estonian ettiquette lesson #2

question: what do you do in rural estonia on the night before the last day of school when you need to buy flowers for your teacher...and all the stores are closed??

(a) go to another store? um, no. you're already in Väike Maarja, the biggest "urban centre" in the area (population 5000), and like I said, the stores are closed.

(b) not buy flowers? ...maybe give her chocolates instead? not an option. you're in Eesti. 

hm. ... this is exactly what happened to us last night! 

Thank goodness for mom (Pilvi), who provided us with option (c) : "äkki lähme vaatame kas metsas ôitseb midagi"? (I was trying to think of a translation for "äkki," but I don't think there is one. loosely translated, though, mom suggests: "maybe there's something blooming in the forest?")

eureka! so we popped by the forest on the way home. (literally. it was right on the way.)

as the pictures (above) demonstrate, the next steps were obvious. to #1. stick your head out the window until you find some flowers, #2. celebrate upon finding said flowers by taking lots of pictures, #3. pick forget-me-nots and lilies of the valley to your heart's content, #4. get your thread and scissors ready, and #5. create a bouquet that is fresher (and cheaper) than anything you could buy at the store anyway.

I feel so Estonian.

Päris Eesti Saun

Future visitors of Estonia, please take note of a few simple rules in order to avoid ackwardness and mishaps when your new friends invite you to their home for a Saturday evening saun:

1. Bring your own towel, shampoo, and soap.
2. Always rinse off in the outer sauna/pesemis tuba (washing) room. Especially feet.
3. Upon initially entereing the sauna, try not to act surprised that the room is about 10 times as hot as any välismaa (foreign) saun you have ever been in, even the one at camp where you poured all that water on the rocks.
4. Don’t forget to pour some cold water on the wood before sitting down, so you don’t burn your bum.
5. Take off all jewellery, again to avoid burns.
6. Apply saunamett (sauna honey) generously to your whole body. Keep breathing. Contrary to what you might assume, your lungs are probably not singed yet.
7. Don’t feel embarrased that you’re not sitting on the top step with everyone else. They already assume you’re a foreign sissy but they’re much too polite to say anything.
8. When everyone goes outside the first time to sit outside/jump in the water/roll in the snow, just follow along. It's ok to scream a little. Actually it's encouraged, I think.
9. When whipping yourself with the kasevits (birch tree whip), don’t forget the souls of your feet.
10. During shower/outside breaks, you can drink beer.
11. If other people, or you, spontaneously stop talking and quickly fall asleep for 10-minute intervals during the post-sauna feasts and festivities, it's ok.
12. Afterwards, don’t be surprised if you feel dirty after getting out of the shower. Compared to the post-sauna state, you are.