Drew Smith is a senior biology major from the Arkansas State University in the United States. He is an active blogger and videographer. Drew’s Twitter bio: “Studying for a year in Estonia. I don’t know, maybe you should try looking it up before you ask where it is.”
My, my how a year flies. It’s here. My time in Tartu has finally come to its unfortunate end. The last day in the City of Good Thoughts. How do I wrap up something that I don’t want to end? Maybe I won’t. You know what? It’s decided. I’m not saying this as a goodbye, just as a “see you later”..
Passing the Town Hall Square in Tartu (me on the left).
Estonia is one of those places that goes unnoticed until someone tells you about it, and once you’ve heard about it, Estonia is everywhere. THIS talks about the University of Tartu, and THIS list puts Estonia as the country with the cleanest air in the world, while THIS list rates Estonia as having the freest internet in the world. They have one of the coolest, most inspiring stories I’ve ever heard in “The Singing Revolution” – which if you haven’t seen yet, you are currently living significantly less inspired than you could be. Most of these things are just lists though. They add to a country’s repertoire, but ultimately mean nothing without actually seeing it first hand.
Simply reading that Estonia has the cleanest air in the world will not give you the sweet sweet nectar that is Estonian air – pouring into your lungs like a crisp, cool glass of water on a hot summer’s day. Reading about Estonian’s internet won’t help you experience true connectedness, just like reading about their educational system won’t give you a world class education (although, to be fair, reading does improve your intelligence so it’s at least helping a little bit). And the pictures will only make you look at your life as the ghost of what could have been. Continue reading
