud enam näha. Lume sees mäest üles rühkides tuli mul küll tahtmine MyFitnessilt raha tagasi küsida - ma poleks nagu elus sporti teinud! Allatulek oli märksa lõbusam.

There might have been some alcohol involved in the evenings... liquor that tasted like pinetrees. I enjoyed it the first night, after that it did not want to go down anymore.
Austria männiokka maitseline liköör. Huvitav!

 Mixing it with wine, of course.
Ikka veiniga segamini.

I was a little unsure about this situation I guess (hey look, a picture of me that's not a selfie!)

Ma olin veits kahtleval seisukohal.

 The next morning was stunning - view from our balcony.

Järgmisel hommikul oli rõdu pealt hunnitu vaade

 Here come the selfies! I was just a little bit unsure before trying on my skis the first time...
Kergelt kirjandusliku liialdusega nägu enne esmakordset mäele minekut

 Where we skied: I, of course, stayed on the right side, on the thing that doesn't look like a hill at all (I swear it looked higher when you were standing on top of it).
Meie suusamägi siis. Mina püsisin seal paremal pool, mis pildilt (ega ka päriselus tegelikult) ei näinud alt vaadates küll üldse mäe moodi välja, aga tegelikult oli harjutamiseks päris paras)

 So while the others were making the most of their time on the hill and taking the scary ski lift up...
Teised kasutasid aega mõistlikult ja sõitsid suusaliftiga kõrgema mäe otsa...

 ...I was taking selfies (this was actually taken after the first time I got down from the hill without falling).
...tegin mina enekaid - pärast esimest korda, kui edukalt ilma kukkumata alla jõudsin (mis juhtus tegelikult juba teisel korral, kui ma alla sõitsin)

 The weather was perfect!
Oh-see-ilm!

 Hey look, an 'usie'!
Näe, mul oli tegelt sõpru ka!

 The hot chocolate I got as a prize for being so being so brave
Väike kakaopaus keset suurt sportimist - vapruse eest

 At some point I was starting to become pretty confident on the tiny hill, so my much more experienced friends convinced my to try the scary high hill.
Ühel hetkel olin ma oma tillukese mäe peal juba suht enesekindlaks muutunud ja kuigi ma olin kahtleval seisukohal, veensid mu suusaässast sõpsid mind kõrgemat mäge proovima

 And of course I failed, fell down, took off my skis and didn't want to ski at all anymore, so I sat on the mountain for a while before walking down (yes, walking).
Aga mõistagi ma feilisin, kukkusin ümber, võtsin suusan jalast ära ja kõndisin lõpuks mäe otsast alla.

 So I was sad! (damn you, peer pressure :D)
Olin kurb!

 So to cheer myself up I built a tiny snowman...
Üritades tuju tõsta ehitasin tillukese lumememme...

 And drank a big glass of beer :D
... ja jõin suure klaasi õlut :D

And I was happy again! But, being really stubborn as I am, I refused to go back to that big hill again and spent the rest of my time acing it on the bunny hill.

Tuju läks jälle rõõmsaks, aga oma suures kangekaelsuses ma tagasi suurema mäe peale tagasi ei läinudki, vaid püsisin oma tillukese künka peal ja tuiskasin sealt alla nagu tõeline äss.

 That night we set Tallinn on fire..
Tutvustasin oma saksa sõpradele põlevat Tallinnat

... and watched it burn.

And built extra long straws, because.. well, why not.

T ekstrapikk kõrs. Lihtsalt niisama

 The weather conditions were not as perfect on the next day.
Järgmine päev oli veits pilvisem

 But that didn't stop me!
Aga mind see juba ei peatanud.

SUCH a pro! Final falling count: six times, all on the first day and only four of those by accident - first two on my very first attempt of getting down the bunny hill and twice on the hill that I will forever remember as "the scary high hill". The other two times I didn't exactly fall over, I just couldn't make a pizza from the french fries and wanted to stop, so I threw myself on the ground just in case (kind of like when I was a kid and learned how to ride a bike, but couldn't use the breaks at first, though this now was way less painful). I do have some lovely bruises on my legs now and won't be wearing shorts to the gym anytime soon, but who cares!

No täielik proff, noh. Lõplik suusamäel kukkumiste arv oli kuus - neli korda kogemata, kaks meelega, kui ma ei osanud seisma jääda ja ennast igaks juhuks külili viskasin, et mitte otse aeda või mõnele süütule kõrvalseisjale otsa põrutada. Kõik kusjuures esimesel päeval ja suht esimestel laskumistel. Sinikaid on, aga need paranevad.

 Sunset.
Kolmanda päeva päikeseloojang

 So you wouldn't think all we did was drink in the evenings - we also took a walk in the city of Zell am See.
Ega me oma õhtuid ainult joomisega ei sisustanud - tegime ka õhtuse jalutuskäigu Zell am See linnakeses

 Which was pretty spectacular.
"Hunnitu" on see sõna, mis pähe tuleb.

 Our last day we spent in Salzburg, which was just as gorgeous as I remembered it from the half-hour I spent there in the summer of 2013.
Viimasel päeval tegime linnareisi Salzburgi, mis on ikka üks tõeliselt ilus linn.

 Most adorable cafe ever! Look at those uniforms!
Maailma kõige nunnum (ülivana) kohvik. No vaadake neid riideid.

 Mozart was here 27 January 1756. We saw the room he was born in and everything. Couldn't take any pictures, but I did see a lock of his hair. Was kind of gross.
Mozarti sünnikodu. Pilte teha ei tohtinud, aga sai käia selles toas, kus ta sündis. Mingil veidral põhjusel oli seal eksponaadina väljas salk tema juukseid, mis oli veits rõve, aga noh. Kultuur!

If seeing the statue of a man standing on top of a humongous golden ball isn't enough of a reason for travelling, I don't know what is!  

See... nojah

And that was that! I for one was extremely happy with this trip and felt completely recharged. Can't wait to do this again next year and the year after that and the year after that... until we're sixty and move to Peru with Teresa and continue skiing there. 

This blog has been kind of quiet, I must admit, but there isn't much going on in my life now that I'm back home. I could write quite a lot about control valves, trailers and water filtering systems, but lets be honest, it's not all that interesting. Should I happen upon another adventure I'll be sure to share it with y'all (even if nobody wants to read about it), because obviously modesty isn't one of my main virtues. Lots of love! K

Ja selline see siis oligi! Ma katsun ikka vaikselt siia üht-teist kirja panna, kui mu elus midagi põnevamat toimub, mida maailmaga jagada maksab (kuigi ega selliseid seiku palju just ette ei tule). Loodetavasti viitsin seda asja kakskeelsena ka hoida, sest noh, äkki on keegi, keda huvitab ja kes tahab mu loba emakeeles lugeda. Musid! K.

Homesick; at home, sick

Yesterday I realized that I've been home for less than three weeks. How can this be?! These last few days when I've been sitting home alone, translating stuff (did you know that translating is hard?? I had totally forgotten that), watching really bad German action shows (unsere Sicherheit ist ihr Job, ja?), drinking tea cup after cup after cup and burning a ridiculous number of candles I've felt as if I've always been here. Like all these past adventures really were a dream, like I finished watching the fourth movie of Harry Potter on the night of August 3, shut down the TV, fell asleep and woke up, having been magically teleported to Tallinn and it was winter. Not that going to sleep in the summer and waking up in the winter is all that unusual here - in June we had a heatwave, followed by snow (!!!), followed by another heatwave. But still. Everything feels so familiar, yet oddly off.
And then I feel like I never really came back and a part of me is still wandering around somewhere on the streets of Charleston or in Central Park or riding the rollercoasters in Orlando. And then I feel this almost unbearable "itching in my shoe" like Kimya Dawson would say and I just wanna gooooo. Anywhere, everywhere! Which is kind of convenient, considering I have plane tickets saying that I'm flying to Germany in three weeks but only for five short days! And then I wanna go to Germany (or Austria) for a year. And then to Peru for six months. And then live in Croatia, in a small house by the sea with mountains in the background - I'm currently looking for someone to join me there, any takers? But right now I have to get used to standing still again. It's weird.
Over these past three weeks there have only been 555 481 454 times when I've wished I could have sushi in Wasabi, then take a walk to the Waterfront with Thomas after dark, stop by at Sebastian's and have a drink with the unicorns and then stay up until 3 AM, plotting world domination with Teresa. It breaks my heart to think that these times are really over. But I guess there's nothing I can do about it except accept it and move on. Cause that's what grown-ups do, right?

If anyone is reading this, big kisses to you! I'll probably get lonely again soon and come blab about nothing and a little bit of something some more. It's slightly less creepy than talking to walls, which I've been doing for the past few days. That is, when I've not been waking up at SEVEN AM to go to the gym. Or cooking stuff that takes ridiculously long to get ready - like this chicken soup I've been making for the past 1.5 hours. Like seriously? Though I must admit, I did forget that I was making it a couple of times, so that might also be the reason it's taking so long. But I need chicken soup - because I'm sick! Kind of. Blaagh. Annnyway, getting off topic (if there ever was a topic). Finishing now, talk to you soon, Dear Diary.

Oh, and if anyone wants to send me postcards from exciting places, I would be so happy! Already got one yesterday and it was wonderful. I can give you my address on Facebook, or you can ask Sebastian, he has me in his Book.

2014, don't gooo!

Hey y'all! Thought I'd end this year and also start my first-ever English-language blog with a New Year's blog meme, which will hopefully help me remember all the stuff that happened during this Very Eventful Year (though honestly, right now it seems all that happened happened in America).

I'll end this post with strategically picked nice pictures that I took during Christmas in the hope of luring y'all here to visit me, which would mean I wouldn't have to pack my stuff and come see you. Because I really hate packing. I really do.

Anyway, here goes

1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before?

Hmm, well, travelling alone, going to the US, experiencing jet lag... and explaining that Estonia is not Narnia was also kind of new to me :D

2. Did you  keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Yes! I made two resolutions and kept both of them! Don't know about next year though, I'm pretty happy with where I'm going anyway.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

A bunch of my Facebook friends did (which is kind of telling, since I don't have that many friends on Facebook). And a most adorable baby girl was added to my extended family, so I guess yes.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes, my grandfather.

5. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?

A Master's degree! And more upper body strength :D (though I wish that every year and it never happens)

6. What countries did you visit?

Got ice cream from Latvia a couple of times, though I'm not sure that counts. And then of course America. I also spent a very dazed and confused hour in an airport in Oslo.

7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why:

Erh, I guess August 3 when I left home and arrived in New York, August 14 when I arrived in Charleston and fell completely in love and saw dolphins for the first time and August 19, which was a Tuesday and a midnight and a good one at that. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

There were quite a few. Beating my last year's time at a running event (also one of my new year's resolutions). Translating my second book (I don't care what they say about the outcome, doing 230 pages in less than two months IS an achievement). And well, keep coming back to this, but, the whole studying abroad experience, which made me push my boundaries so far I still can't find them. 

9. What was your biggest failure?

There was one pretty humongous failure. Let's leave it at that.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

There were a couple of colds like every year, nothing major. But I did injure my wrist lifting up my huge suitcase and I still cant' hold anything heavier than a cup of tea in my left hand.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I really like some of the stuff I got for my friends from America. And I'm still kind of in love with my new running shoes. Which I haven't used for a while, but they're so nice to look at!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

There are so many people who did awesome stuff this year! My mum for starting her Master's, my best friend for taking over international conferences, my friends in my home town for continuing making a conscious effort in turning this town into a better place... honestly, what amazing people I have in my life! 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Definitely not a fan of those anti-gay activists who have been really vocal in Estonia this past year.

14. Where did most of your money go?

To America :D

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Honestly, I feel I spent the whole first month in Charleston so really, really, really excited about EVERYTHING (seriously, I got ridiculously excited about big wooden benches!) I feel I've spent my entire life's worth of excitement.

16. What song will always remind you of 2014?

Actually, there are four: Ingrid Michaelson's Girls Chase Boys, that I listened to so much in the spring I thought my ears would fall off. Stolen Dance by milky Chance, because it will always take me back to that very first road trip we took to Myrtle Beach. Willst du by Alligatoah for the same reason and also, because it made me feel like I can speak German (though I know that's a lie, but I did manage to learn the chorus part and I'm oh-so-proud of myself). And also George Ezra's Budapest, because you know for you, uuu, you, a-dibi-du ;)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? I'd say equally happy. And a little sad.
ii. thinner or fatter? After 'Murica, I'm temped to say fatter, but I don't know. I guess I was definitely more in shape a year ago.
iii. richer or poorer? Surprisingly, not that much poorer. Definitely not richer either.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Written my thesis. I don't know when, but it would have been a smart thing to do. And read more books!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Obsessing over stuff I have no control over.

20. Did you fall in love in 2014?

Yes.

21. How many one-night stands?

None!

22. What was your favorite TV program?

It's actually on YouTube, but I'm sooo happy I found Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No one I know personally. I have developed a serious dislike for a couple of public figures, though.

24. What was the best book you read?

Sadly, I didn't read all that many books this year. But Dostojevski's Idiot was definitely one worth mentioning.

25. What did you want and get?

I got to see Savannah! Something I'd wanted to do since I was 12.

26. What was your favorite film of this year?

Nothing really stands out. But Rocky Horror Picture Show is my favorite film every year and I got to see that plenty of times.

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

It was the most eventful birthday week I have ever had! There was shooting and sushi and Rocky Horror and a surprise party and going out and a most wonderful birthday picnic with a bunch of most wonderful people and humongous balloons and Spongebob party hats and awesome unicorn gifts. And after I got home I had another birthday with my two oldest friends with a movie and the BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD and baking gingerbread cookies. I was so blessed! Oh, and I turned 17, of course

28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Owning a crystal ball that would tell me that all the amazing friends I made and the ones I had before will stay in my life forever!

29. What kept you sane?

It would be a little presumptuous to say I was sane to begin with, so I'll let that one pass.

30. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Hmm, John Oliver. And Mika.

31. Who was the best new person you met?

I think it's a little too soon to answer this question. But I'm gonna go with all of the unicorns and Thomas.

32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:

Being overly confident totally pays off

33. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I'm just following the road for a walk in the sun.

 Tallinn!

 My pile of gifts this year

 I can finally dress alike with my "little" sister! Maybe now people'll believe we're related

 Winter scenes from Tartu

 My alma mater

 I must say, I've seen a lot of places with Christmas decorations, but Tartu is still my favorite