Take me to Finland please

In one of my first classes here, my soviet-spy-edition professor, Igor, said "Russia borders 16 countries, but really, we just want to be alone."

I assumed that the domineering personality that is Russia would have infiltrated most of its surrounding countries. Meaning these unassuming countries of Finland, Estonia, Ukraine and Belarus (to name a few) would have adopted Russian mannerisms and thinking. I thought people would be just as unfriendly and irritated and bossy as they are in St. Petersburg. I was prepared for more of the same, which I honestly have actually grown extremely fond of in Russia.

So my first encounter with a Finnish citizen literally left me speechless. After the train ride I was, as usual, a tad grumpy and dirty and hungry (I was channeling Stephy). Meaning talking to me was really not in your best interest. But I managed to find a place selling bagels in cream cheese, two things I keep in very high regard and as it would happen, not available in the Russian Federation. So I did like I usually do in Russia; I stand an awkward distance away from the cashier to pick out what I want, count out exact change and practice what I am going to say in a pep talk before I finally head up to the register. The blond woman behind the counter saw me standing there and said something in Finnish (I will get to that language in a minute). When I looked utterly lost and helpless, typical I know, she smiled and switched to English. She said "If you don't know what to get, this one is my favorite," and pointed to one of the bagels. She then helped me order a drink and threw in a cookie (probably because I looked like I had just gotten off a train from Russia) and said she hoped I would enjoy my stay. It is astonishing how different this would have played out if this was in Russia.

I would have been yelled at for 1)Not knowing enough Russian 2)Not having the exact number of kopecks 3)Smiling 4)Not knowing the name of the drink 5)Not knowing enough Russian. Going to the grocery store, or really any store for that matter, is absolutely terrifying. I know enough Russian to converse, but after about a syllable and a half they know I an not Russian. Which means they are not going to be nice to me. It has literally gotten to the point where I get up to the register, give her my bills and then hold out a handful of various change and the cashier rummages through my hand to get what she needs. This is a daily occurrence. But I have become rather fond of this system. I really think the cashier lady and I have begun to bond, but that could be totally in my head.

It is amazing how different these countries are when they lay next to one another. Especially considering that Finland and Estonia were both under Russian authority for quite a substantial part of history. Finland gained independence in 1917 during the Russian Civil War and Estonia in 1991. And now, neither country seems to exude the unfriendliness and arrogance so prevalent in Russia. While it may sound like I am complaining about Russia right now, I truly am not. It has become a system and way of life around here. While at first I was surprised by the Russian demeanor, I have now come to embrace it. It is part of what makes the history, and the country itself so mysterious and interesting. It is why I studied here, and every day I am exceedingly glad I took on the challenge of studying abroad in Russia. Undoubtedly, I will come back here one day. It is a place so unlike everywhere else in the world. Some call it European, some call it Asian. But it is neither, it can truly only be called Russian. It is the largest country in the world and has managed to isolate itself in the past two decades. Not many people immigrate to Russia, but not many people leave it either. It is truly a culture that you can only understand if you are raised in it. So while I have spent four months here, everything is still a mystery to me.

So back to Finland. On the train ride home we concluded that it is a country of fairies, because nobody else will eve be able to understand it. Russian has 6 cases: genitive, instrumental, accusative, dative, nominative and prepositional. Finnish has 23 cases. That fact literally makes me want to laugh, because it obviously cannot be real. Finnish sounds so different from any other language I have ever heard, and trying to get around was pretty impossible. Our saving grace was that Swedish is also a national language. Thus it is printed on all street signs underneath the Finnish. Swedish is a lot like Spanish, anyone can recognize enough words to keep themselves from dying.

The other reason we decided Finland is a country of fairies is because of the people. Every person we encountered was exceedingly nice and friendly with a very laid back attitude. It really was just a magical place.

But just when I thought things couldn't get much better, we went to Estonia. We took a walking tour of the historic city of Tallin and I became fascinated with a city I still cannot find on a map. It has the old city feeling with churches leading back to the 13th century but still holds many of the secrets that make Russia so bewildering. For instance, one building has all the bottom windows blocked up. Turns out this was the old KGB headquarters and there is one room inside that nobody is allowed in. When the building was sold and the headquarters in Tallin dissolved, there was a clause saying nobody will ever be allowed in this room. To this day, the room remains unseen by anyone and the building is once again for sale (don't tell my mom, it looks like a fixer-upper). We also saw another room in the center of the city which is also bricked up. Legend has it, the Devil's wedding party took place in this room and the morning after the owner sealed everything up and now from the street you can still see the fake curtains painted on the bricks.

I am always a sucker for a good mystery and both cities, Helsinki and Tallin, kept me satisfied.

In all, our excursion to Finland and Estonia was indeed a nice break from school and Russia. But I am still as thankful as ever I chose to spend my semester here. What would be the point of going abroad if everything was going to be easy? Don't get me wrong, I am really looking forward to a little sunbathing when I get home. Let's be honest, A LOT of sunbathing.

Peace out