Hey guys!
It’s been a while since I last wrote, but not too much is new with me.
This past weekend was fun; I met up with a varied group of friends and we went out to a few bars and a dance club on Saturday night, and then on Sunday I just took it easy and did some shopping with my friend Anna. I got a new pair of jeans (which I needed badly!) and a few nice button-down shirts and a sweater. It wasn't cheap per se, but comparable to US prices.
In other news, the first snow arrived in Tallinn today, I am told! It didn't snow for long, and it certainly didn't stick, but it's on its way. They say it might snow later today and if not today, then on Wednesday. The temperature is hovering between 1 and 4 degrees Celsius (34-40 degress Fahrenheit, about), so if any moisture exists, it will come in the "Wintry Mix" variety....but I would much rather have just snow though, since you don't really get wet in the same way as with rain or wintry mix.
Up until now, Tallinn had been unseasonably warm with only a few rainy days. Since I’ve gotten here it’s been between 12-18 degrees Celsius most days, which is between 53 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, so not bad! There had only been a few cold days and nights, and overall it had been quite pleasant. I was beginning to think that this whole “winter” thing was only a myth to keep people away from Tallinn, but today has changed my mind; it’s 2 degrees C outside as I type…
It seems that Fall has come and gone in about 2 weeks; the leaves turned color very quickly and are now mostly gone from the trees, so that was a bit of a surprise. But as I may have said before, Estonians have all been amazed that the weather has been good for this long, so everyone is bracing for a brutal winter to "make up" for the warm spell we've had. I hope they're all wrong about the severity of this winter, but it appears Winter (in whatever form it takes) is here.
I won’t lie though, it is getting quite cold here, and I think I'll have to bust out the long underwear soon. The snow today wasn't much, but it shows where we're headed. From what I hear, though, Tallinn is generally warmer ("warm" being relative) than southern Estonia in Winter, as we're on the water. Thus, the amount of snow that sticks around can limited, and we do get a lot of rain in the winters. But it's all year-to-year, people tell me, so I really don't know what quite to expect. So for now, I'll have to be vague with all of you, since that's what I'm getting from people here. :)
The days have also been getting shorter; but it's not as bad yet as it will be. A big difference will come on October 30th, though, when daylight savings time ends. Instead of setting at 5:30, the sun will set at around 4:30....yikes. The days will only get shorter, as on November 30th the sunrise is at 8:49am and sunset is at only 3:30!!! That is crazy, I think. December 23rd is the worst though, sunrise at 9:18am and sunset at 3:22pm. So basically I have 2 more months where the days will only be getting shorter, and then it will be nice to have them get longer and longer and longer until I leave in July.
Now that I've sufficiently dwelled on the weather, I can tell you what I have been doing. Last week, my boss Ivar was in Jordan, giving lectures to Jordanians about the role Information and Communications technology can play for their government, so I was on my own. Also, Steven, another colleague of ours, was in his home country of Belgium, where he was advising the Belgian government on Public Policy. On top of these two guys being gone, we had a delegation of Moldavian civil-servants in the eGA office, attending the same lectures given by top Estonia experts, so the office was still quite full of people despite the two guys that I share an office with being gone. The difference with this group was that they didn't speak English or Estonian, so all of the presentations were in Russian, which meant I couldn't attend any of them, unlike the week before with the Albanians.
I'm finding that even though my research is taking different directionst than I might have originally expected, eGA is a cool place to work out of. I get along with all of my colleagues, and Ivar is one of only a few world experts in his field, so it's very nice to be as close to him as I am. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from him while I'm here. He arrived back from Jordan on Friday, and tomorrow we will meet to further clarify my first research project, which, as of now, will be to put together a seminar on the variety of e-services offered in Estonia, and the best channels through which to deploy these services.
The services I speak of include paying for your parking meter with your cell phone, voting online in elections, turning on household devices with a text message, and paying for items in stores via text messaging. I will write up a brief on the technology and the available channels through which these services can be delivered, and then I will invite 10-20 thought leaders in these fields together to debate over 3-5 questions I'll write. Then, I'll record the seminar and formulate the thoughts into a paper that (assuming all goes well with this) will be done before Christmas.
So mostly my week kept me in the office, but a few days ago I got the chance to go to the Tallinn Zoo with my Estonian friend Triinu. It was a beautiful day, and the zoo was actually pretty neat! We saw animals I'd never seen before, like a ton of Yaks, and some really cool tiny monkeys that were just swinging around on vines and stuff. We also saw some toucans (which made me think back to actually seeing them on the Amazon River in Peru!) and an alligator, not to mention a bengal tiger, a rhinocerous, two African elephants and some very active gorillas! It was fun. Check out the pictures here and make sure to keep an eye out for the picture of the sign near the alligator...too funny.
I've also been in the process of finalizing my trip to St. Petersburg with my friend Jon (pronounced "Yun"), who is actually studying in Norway on a Fulbright at the moment. He will come down to Tallinn on November 3rd, and we'll spend 2 days here, and then take a 7am bus to St. Petersburg where we've already made hostel arrangements. We'll stay in St. Pete's until the afternoon of November 8th, when we'll head back to Tallinn and spend a day before Jon heads back to Norway. It should be a great time, as it will be really fun to hook up with an old buddy of mine.
I've definitely missed hanging out with all of my friends since being over here, and while the Estonians I've met are very cool, it is just hard to interact on the same level that I can interact with Americans on. My friends Trudee and Anna have made this a lot easier, but I still miss all of my Wheaton and Bay Area friends. Luckily, being so connected to the Internet while over here makes it at least a little easier to keep tabs on what everyone is up to. I can't imagine being this far away without the Internet, which just shows how spoiled technology has made me. But at the same time, this just goes to show that our world will never be the same. Each day, we innovate and move forward with technology, irreparably changing the world-- sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. That's exactly what I love to look at though, and it's what I'm trying to understand over here in Estonia. How has our world changed, and more importantly, how is our world changing. Something to think about.
24 October 2005
13 October 2005
1 month!
It's hard to believe, but I've been here for a month already!!! 1/10 done with my grant, wow!
It's been a month of transition and it certainly hasn't been easy. But all in all, things are going very well in Estonia; as well as I could have possibly hoped when i embarked on this crazy adventure.
I haven't been able to write much because I've been extremely busy these past 2 weeks or so since I last wrote. At the beginning of October, I got to take a walking tour of Tallinn, and even though I had already seen a lot of the sights, it was nice to have a guide who could explain everything and tell us little anecdotes about the history of the country and in particular, the old city.
Click here to see some pictures from the tour, as well as a few other random pictures from the past 2 weeks or so.
The highlights of the tour were the oldest buildings, particularly the Russian Orthodox church, which has magnificent "onion" domes like you would see on the Kremlin, but smaller. We got to go inside, which was an experience in itself, though unfortunately, they don't allow you to take photos. But to describe it for you, everything is adorned in gold, and there are no pews; worshippers walk around from icon to icon, lighting candles and saying prayers at each. Also, there is no direct communication between the priest and the worshippers, and there is no sermon given. The priest conducts his activities behind a partition where a choir sings (so you also don't see them), and the music was just beautiful. There were many people actively participating in the service when we were there, and it was interesting to be able to be a fly on the wall.
We also checked out two amazing lookout points over all of Tallinn, which were just spectacular. We had views of the whole city, and heard stories of the various occupations of Tallinn. Estonia has quite an interesting history, and it's amazing that the buildings we stood between have existed for 800 years in some cases, and still remain. There are few places in the world that are like this.
A few other pictures in this album include some shots from a jazz club my roommate Mark and I went to, which is housed in the basement of a theater called "No. 99" and is actually just about a block from our apartment. It is only 40 kroon for student tickets (roughly $3.00), and the show was great!! We're definitely going back, as the shows are every Friday.
Last saturday, my friend Anna and I decided that it would be fun to just pop on over to Finland, so we did!! We weren't sure of the specifics but we knew pretty much where the ferry terminal was, so we got up at 8 or so (early on Saturday!) and mosied on down to the port, and we found that same day tickets for the ferry to Finland were only $30 roundtrip! Talk about the price being right! So we took a 10 o'clock ferry to Helsinki, and arrived in Finland at about 11:40am or so.
We had acquired a map of Helsinki on board the ferry, so we had a general sense of where we wanted to head-- the older part of the city, which ended up being about a 30-40 minute walk from the part of the port we had arrived in. This was no big deal at all for us, as we weren't totally positive of what we wanted to see, and a lot of what we wanted to do was get a general sense of what Finland is like.
After trekking across Helsinki, we arrived at an open-air market which was just fantastic. The prices were very high, as this was a main tourist destination (the market was on the water, but at the port where all of the cruise ships arrive, not ferries from Tallinn), so Anna and I just walked around and there are some (I think at least!) very cool photos from this market in my Finland album, which you can see here:
Pictures from Finland!
After checking out the market we attempted to find a big flea market that Anna had heard about from a co-worker, but it was nowhere to be found. When we first arrived in the city, we found one small flea market (which had some crazy stuff; I wish I had the expertise of some of those antiques roadshow guys!!!), but we weren't sure if this was the one Anna had heard about. In any case, finding the big flea market ended up being somewhat of a wild goose chase, but since we had mapped out our path through the city, we ended up near Helsinki's modern art museum.
The museum was crazy, as I guess I should have expected Modern Art to be. I have to wrestle with Modern Art, as some of it is very impressive to me, and other pieces make me say "This is art?!?!" It was a cool place to go, and after we left the museum, I found myself looking around me in the 'real world' asking "is this art?" I like the fact that this genre bridges the gap between art and every day existence, even though I might not like all types of modern art, or feel totally comfortable looking at some of the pieces. To each his own, I guess.
After the art museum, Anna and I checked out some cathedrals and churches (the oldest buildings in the city), and one surprising highlight was at Tuomiokirkko Cathedral, a Lutheran cathedral fairly close to the open-air market I spoke about before.
Now I don't know if I mentioned this in a prior blog post, but I have been thinking about trying to go to Germany in June to visit my Wheaton friend (and fellow Fulbrighter) Karin Seeber, and to check out a few world cup games. The problem was, however, that we realized we wanted to go to the World Cup kind of late in the game, so all of the teams that were sure-fire bets to make the cup (US, Brazil, Italy, etc.) had sold out. So our only option was to try and get tickets for a team that wasn't a lock to qualify, but still could get in (as we had to reserve the tickets a few weeks back). So our choice was Romania, and without getting into specifics, a lot of things had to go right for them to get in the cup.
So at Tuomiokirkko, we passed these three guys who were wearing matching warmup suits that looked like they said Romania Football. I kind of did a double take, and kept walking. The jackets looked pretty legit, so as we're walking, I explain my interest in Romania soccer to Anna, and then it clicked: Romania was playing Finland that day as part of the World Cup qualifying matches in Helsinki!! "Could those guys possibly play for Romania?" I asked Anna? The more I thought about it, the more it seemed they were there for the game.
So we went back to them and I asked if they played on the team, and somewhat bashfully they said yes. I wished them good luck against Finland and in general, and told them that I had tickets to see them in Germany, so I was really hoping they'd make the World Cup. I'm not totally sure if they completely understood what I was saying, but they said thank you and Anna and I went on our way. When I got home, I looked online and discovered that these were two of the guys I met: Mugurel Buga and Daniel Niculae. These guys aren't bad players at all. And what are the odds of this happening, honestly?!? It was pretty cool.
Anyways, Romania ended up winning that game in Finland, but thanks to a Czech Republic victory 2 nights ago, Romania was edged out of the World Cup qualification. So, after what I thought might have been a fateful encounter, I won't get to see Romania play after all. Too bad, but hey, I still met three pro soccer players, and to have them play for Romania was still very cool and exciting since I had somewhat of a stake in that team to begin with. I suspect I'll always pay attention to what they're doing from here on out, so that's fun. And even though I don't have tickets to any World Cup matches, I still very likely will go to Germany to see Karin and check out a few games in the local bars. It will be a lot cheaper that way, that's for sure... :)
After a fun day in Finland, it was time to return to the real world. This past week, eGA has had a delegation from the Albanian government visiting Tallinn and learning all about e-Governance through a series of speakers here in our offices. Since the common language between Albania and Estonia is English, I've been able to sit in on a number of these talks and use the information I've been gathering for my own research. I've also met all of the speakers (from the Deputy Mayor of Tartu-- Estonia's 2nd biggest city-- to Information and Communications Technology experts to one of directors on the board of Estonia's biggest mobile phone company, EMT), and for the most part, these guys have all offered to work with me in the future if I need their assistance. These are important connections that I am making, which will hopefully be useful in terms of collecting information and synthesizing this information as I move forward.
Figuring out how all of the information I have gathered (and am always actively gathering) fits together is a very difficult process. I think this will prove to be the toughest task, but not one that is insurmountable. After all, I have only been here for 1 month, even though in many ways it seems like much longer. I have to keep this in mind as I move forward, as I am making progress every day. I have no doubt that eventually these little bits and pieces of progress will add up to something big, but as of now, all I have are bits and pieces.
I miss you all, and am really enjoying the emails I have been getting from you all. Please continue to keep in touch and know that I miss you all. I'll try not to wait 2 weeks before my next post.
Until next time,
J
It's been a month of transition and it certainly hasn't been easy. But all in all, things are going very well in Estonia; as well as I could have possibly hoped when i embarked on this crazy adventure.
I haven't been able to write much because I've been extremely busy these past 2 weeks or so since I last wrote. At the beginning of October, I got to take a walking tour of Tallinn, and even though I had already seen a lot of the sights, it was nice to have a guide who could explain everything and tell us little anecdotes about the history of the country and in particular, the old city.
Click here to see some pictures from the tour, as well as a few other random pictures from the past 2 weeks or so.
The highlights of the tour were the oldest buildings, particularly the Russian Orthodox church, which has magnificent "onion" domes like you would see on the Kremlin, but smaller. We got to go inside, which was an experience in itself, though unfortunately, they don't allow you to take photos. But to describe it for you, everything is adorned in gold, and there are no pews; worshippers walk around from icon to icon, lighting candles and saying prayers at each. Also, there is no direct communication between the priest and the worshippers, and there is no sermon given. The priest conducts his activities behind a partition where a choir sings (so you also don't see them), and the music was just beautiful. There were many people actively participating in the service when we were there, and it was interesting to be able to be a fly on the wall.
We also checked out two amazing lookout points over all of Tallinn, which were just spectacular. We had views of the whole city, and heard stories of the various occupations of Tallinn. Estonia has quite an interesting history, and it's amazing that the buildings we stood between have existed for 800 years in some cases, and still remain. There are few places in the world that are like this.
A few other pictures in this album include some shots from a jazz club my roommate Mark and I went to, which is housed in the basement of a theater called "No. 99" and is actually just about a block from our apartment. It is only 40 kroon for student tickets (roughly $3.00), and the show was great!! We're definitely going back, as the shows are every Friday.
Last saturday, my friend Anna and I decided that it would be fun to just pop on over to Finland, so we did!! We weren't sure of the specifics but we knew pretty much where the ferry terminal was, so we got up at 8 or so (early on Saturday!) and mosied on down to the port, and we found that same day tickets for the ferry to Finland were only $30 roundtrip! Talk about the price being right! So we took a 10 o'clock ferry to Helsinki, and arrived in Finland at about 11:40am or so.
We had acquired a map of Helsinki on board the ferry, so we had a general sense of where we wanted to head-- the older part of the city, which ended up being about a 30-40 minute walk from the part of the port we had arrived in. This was no big deal at all for us, as we weren't totally positive of what we wanted to see, and a lot of what we wanted to do was get a general sense of what Finland is like.
After trekking across Helsinki, we arrived at an open-air market which was just fantastic. The prices were very high, as this was a main tourist destination (the market was on the water, but at the port where all of the cruise ships arrive, not ferries from Tallinn), so Anna and I just walked around and there are some (I think at least!) very cool photos from this market in my Finland album, which you can see here:
Pictures from Finland!
After checking out the market we attempted to find a big flea market that Anna had heard about from a co-worker, but it was nowhere to be found. When we first arrived in the city, we found one small flea market (which had some crazy stuff; I wish I had the expertise of some of those antiques roadshow guys!!!), but we weren't sure if this was the one Anna had heard about. In any case, finding the big flea market ended up being somewhat of a wild goose chase, but since we had mapped out our path through the city, we ended up near Helsinki's modern art museum.
The museum was crazy, as I guess I should have expected Modern Art to be. I have to wrestle with Modern Art, as some of it is very impressive to me, and other pieces make me say "This is art?!?!" It was a cool place to go, and after we left the museum, I found myself looking around me in the 'real world' asking "is this art?" I like the fact that this genre bridges the gap between art and every day existence, even though I might not like all types of modern art, or feel totally comfortable looking at some of the pieces. To each his own, I guess.
After the art museum, Anna and I checked out some cathedrals and churches (the oldest buildings in the city), and one surprising highlight was at Tuomiokirkko Cathedral, a Lutheran cathedral fairly close to the open-air market I spoke about before.
Now I don't know if I mentioned this in a prior blog post, but I have been thinking about trying to go to Germany in June to visit my Wheaton friend (and fellow Fulbrighter) Karin Seeber, and to check out a few world cup games. The problem was, however, that we realized we wanted to go to the World Cup kind of late in the game, so all of the teams that were sure-fire bets to make the cup (US, Brazil, Italy, etc.) had sold out. So our only option was to try and get tickets for a team that wasn't a lock to qualify, but still could get in (as we had to reserve the tickets a few weeks back). So our choice was Romania, and without getting into specifics, a lot of things had to go right for them to get in the cup.
So at Tuomiokirkko, we passed these three guys who were wearing matching warmup suits that looked like they said Romania Football. I kind of did a double take, and kept walking. The jackets looked pretty legit, so as we're walking, I explain my interest in Romania soccer to Anna, and then it clicked: Romania was playing Finland that day as part of the World Cup qualifying matches in Helsinki!! "Could those guys possibly play for Romania?" I asked Anna? The more I thought about it, the more it seemed they were there for the game.
So we went back to them and I asked if they played on the team, and somewhat bashfully they said yes. I wished them good luck against Finland and in general, and told them that I had tickets to see them in Germany, so I was really hoping they'd make the World Cup. I'm not totally sure if they completely understood what I was saying, but they said thank you and Anna and I went on our way. When I got home, I looked online and discovered that these were two of the guys I met: Mugurel Buga and Daniel Niculae. These guys aren't bad players at all. And what are the odds of this happening, honestly?!? It was pretty cool.
Anyways, Romania ended up winning that game in Finland, but thanks to a Czech Republic victory 2 nights ago, Romania was edged out of the World Cup qualification. So, after what I thought might have been a fateful encounter, I won't get to see Romania play after all. Too bad, but hey, I still met three pro soccer players, and to have them play for Romania was still very cool and exciting since I had somewhat of a stake in that team to begin with. I suspect I'll always pay attention to what they're doing from here on out, so that's fun. And even though I don't have tickets to any World Cup matches, I still very likely will go to Germany to see Karin and check out a few games in the local bars. It will be a lot cheaper that way, that's for sure... :)
After a fun day in Finland, it was time to return to the real world. This past week, eGA has had a delegation from the Albanian government visiting Tallinn and learning all about e-Governance through a series of speakers here in our offices. Since the common language between Albania and Estonia is English, I've been able to sit in on a number of these talks and use the information I've been gathering for my own research. I've also met all of the speakers (from the Deputy Mayor of Tartu-- Estonia's 2nd biggest city-- to Information and Communications Technology experts to one of directors on the board of Estonia's biggest mobile phone company, EMT), and for the most part, these guys have all offered to work with me in the future if I need their assistance. These are important connections that I am making, which will hopefully be useful in terms of collecting information and synthesizing this information as I move forward.
Figuring out how all of the information I have gathered (and am always actively gathering) fits together is a very difficult process. I think this will prove to be the toughest task, but not one that is insurmountable. After all, I have only been here for 1 month, even though in many ways it seems like much longer. I have to keep this in mind as I move forward, as I am making progress every day. I have no doubt that eventually these little bits and pieces of progress will add up to something big, but as of now, all I have are bits and pieces.
I miss you all, and am really enjoying the emails I have been getting from you all. Please continue to keep in touch and know that I miss you all. I'll try not to wait 2 weeks before my next post.
Until next time,
J
28 September 2005
Rural Estonia
Monday and Tuesday of this week were relatively slow. Monday I went to Tallinn Technical University (TTU) to try and secure that one last piece of paper for my residency permit application, and I also found that there is an Estonian language course for English speakers that my roommate Mark is involved in. So, I tagged along with Mark and checked out the course, and it seems like it will be just what I need for formal instruction, in addition to the less formal Estonian lessons I am hoping to get with Estonian friends. So, I registered for the class which will meet every Monday at TTU.
While at TTU, I put another name with a face, and met Kairi Õun, who is the coordinator of international students. She told me that apparently none of the faculty that I had thought were affiliated with TTU actually were (urp!), so I needed to find another professor who would be able to meet me and serve as my affiliate with the university. Luckily, she told me, this would not be hard to do, and I already had their support, so it would work. Kairi told me today that she found a man, named Avo Ots, who I believe will actually be able to help me with my studies on WiFi. So the fact that I didn’t have a formal advisor to begin with is actually helping me, as I now have discovered another expert in the field. So I am hoping to meet Dr. Ots on Monday after my language course. Also, I can now pick up my paper showing my affiliation with the university tomorrow, so I can finally get my residency permit application out of the way! WOO-HOO, bureaucracy!
After this long ordeal at TTU, I was feeling a bit under the weather (sore throat, which is still hanging around a bit, but is manageable) so I just took care of some business around the apartment, did some offline work (We have yet to get Internet in my apartment…STILL! But that should change tonight, I hope.), and took it easy.
On Tuesday I went into the office and didn’t get much ‘real’ work accomplished, but I did take care of a lot of communication and other odds and ends online, which is almost as important as furthering my research.
After work, I met up with Veljo and his buddy Ivo, who is another IT guru here in Estonia, to play some pool at a local pool hall. Pool is their normal Tuesday night activity, and I was glad to be invited to join. I had moderate success, and could feel the beer catching up to me as the night went on. But that didn’t end up being a big factor, as I held my own, winning 2 of the games I played.
More importantly, Veljo mentioned to me that he was going to the southern part of Estonia the next day—today, Wednesday—and he asked if I would like to join him. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was eager to see more of Estonia, so I said yes. All Veljo told me is that he had some meetings and we would see a museum about Estonian roads, as well as a farm that he had set up with WiFi in January.
So we rose at 5:30am this morning so that we could make the journey down to Tartu. Veljo picked me up at 6ish, and we began the 2 and half hour trip. Estonia is truly beautiful, and the rural areas are complete with thick forests, serene lakes and rivers, and just a general untouched beauty that is hard to find (if even possible at all) in the States.
When we arrived in Tartu, which is Estonia’s 2nd biggest city (to Tallinn), we dropped Veljo’s car off at his buddy’s house, and then caught a taxi down to the main square area, near the university. We boarded this 70’s-style bus that I wish I had a picture of (I’ll try to get one) and Veljo informed me that we were going on a “small tour” of Põlvamaa County, designed for journalists by the local governments.
Perhaps I did not understand Veljo when he had told me a bit about what we would be doing today, but this “small tour” was anything but small, and the government officials that it was put on by were actually the Governer of all of Põlvamaa County, Urmas Klaas, as well as 5 mayors of local townships. This may not sound like a big deal, as this is rural Estonia, but it actually was quite important.
They wined us and they dined us, and everything was planned out to a T. There were speakers on a number of different topics (including Veljo), highlighting what is being done in rural Estonia, and even though I didn’t understand exactly what was said, I picked out various words, and Veljo was there to translate…for the most part. The problems came when Veljo told me that he too couldn’t understand, as the dialect of Estonian that was spoken was too different than the Estonian he speaks, or that the discussion was too technical for him. At this point, I felt like it didn’t even matter that I don’t speak the language—I would have been lost anyway. But all in all, it was a success, and I saw some very different sides of Estonia.
According to Veljo, this whole excursion was apparently all part of a plan by the local government to wow the journalists (newspaper and radio) into providing good press for the incumbents before the upcoming election on October 16, but hey, that’s politics, I guess. And I certainly didn’t mind tagging along, enjoying the delicious food and seeing the sights on the government’s dime (or should I say “on the government’s kroon?”).
But I am getting ahead of myself (and I realize this is a very long post already, so I will try to wind it up shortly!). First, we saw Estonia’s national museum of roads, which was very informative about how trade routes progressed throughout the years, and how the different countries and regimes that have occupied Estonia throughout history affected the roads, and in turn, how different cities have emerged. It was actually quite interesting, and in my eyes it’s something that is often overlooked when considering how countries have changed over the years. Perhaps our current modes of transportation (roads, etc.) are having impacts on future societies that we cannot yet understand. Something to chew on…
After this, we traveled to a very rural farm in a township called Kenapi (prounounced like Canopy), and we saw Veljo’s work first-hand, in the form of a 20-meter WiFi tower that receives and rebroadcasts the signal from the center of town over an 8 kilometer radius. This farm is a bed and breakfast as well, so the presence of WiFi not only has allowed them to advertise themselves on the Internet, but it also attracts guests who might not otherwise pursue such a rural retreat. Apparently it’s really helped business!
At this farm, we tried the homemade honey, cheese, bread, and butter, and it was extremely tasty. We got a tour of the farm and talked with journalists and politicians about a number of topics, but for Veljo and me, it was pretty much all WiFi talk. Veljo also presented about his work here, and it was very well received.
After the WiFi-Farm, our bus headed to a sport center in a town called Põlva, and after this, we toured a factory that makes children’s furniture. I was under the impression that this would all be based around WiFi, but apparently this was something else that was lost in translation with Veljo. When I asked again, Veljo explained that the theme of this trip was to highlight all aspects of Põlvamaa County and its towns, and WiFi was just one of these highlights. This made a lot of sense, and unfortunately to say, the factory was pretty boring for me, not because they didn’t use WiFi, but because I had no idea what was going on, and Veljo had a hard time translating, as many technical terms were used, he said.
So, after the factory, we grabbed lunch at a place whose name translates to “Tina’s Kitchen,” and had some traditional Estonia food—chicken soup, cabbage salad, mashed potatoes and pork gravy, and for dessert, some pudding with jam. After Tina’s, our next stop was at a paper mill in a town called Rapima. But Veljo and I skipped this, as we found a WiFi hotspot we could use, and we both needed to get back in touch with the outside world, after a long WiFi-free span at the factory and at lunch. So we just hung out in the bus and took a much needed break from what was turning into a long tour.
Our last stop was at a manor way the heck out in the middle of nowhere. But, man, this place was gorgeous. It was built in 1903—“very recent” according to Veljo—by the Germans, though they only occupied it for 10 years or so, as World War I “changed everything” in Estonia. But the manor remains, and after a tour of the outside and surrounding buildings, we went inside what was a majestic building.
We were served piping hot fresh bread with freshly homemade butter, and were shown all around the main building, which now serves as an elementary school for about 125 local children. I can’t imagine what it must be like to go to school in this old fort-like manor; it must be pretty cool. After the tour (on which I spotted on of Veljo’s WiFi.ee stickers inside the main building!), we had a light dinner and some wine, and the various politicians, journalists, Veljo and myself chatted a bit before heading back to Tartu, where I caught a bus that I am currently on, heading back to Tallinn.
Check out my photos from our expedition in Põlvamaa County
Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. I’ll try to post more regularly so they don’t get this long! I miss you all and have loved hearing from those of you who have written me. It makes you all feel a lot closer, so please keep them coming!!
All my best, and let’s talk soon.
-J
While at TTU, I put another name with a face, and met Kairi Õun, who is the coordinator of international students. She told me that apparently none of the faculty that I had thought were affiliated with TTU actually were (urp!), so I needed to find another professor who would be able to meet me and serve as my affiliate with the university. Luckily, she told me, this would not be hard to do, and I already had their support, so it would work. Kairi told me today that she found a man, named Avo Ots, who I believe will actually be able to help me with my studies on WiFi. So the fact that I didn’t have a formal advisor to begin with is actually helping me, as I now have discovered another expert in the field. So I am hoping to meet Dr. Ots on Monday after my language course. Also, I can now pick up my paper showing my affiliation with the university tomorrow, so I can finally get my residency permit application out of the way! WOO-HOO, bureaucracy!
After this long ordeal at TTU, I was feeling a bit under the weather (sore throat, which is still hanging around a bit, but is manageable) so I just took care of some business around the apartment, did some offline work (We have yet to get Internet in my apartment…STILL! But that should change tonight, I hope.), and took it easy.
On Tuesday I went into the office and didn’t get much ‘real’ work accomplished, but I did take care of a lot of communication and other odds and ends online, which is almost as important as furthering my research.
After work, I met up with Veljo and his buddy Ivo, who is another IT guru here in Estonia, to play some pool at a local pool hall. Pool is their normal Tuesday night activity, and I was glad to be invited to join. I had moderate success, and could feel the beer catching up to me as the night went on. But that didn’t end up being a big factor, as I held my own, winning 2 of the games I played.
More importantly, Veljo mentioned to me that he was going to the southern part of Estonia the next day—today, Wednesday—and he asked if I would like to join him. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was eager to see more of Estonia, so I said yes. All Veljo told me is that he had some meetings and we would see a museum about Estonian roads, as well as a farm that he had set up with WiFi in January.
So we rose at 5:30am this morning so that we could make the journey down to Tartu. Veljo picked me up at 6ish, and we began the 2 and half hour trip. Estonia is truly beautiful, and the rural areas are complete with thick forests, serene lakes and rivers, and just a general untouched beauty that is hard to find (if even possible at all) in the States.
When we arrived in Tartu, which is Estonia’s 2nd biggest city (to Tallinn), we dropped Veljo’s car off at his buddy’s house, and then caught a taxi down to the main square area, near the university. We boarded this 70’s-style bus that I wish I had a picture of (I’ll try to get one) and Veljo informed me that we were going on a “small tour” of Põlvamaa County, designed for journalists by the local governments.
Perhaps I did not understand Veljo when he had told me a bit about what we would be doing today, but this “small tour” was anything but small, and the government officials that it was put on by were actually the Governer of all of Põlvamaa County, Urmas Klaas, as well as 5 mayors of local townships. This may not sound like a big deal, as this is rural Estonia, but it actually was quite important.
They wined us and they dined us, and everything was planned out to a T. There were speakers on a number of different topics (including Veljo), highlighting what is being done in rural Estonia, and even though I didn’t understand exactly what was said, I picked out various words, and Veljo was there to translate…for the most part. The problems came when Veljo told me that he too couldn’t understand, as the dialect of Estonian that was spoken was too different than the Estonian he speaks, or that the discussion was too technical for him. At this point, I felt like it didn’t even matter that I don’t speak the language—I would have been lost anyway. But all in all, it was a success, and I saw some very different sides of Estonia.
According to Veljo, this whole excursion was apparently all part of a plan by the local government to wow the journalists (newspaper and radio) into providing good press for the incumbents before the upcoming election on October 16, but hey, that’s politics, I guess. And I certainly didn’t mind tagging along, enjoying the delicious food and seeing the sights on the government’s dime (or should I say “on the government’s kroon?”).
But I am getting ahead of myself (and I realize this is a very long post already, so I will try to wind it up shortly!). First, we saw Estonia’s national museum of roads, which was very informative about how trade routes progressed throughout the years, and how the different countries and regimes that have occupied Estonia throughout history affected the roads, and in turn, how different cities have emerged. It was actually quite interesting, and in my eyes it’s something that is often overlooked when considering how countries have changed over the years. Perhaps our current modes of transportation (roads, etc.) are having impacts on future societies that we cannot yet understand. Something to chew on…
After this, we traveled to a very rural farm in a township called Kenapi (prounounced like Canopy), and we saw Veljo’s work first-hand, in the form of a 20-meter WiFi tower that receives and rebroadcasts the signal from the center of town over an 8 kilometer radius. This farm is a bed and breakfast as well, so the presence of WiFi not only has allowed them to advertise themselves on the Internet, but it also attracts guests who might not otherwise pursue such a rural retreat. Apparently it’s really helped business!
At this farm, we tried the homemade honey, cheese, bread, and butter, and it was extremely tasty. We got a tour of the farm and talked with journalists and politicians about a number of topics, but for Veljo and me, it was pretty much all WiFi talk. Veljo also presented about his work here, and it was very well received.
After the WiFi-Farm, our bus headed to a sport center in a town called Põlva, and after this, we toured a factory that makes children’s furniture. I was under the impression that this would all be based around WiFi, but apparently this was something else that was lost in translation with Veljo. When I asked again, Veljo explained that the theme of this trip was to highlight all aspects of Põlvamaa County and its towns, and WiFi was just one of these highlights. This made a lot of sense, and unfortunately to say, the factory was pretty boring for me, not because they didn’t use WiFi, but because I had no idea what was going on, and Veljo had a hard time translating, as many technical terms were used, he said.
So, after the factory, we grabbed lunch at a place whose name translates to “Tina’s Kitchen,” and had some traditional Estonia food—chicken soup, cabbage salad, mashed potatoes and pork gravy, and for dessert, some pudding with jam. After Tina’s, our next stop was at a paper mill in a town called Rapima. But Veljo and I skipped this, as we found a WiFi hotspot we could use, and we both needed to get back in touch with the outside world, after a long WiFi-free span at the factory and at lunch. So we just hung out in the bus and took a much needed break from what was turning into a long tour.
Our last stop was at a manor way the heck out in the middle of nowhere. But, man, this place was gorgeous. It was built in 1903—“very recent” according to Veljo—by the Germans, though they only occupied it for 10 years or so, as World War I “changed everything” in Estonia. But the manor remains, and after a tour of the outside and surrounding buildings, we went inside what was a majestic building.
We were served piping hot fresh bread with freshly homemade butter, and were shown all around the main building, which now serves as an elementary school for about 125 local children. I can’t imagine what it must be like to go to school in this old fort-like manor; it must be pretty cool. After the tour (on which I spotted on of Veljo’s WiFi.ee stickers inside the main building!), we had a light dinner and some wine, and the various politicians, journalists, Veljo and myself chatted a bit before heading back to Tartu, where I caught a bus that I am currently on, heading back to Tallinn.
Check out my photos from our expedition in Põlvamaa County
Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. I’ll try to post more regularly so they don’t get this long! I miss you all and have loved hearing from those of you who have written me. It makes you all feel a lot closer, so please keep them coming!!
All my best, and let’s talk soon.
-J
25 September 2005
The Weekend
Hey Guys!
Since I last checked in with you, I’ve been busy. Saturday was a pretty easy day—I got some small tasks done, like getting a haircut, going shopping for some essentials for the apartment, and just chilling out a bit, and then in the evening I met up with a few friends to just take it easy and we actually watched a few episodes of the Simpsons. It’s funny how people from different countries can connect on something as simple as yellow cartoon characters, but hey, it works. This actually reminded me a lot of a time when I was traveling in New Zealand with my buddy Mike, and we broke out my computer and put on the “Jackass” movie. By the end of it, we had about 20 people from like 7 countries huddling around the computer and laughing at the crazy antics of the MTV guys. I guess some things are universal.
So after a relaxing day to begin my weekend, I was a bit more active on Sunday. Last week I checked in with the U.S. Embassy to let them know I had arrived in Estonia, and to register my address and all that good stuff. It was a great thing to do, not only because I was able to connect faces with names of people I had previously only corresponded with via email, but I ran into a man named Eric Johnson who I met in July in Washinton, D.C. at the Fulbright orientation.
When I was at the Embassy, Eric introduced me to his staff, including a girl named Anna Hermann, who is an American interning at the U.S. Embassy. Anna (pronounced Ah-na) is a student at Brown, in Providence, R.I., and she is taking a year off from school to live and work in Europe before she goes back and finishes up her degree. She actually had arrived just the day before I met her, so she was even newer to Estonia that me, believe it or not! Anna and I later exchanged emails and Eric suggested that Anna and I go exploring in Tallinn, do some touristy things, and just get to know another person who is in a similar boat to ourselves—namely, new to the country and lacking the language.
So on Sunday, Anna and I ventured to the east side of Tallinn, to a place called Pirita Beach, which is nice and sandy, and extends all the way to a cool forest. In addition to the beach, there is a very cool pier that is adjacent to the sailing village from the 1980 Olympics. The biggest draw of the area, however, is not the beach, but rather, the ruins of a convent that was built in 1407.
In her email to me, Anna mentioned that she is originally from Portland, OR, and I remembered that another American I knew—my friend James—the other American who I met (oddly enough, in McDonalds) is from Portland as well. So I mentioned it to James, and it turns out that he and his wife Kerttu live very near Pirita Beach, so they agreed to meet us, and the 4 of us had a great time.
At the beach, we saw many windsurfers and sailboats, and we took a long walk on the pier, admiring the nice view back to the Old Town, and checking out what the numerous fishermen were catching. It turned out that James and Kerttu could only stay for about an hour, so after we returned from the pier, they had to jet. But it was still cool for 2 Portlanders to meet each other all the way in Tallinn.
Anna and I decided it was time to see the convent. When we crossed the street from the pier, we could see the face of the convent very clearly, and we both mentioned how impressed we were with the architecture of the early 15th century. Upon entering the convent grounds, we were greeted by a very daunting graveyard. We could see inscriptions on the graves from as early as 1485, and there were MANY crosses (check out the pictures, you’ll see what I mean), very close to one another. Anna and I both commented how odd it was that over the years much of the human population collectively decided to mark spots of burials with crosses and tombstones, and if aliens, or anyone to whom this idea was foreign saw this, they would probably be confused. It is pretty odd, when you separate it from religion, to be honest. But it’s just the way life is, I guess.
Inside the convent, the architecture was even more amazing. Even though a lot of the structure (most notably, the roof) had been destroyed, archways were still evident and actual rooms surrounding the main church were very apparent. There was a map explaining what each room was used for, and it was fun to walk through the rooms (which were sometimes built into the ground) imagining how life had been in 1407 and beyond. No electricity, no WiFi Internet…how could they ever have managed?! Haha, playing, of course. :)
After a while at the convent, we grabbed a quick bite at a pizza place and then took a stroll on the beach, explored the forest a bit, and then headed back to the center of Tallinn on what is a truly a beautiful boardwalk path. Anna and I never ran out of things to talk about, and it was really fun to have another person who knows what I am going through, but at the same time is having a different experience. As neither of us really knows anyone else in the area that well (aside from my Estonian Fulbright friends, who seem VERY into their work…almost to a fault, if I dare say so…yikes!), we may try to take a trip to St. Petersburg before it gets too cold. At the same time, I am trying to get one of my oldest friends—and fellow Fulbright Scholar—Jon Fougner, to come down from Oslo, Norway to see Estonia and then make this trek with me. We’re certainly planning to rendezvous at some point soon, but it remains to be seen where and when exactly this will happen.
Check out the pictures from my weekend (as well as a few that I forgot to include in the last album).
Look out for a new post on the blog soon!!
-John
Since I last checked in with you, I’ve been busy. Saturday was a pretty easy day—I got some small tasks done, like getting a haircut, going shopping for some essentials for the apartment, and just chilling out a bit, and then in the evening I met up with a few friends to just take it easy and we actually watched a few episodes of the Simpsons. It’s funny how people from different countries can connect on something as simple as yellow cartoon characters, but hey, it works. This actually reminded me a lot of a time when I was traveling in New Zealand with my buddy Mike, and we broke out my computer and put on the “Jackass” movie. By the end of it, we had about 20 people from like 7 countries huddling around the computer and laughing at the crazy antics of the MTV guys. I guess some things are universal.
So after a relaxing day to begin my weekend, I was a bit more active on Sunday. Last week I checked in with the U.S. Embassy to let them know I had arrived in Estonia, and to register my address and all that good stuff. It was a great thing to do, not only because I was able to connect faces with names of people I had previously only corresponded with via email, but I ran into a man named Eric Johnson who I met in July in Washinton, D.C. at the Fulbright orientation.
When I was at the Embassy, Eric introduced me to his staff, including a girl named Anna Hermann, who is an American interning at the U.S. Embassy. Anna (pronounced Ah-na) is a student at Brown, in Providence, R.I., and she is taking a year off from school to live and work in Europe before she goes back and finishes up her degree. She actually had arrived just the day before I met her, so she was even newer to Estonia that me, believe it or not! Anna and I later exchanged emails and Eric suggested that Anna and I go exploring in Tallinn, do some touristy things, and just get to know another person who is in a similar boat to ourselves—namely, new to the country and lacking the language.
So on Sunday, Anna and I ventured to the east side of Tallinn, to a place called Pirita Beach, which is nice and sandy, and extends all the way to a cool forest. In addition to the beach, there is a very cool pier that is adjacent to the sailing village from the 1980 Olympics. The biggest draw of the area, however, is not the beach, but rather, the ruins of a convent that was built in 1407.
In her email to me, Anna mentioned that she is originally from Portland, OR, and I remembered that another American I knew—my friend James—the other American who I met (oddly enough, in McDonalds) is from Portland as well. So I mentioned it to James, and it turns out that he and his wife Kerttu live very near Pirita Beach, so they agreed to meet us, and the 4 of us had a great time.
At the beach, we saw many windsurfers and sailboats, and we took a long walk on the pier, admiring the nice view back to the Old Town, and checking out what the numerous fishermen were catching. It turned out that James and Kerttu could only stay for about an hour, so after we returned from the pier, they had to jet. But it was still cool for 2 Portlanders to meet each other all the way in Tallinn.
Anna and I decided it was time to see the convent. When we crossed the street from the pier, we could see the face of the convent very clearly, and we both mentioned how impressed we were with the architecture of the early 15th century. Upon entering the convent grounds, we were greeted by a very daunting graveyard. We could see inscriptions on the graves from as early as 1485, and there were MANY crosses (check out the pictures, you’ll see what I mean), very close to one another. Anna and I both commented how odd it was that over the years much of the human population collectively decided to mark spots of burials with crosses and tombstones, and if aliens, or anyone to whom this idea was foreign saw this, they would probably be confused. It is pretty odd, when you separate it from religion, to be honest. But it’s just the way life is, I guess.
Inside the convent, the architecture was even more amazing. Even though a lot of the structure (most notably, the roof) had been destroyed, archways were still evident and actual rooms surrounding the main church were very apparent. There was a map explaining what each room was used for, and it was fun to walk through the rooms (which were sometimes built into the ground) imagining how life had been in 1407 and beyond. No electricity, no WiFi Internet…how could they ever have managed?! Haha, playing, of course. :)
After a while at the convent, we grabbed a quick bite at a pizza place and then took a stroll on the beach, explored the forest a bit, and then headed back to the center of Tallinn on what is a truly a beautiful boardwalk path. Anna and I never ran out of things to talk about, and it was really fun to have another person who knows what I am going through, but at the same time is having a different experience. As neither of us really knows anyone else in the area that well (aside from my Estonian Fulbright friends, who seem VERY into their work…almost to a fault, if I dare say so…yikes!), we may try to take a trip to St. Petersburg before it gets too cold. At the same time, I am trying to get one of my oldest friends—and fellow Fulbright Scholar—Jon Fougner, to come down from Oslo, Norway to see Estonia and then make this trek with me. We’re certainly planning to rendezvous at some point soon, but it remains to be seen where and when exactly this will happen.
Check out the pictures from my weekend (as well as a few that I forgot to include in the last album).
Look out for a new post on the blog soon!!
-John
23 September 2005
Estonian Address and More...
Hey Guys!
I just wanted to share with you my mailing address, in case anyone wants to send me anything (wink wink, nudge nudge). In any case, it's:
John Heywood
Kentmanni 22-21
Tallinn 10116, Estonia
My uncle Monty also found a satellite image of my apartment, which you all should see! Here it is:
This week has flown by, and since I last checked in, not too much has changed. One piece of news, however, is that the article I edited/co-authored/whatever on the Estonian implications of the Skype sale to eBay is now online, and you can see it at:
Skype Matters More than Hansabank
(The way this article actually shows up on the page still needs a bit of work, though I have been told that this is in the process of being done....we'll see. But for now, you can just see what I have been working on.) :)
This week has been slower than I might have expected, but I have been beginning to conduct some of my research, talking with various Estonians I am meeting about how they use, and have used computers in their lifetimes. This type of story will undoubtedly be different for everyone, but I am hoping I can get some good accounts (either in person, via email, or really in any medium, for that matter) from different subsets of the population of how computer usage, Internet usage, and subsequently wireless Internet usage has progressed. I have begun talking with Estonian university students (as these types of people have been the most accessible to me so far), and I seek to talk with other groups within Estonian society, such as politicians, policy makers, elementary school students, the elderly, and business people of all ages. I am hoping that some patterns will begin to emerge regarding computer/Internet/wireless use, and that I will begin to be able to make some generalizations that I can take into account when I begin writing up some of my research. Combine this with some surveys that I am working to put together, and I am beginning to have the 'meat' of my research (sorry to all you vegetarians out there-- the 'tofu' of my research to all of you!).
Researching is clearly not taking up all of my time so far. I have still been taking care of odds and ends around Tallinn, most recently trying to get a residency permit from the Citizenship and Migration Board, so I can stay in Estonia for longer than 90 days-- the maximum one can stay in country without one of these permits. So I spent 3 hours waiting in line at their offices, only to be told I needed one additional form to be filled out that only exists in Estonian. I was not the happiest of campers, as there's no way a non-Estonian-- the only type of person who would be filling out one of these forms-- could know they had to have it filled out! After they explained it to me, I realized that I need to venture down to Tallinn Technical University, with whom I am supposedly affiliated (though I don't know if I will be taking any classes there, so it's all sort of odd), and get the necessary signatures before I can return to the Citizenship and Migration Board office. So, this will be my main order of business for Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Ugh, I HATE paperwork!
This weekend should be a lot more fun than my experiences in the CMB offices, as tonight, Friday night, I am going out with some American friends to a new bar in the center of Tallinn, and then on Saturday and Sunday I am becoming a tourist, and will see more of Old Tallinn, Pirita Beach (and the Old Estonian convent that is there), and perhaps a museum or two. I'm trying to do as much as I can before the bad weather (and lack of daylight!) comes.
Keep and eye out for more pictures after this weekend!
-John
I just wanted to share with you my mailing address, in case anyone wants to send me anything (wink wink, nudge nudge). In any case, it's:
John Heywood
Kentmanni 22-21
Tallinn 10116, Estonia
My uncle Monty also found a satellite image of my apartment, which you all should see! Here it is:
This week has flown by, and since I last checked in, not too much has changed. One piece of news, however, is that the article I edited/co-authored/whatever on the Estonian implications of the Skype sale to eBay is now online, and you can see it at:
Skype Matters More than Hansabank
(The way this article actually shows up on the page still needs a bit of work, though I have been told that this is in the process of being done....we'll see. But for now, you can just see what I have been working on.) :)
This week has been slower than I might have expected, but I have been beginning to conduct some of my research, talking with various Estonians I am meeting about how they use, and have used computers in their lifetimes. This type of story will undoubtedly be different for everyone, but I am hoping I can get some good accounts (either in person, via email, or really in any medium, for that matter) from different subsets of the population of how computer usage, Internet usage, and subsequently wireless Internet usage has progressed. I have begun talking with Estonian university students (as these types of people have been the most accessible to me so far), and I seek to talk with other groups within Estonian society, such as politicians, policy makers, elementary school students, the elderly, and business people of all ages. I am hoping that some patterns will begin to emerge regarding computer/Internet/wireless use, and that I will begin to be able to make some generalizations that I can take into account when I begin writing up some of my research. Combine this with some surveys that I am working to put together, and I am beginning to have the 'meat' of my research (sorry to all you vegetarians out there-- the 'tofu' of my research to all of you!).
Researching is clearly not taking up all of my time so far. I have still been taking care of odds and ends around Tallinn, most recently trying to get a residency permit from the Citizenship and Migration Board, so I can stay in Estonia for longer than 90 days-- the maximum one can stay in country without one of these permits. So I spent 3 hours waiting in line at their offices, only to be told I needed one additional form to be filled out that only exists in Estonian. I was not the happiest of campers, as there's no way a non-Estonian-- the only type of person who would be filling out one of these forms-- could know they had to have it filled out! After they explained it to me, I realized that I need to venture down to Tallinn Technical University, with whom I am supposedly affiliated (though I don't know if I will be taking any classes there, so it's all sort of odd), and get the necessary signatures before I can return to the Citizenship and Migration Board office. So, this will be my main order of business for Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Ugh, I HATE paperwork!
This weekend should be a lot more fun than my experiences in the CMB offices, as tonight, Friday night, I am going out with some American friends to a new bar in the center of Tallinn, and then on Saturday and Sunday I am becoming a tourist, and will see more of Old Tallinn, Pirita Beach (and the Old Estonian convent that is there), and perhaps a museum or two. I'm trying to do as much as I can before the bad weather (and lack of daylight!) comes.
Keep and eye out for more pictures after this weekend!
-John
17 September 2005
Getting Easier
Hey guys!
Tallinn is great! Every day gets easier here, and I am having a fun time. I'm even working on integrating myself into Estonian life, though the language thing isn't really happening just yet. I registered for an Estonian course, but the start date got pushed back for 2 weeks, as there were not enough people enrolled. I am now debating whether or not I should take a class with a bunch of people, or if I should seek out a private teacher...
So far, however, I have gotten a cell phone, an Estonian bank account, and most perhaps important, my own apartment! I found I needed a bit more space than with Veljo, but he has been extremely nice in letting me stay with him while I get acquainted with my surroundings and adjust to Estonian life. I moved into my apartment two days ago, and the link to the pictures is on the bottom of this page! Check them out!
The apartment is in an ideal location, about 5 minutes walking from the e-Governance Academy (as opposed to a 30 minute walk where I was staying before), and it is less than one block away from the U.S. Embassy. It is also about 5 minutes from the old town, which means I am in close proximity to the nightlife. This location will lend itself to meeting other young people, something I am in desperate need to do.
But having Mark and Trudee-- the two other Americans (also Fulbrighters) I know in Tallinn-- around has made all the difference so far. They took me around the city my first day and showed me some of their favorite spots, helped me get my cell phone, and have just been great company so far, especially in this place where no one outwardly speaks English.
Work is good, though it is just beginning to take off. My boss Ivar was in Brussels, Belgium for the week, and he just got back yesterday (Friday). In the meantime, I have just been catching up on correspondence, getting all set up, and getting moved in to my place.
Veljo and I had lunch two days ago and we decided to build out his website, http://www.wifi.ee a bit. I am helping to edit the English version of the website, and build up some Estonian-related content. The first article I worked on was about eBay’s recent acquisition of Skype, and how this will probably have more of an impact on the Estonian economy than any other takeover in Estonia’s history. The article was pretty interesting, and should appear on Veljo's website by Monday, 9/19, or Tuesday, 9/20. Originally I had thought I would author the article, but instead I am just serving as an editor on it. This was still interesting, however, and it was a good start to some of the research I'll be doing over here.
Over lunch, Veljo and I also began discussing how I will accumulate data to begin my research project. Veljo has offered to introduce me to the Estonian Minister of Communications, and the chief of the Estonian Federal Communications Commission. These will be huge contacts for me, as they can provide me with a lot of the hard data I seek regarding Estonian technological involvement. Some of the data I will gather will include up-to-date statistics on Estonian cell phone vs. land line ownership, as well as (what I expect to be) comparable facts about computer ownership, and Internet usage, wired vs. wireless.
In addition to this data that I will collect, Ivar Tallo, my boss at the e-Governance Academy, has offered to help me put together a public interest survey that will help to gauge the future of WiFi Internet here in Estonia. We will seek to understand how people consume this technology—how and why this happened—as well as how they will consume this technology in the future. Creating this survey is one of my main goals for the upcoming week, though it’s important to create it in a way that I will get meaningful data that can be quantified. So, what I’m saying is that I’ve got my work cut out for me.
But it’s not just computer work here. I am working on getting out and about to see more of Estonia, and Veljo has agreed to take me along to some of the more interesting place in Estonia that he is setting up wireless networks. This probably won’t take off for a while, though it’s something I definitely want to do, and will be important to my findings.
Speaking of non-computer work, yesterday was a pretty cool day. Liia Hänni, one of my colleagues at eGA invited me to a conference on e-Voting at one of Tallinn’s fanciest hotels, Olümpia Hotel. e-Voting is a very hot topic here right now, as Estonia is going to be the first country in the world to hold nationwide elections (on October 16th, so very soon!) where voters have the ability to vote online—e-Voting as it is called. There is some controversy over the ability to vote online, though generally the idea is being welcomed, as e-Voting is not going replace traditional means of voting, but rather, supplement them.
At the conference were members of Estonia Parliament, world leaders in e-Government from Switzerland, a number of lecturers from around Estonia, heads of Estonia’s center for e-Democracy, and the Minister of Communications, also the former Mayor of Tallinn. It was a privilege to be included, and even though the conference was in Estonian, there were translators on hand, so I understood what was going on.
After the conference, Ivar and Liia took all of the presenters (the VIPs) out to dinner at Tallinn’s fanciest restaurant, Restorani ÖÖ (the only way I can describe to pronounce this combination of letters that we don’t even have in America is “uuuuuuuuuuh”). There are two weird o’s in Estonian, ö and õ (in addition to the normal O we have in English), and I have no idea how to tell them apart. Estonians pronounce them separately, and they say they can hear a difference, but they sound nearly identical to me. When trying to figure out the difference, an Estonian makes the sound, I try to repeat the sound (and I swear I’m saying it properly), and they correct me and make the same sound again. It’s pretty humorous to them, I’m sure, as I just have no clue as to the difference. Maybe in 10 months I’ll get it.
So, I’ve been here just over one week, though it feels like a lot longer than this (not in a bad way though). Prospects look good for having a great time this year, though there are certainly things I miss about the U.S.
I miss all of you guys, though Skype and a variety of Instant Messaging clients have made it a little easier. If you guys want to get me on Skype, my username is just ‘johnheywood’ (minus the ‘’s). Or if you don’t have Skype but want to give me ring, remember that I have a 510 number that you can reach me in Estonia on. The number is 510-962-3181 and it would be fun to hear from any of you guys. If I’m not around, don’t be intimidated by the European woman’s voice on the voicemail; it’s my voicemail and that is just the standard voicemail greeting on Skype. And since I’m bombarding you with contact info, why not give you my Estonian cell number just in case you want it. It’s +37256303301. There you have it.
Here are pictures from my first week here in Estonia, and included in this album are pictures of Veljo's place, some quick highlights of the Old Town, photos of my new apartment, and of the e-Governance Academy! Click here and enjoy:
Estonia Photos, Volume 1
I also put the pictures from my trip to London online, and if you want to check them out, click on this link:
London Photos!
Well, that’s about it from here. I will check back in within the week.
-John
Tallinn is great! Every day gets easier here, and I am having a fun time. I'm even working on integrating myself into Estonian life, though the language thing isn't really happening just yet. I registered for an Estonian course, but the start date got pushed back for 2 weeks, as there were not enough people enrolled. I am now debating whether or not I should take a class with a bunch of people, or if I should seek out a private teacher...
So far, however, I have gotten a cell phone, an Estonian bank account, and most perhaps important, my own apartment! I found I needed a bit more space than with Veljo, but he has been extremely nice in letting me stay with him while I get acquainted with my surroundings and adjust to Estonian life. I moved into my apartment two days ago, and the link to the pictures is on the bottom of this page! Check them out!
The apartment is in an ideal location, about 5 minutes walking from the e-Governance Academy (as opposed to a 30 minute walk where I was staying before), and it is less than one block away from the U.S. Embassy. It is also about 5 minutes from the old town, which means I am in close proximity to the nightlife. This location will lend itself to meeting other young people, something I am in desperate need to do.
But having Mark and Trudee-- the two other Americans (also Fulbrighters) I know in Tallinn-- around has made all the difference so far. They took me around the city my first day and showed me some of their favorite spots, helped me get my cell phone, and have just been great company so far, especially in this place where no one outwardly speaks English.
Work is good, though it is just beginning to take off. My boss Ivar was in Brussels, Belgium for the week, and he just got back yesterday (Friday). In the meantime, I have just been catching up on correspondence, getting all set up, and getting moved in to my place.
Veljo and I had lunch two days ago and we decided to build out his website, http://www.wifi.ee a bit. I am helping to edit the English version of the website, and build up some Estonian-related content. The first article I worked on was about eBay’s recent acquisition of Skype, and how this will probably have more of an impact on the Estonian economy than any other takeover in Estonia’s history. The article was pretty interesting, and should appear on Veljo's website by Monday, 9/19, or Tuesday, 9/20. Originally I had thought I would author the article, but instead I am just serving as an editor on it. This was still interesting, however, and it was a good start to some of the research I'll be doing over here.
Over lunch, Veljo and I also began discussing how I will accumulate data to begin my research project. Veljo has offered to introduce me to the Estonian Minister of Communications, and the chief of the Estonian Federal Communications Commission. These will be huge contacts for me, as they can provide me with a lot of the hard data I seek regarding Estonian technological involvement. Some of the data I will gather will include up-to-date statistics on Estonian cell phone vs. land line ownership, as well as (what I expect to be) comparable facts about computer ownership, and Internet usage, wired vs. wireless.
In addition to this data that I will collect, Ivar Tallo, my boss at the e-Governance Academy, has offered to help me put together a public interest survey that will help to gauge the future of WiFi Internet here in Estonia. We will seek to understand how people consume this technology—how and why this happened—as well as how they will consume this technology in the future. Creating this survey is one of my main goals for the upcoming week, though it’s important to create it in a way that I will get meaningful data that can be quantified. So, what I’m saying is that I’ve got my work cut out for me.
But it’s not just computer work here. I am working on getting out and about to see more of Estonia, and Veljo has agreed to take me along to some of the more interesting place in Estonia that he is setting up wireless networks. This probably won’t take off for a while, though it’s something I definitely want to do, and will be important to my findings.
Speaking of non-computer work, yesterday was a pretty cool day. Liia Hänni, one of my colleagues at eGA invited me to a conference on e-Voting at one of Tallinn’s fanciest hotels, Olümpia Hotel. e-Voting is a very hot topic here right now, as Estonia is going to be the first country in the world to hold nationwide elections (on October 16th, so very soon!) where voters have the ability to vote online—e-Voting as it is called. There is some controversy over the ability to vote online, though generally the idea is being welcomed, as e-Voting is not going replace traditional means of voting, but rather, supplement them.
At the conference were members of Estonia Parliament, world leaders in e-Government from Switzerland, a number of lecturers from around Estonia, heads of Estonia’s center for e-Democracy, and the Minister of Communications, also the former Mayor of Tallinn. It was a privilege to be included, and even though the conference was in Estonian, there were translators on hand, so I understood what was going on.
After the conference, Ivar and Liia took all of the presenters (the VIPs) out to dinner at Tallinn’s fanciest restaurant, Restorani ÖÖ (the only way I can describe to pronounce this combination of letters that we don’t even have in America is “uuuuuuuuuuh”). There are two weird o’s in Estonian, ö and õ (in addition to the normal O we have in English), and I have no idea how to tell them apart. Estonians pronounce them separately, and they say they can hear a difference, but they sound nearly identical to me. When trying to figure out the difference, an Estonian makes the sound, I try to repeat the sound (and I swear I’m saying it properly), and they correct me and make the same sound again. It’s pretty humorous to them, I’m sure, as I just have no clue as to the difference. Maybe in 10 months I’ll get it.
So, I’ve been here just over one week, though it feels like a lot longer than this (not in a bad way though). Prospects look good for having a great time this year, though there are certainly things I miss about the U.S.
I miss all of you guys, though Skype and a variety of Instant Messaging clients have made it a little easier. If you guys want to get me on Skype, my username is just ‘johnheywood’ (minus the ‘’s). Or if you don’t have Skype but want to give me ring, remember that I have a 510 number that you can reach me in Estonia on. The number is 510-962-3181 and it would be fun to hear from any of you guys. If I’m not around, don’t be intimidated by the European woman’s voice on the voicemail; it’s my voicemail and that is just the standard voicemail greeting on Skype. And since I’m bombarding you with contact info, why not give you my Estonian cell number just in case you want it. It’s +37256303301. There you have it.
Here are pictures from my first week here in Estonia, and included in this album are pictures of Veljo's place, some quick highlights of the Old Town, photos of my new apartment, and of the e-Governance Academy! Click here and enjoy:
Estonia Photos, Volume 1
I also put the pictures from my trip to London online, and if you want to check them out, click on this link:
London Photos!
Well, that’s about it from here. I will check back in within the week.
-John
10 September 2005
Tallinn!!
Tere! Greetings from Estonia!!!
I arrived two days ago, and after a fun week in London, I was very excited to finally get to Estonia. The flight was 3 hours long, and when I arrived, got my baggage, and passed through customs, Veljo Haamer (pronounced vail-yo hah-mer) was there to meet me, as promised. We went to his car and headed toward his apartment, but in a somewhat roundabout way.
First, Veljo took me through the old part of Tallinn (in Estonian it is ‘Vanallinn,’ which literally means ‘old city’), up to the top of the hill where there is a very old church (also the highest building in Tallinn), and I saw a great view of the city while Veljo picked up the spare set of keys to his apartment. Next, Veljo took me to one of his favorite parts of town, a café outside of the old city named Mademoiselle, where he treated me to some of his favorite cakes and teas.
After Mademoiselle, we headed to Veljo’s apartment, but not before stopping quickly at the supermarket to pick up Veljo’s favorite beer, Saku. I learned quickly that drinking is part of the Estonian culture; people drink (beer in particular) all throughout the day here, not just at night to get drunk, as I have been used to in the States, and in college. When Veljo and I finally arrived at his apartment, we had a Saku to celebrate. “Terviseks!” is the Estonian version of “Cheers!” and we have said it quite a few times so far in the trip.
Driving through Tallinn for the first time was quite an experience. It honestly felt like I was on another planet; I have never been here before and all of the signs are in Estonian, which I do not understand, and all of the people around me are speaking Estonian, which I do not speak. All of my surroundings are new to me, which is quite a feeling. My first experiences here in Estonia make my semester abroad in Australia seem like a breeze.
In the past few days, things have gotten a bit easier. On my second day here (my first full day), Veljo and I woke up early (7am in Tallinn, which felt like 5am—London time—for me) and made ourselves some ham and butter sandwiches and had instant coffee and peach juice—Veljo’s typical breakfast. As different as this is from what I am used to in the states, it was actually not bad! The coffee helped wake me up since it was early, and we spent the morning answering emails and planning out our day.
After catching up on correspondence, I headed into Tallinn to meet my boss, Ivar Tallo (prounounced ee-var tah-low), and my other colleagues at the e-Governance Academy (eGA, prounounced ‘egga’). As Tallinn is still very foreign to me and I didn’t know my way around at all at this point, Veljo drove me into town and dropped me off about a block from eGA and pointed me in the direction of the office. I spotted a small metal sign that said ‘e-Governance Academy’ and had been instructed by Ivar to proceed to the 5th floor where the eGA offices are.
Ivar, however, was running late, as he has a 5-month old baby that he is responsible for babysitting while his wife is otherwise occupied. We had planned on having lunch at 12:30pm, but Ivar didn’t end up getting into work until around 2ish. This was fine, however, as I met two of my other co-workers, Annela and Liia both of whom are extremely nice.
Liia gave me a brief explaination of what eGA does and what her role in the organization is, and Annela was extremely helpful in answering many of my questions about Estonia and Tallinn in general.
When Ivar arrived, we went out to lunch and Ivar picked a fancy restaurant called Madissoni, which was in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel, one of Tallinn’s bigger hotels. Here, I had chunky tomato soup and a salad with chicken. It was technically Estonian food, but nothing too daring just yet. Ivar also insisted that I get a beer, so we both got a Saku and said “Terviseks!”
Over lunch we talked and figured out some of what I will be doing with eGA. I also had my first taste of the wireless penetration in Estonia as I jumped on the free WiFi network in Madissoni while Ivar took an important call from an Egyptian diplomat who is coming to Tallinn on September 25th for a conference and a briefing in e-governance that Ivar has invited me to attend.
At lunch, I told Ivar about my undergraduate background and my research interests, and what I hope to accomplish while in Estonia. He was very receptive to my goals and is going to help me create some ways (public interest surveys, collaboration with other companies and organizations, etc.) to gather quantitative data that I can use in formulating an opinion on why and how usage of wireless Internet has happened and is currently happening in Estonia versus other countries.
On September 16th, Estonia is making history with the first ever national election in which citizens have the option to cast their ballots online. As far as I am told, I will be involved in the post-election analysis, and Ivar hopes that I can help spread the word about Estonia’s initiatives to America and the rest of the world.
As Ivar and I walked back from lunch, he told me that both Liia and Ivar are former member of the Estonian Parliament, which totally blew my mind. Estonia is so small so there is an opportunity to meet and work with very powerful people, but this is still very new to me, and I can’t imagine being in such close proximity to former congressmen or senators in the U.S. In Estonia, Ivar has authored several laws that the Estonian Parliament has passed, including a referendum on public policy that is well known around the world, and Estonia’s Code of Ethics, which is the first of its kind in the European Union. Both Ivar and Veljo are fascinating men, and I am very lucky to be working with them.
After stuffing ourselves at lunch, Ivar and I returned to eGA, where I met Steven, another colleague of mine who is from Belgium, and also doesn’t speak any Estonian. Steven is very nice and even offered to help me find my own apartment, so I don’t have to cramp Veljo in his small but cozy apartment. I looked online, and with Annela’s help (she is Estonian, so she has a much easier time speaking on the phone) we called a few places, but, with it being Friday, most people were not able to show us apartments right away.
Steven and I found one place, however, that looked like it might be decent for the price ($400/month—the top of my price range, according to Steven), and it happened to be in Steven’s neighborhood, so he offered to take the bus with me and check it out on his way home. But let’s just say the place wasn’t for me… so I took a bus back to the old city and met Veljo for dinner and a brief stroll around the city.
This city is so beautiful. In Vanallinn, the streets are narrow and cobblestone, and the city wall from the 12th century still stands. Tallinn is one of a kind because most other medieval cities of this type were destroyed throughout the years. Tomorrow, I will meet up with Mark and Trudee—two other Americans who are also doing Fulbrights here in Estonia. I hope to get a cell phone and explore the city more. Can’t wait!!
I arrived two days ago, and after a fun week in London, I was very excited to finally get to Estonia. The flight was 3 hours long, and when I arrived, got my baggage, and passed through customs, Veljo Haamer (pronounced vail-yo hah-mer) was there to meet me, as promised. We went to his car and headed toward his apartment, but in a somewhat roundabout way.
First, Veljo took me through the old part of Tallinn (in Estonian it is ‘Vanallinn,’ which literally means ‘old city’), up to the top of the hill where there is a very old church (also the highest building in Tallinn), and I saw a great view of the city while Veljo picked up the spare set of keys to his apartment. Next, Veljo took me to one of his favorite parts of town, a café outside of the old city named Mademoiselle, where he treated me to some of his favorite cakes and teas.
After Mademoiselle, we headed to Veljo’s apartment, but not before stopping quickly at the supermarket to pick up Veljo’s favorite beer, Saku. I learned quickly that drinking is part of the Estonian culture; people drink (beer in particular) all throughout the day here, not just at night to get drunk, as I have been used to in the States, and in college. When Veljo and I finally arrived at his apartment, we had a Saku to celebrate. “Terviseks!” is the Estonian version of “Cheers!” and we have said it quite a few times so far in the trip.
Driving through Tallinn for the first time was quite an experience. It honestly felt like I was on another planet; I have never been here before and all of the signs are in Estonian, which I do not understand, and all of the people around me are speaking Estonian, which I do not speak. All of my surroundings are new to me, which is quite a feeling. My first experiences here in Estonia make my semester abroad in Australia seem like a breeze.
In the past few days, things have gotten a bit easier. On my second day here (my first full day), Veljo and I woke up early (7am in Tallinn, which felt like 5am—London time—for me) and made ourselves some ham and butter sandwiches and had instant coffee and peach juice—Veljo’s typical breakfast. As different as this is from what I am used to in the states, it was actually not bad! The coffee helped wake me up since it was early, and we spent the morning answering emails and planning out our day.
After catching up on correspondence, I headed into Tallinn to meet my boss, Ivar Tallo (prounounced ee-var tah-low), and my other colleagues at the e-Governance Academy (eGA, prounounced ‘egga’). As Tallinn is still very foreign to me and I didn’t know my way around at all at this point, Veljo drove me into town and dropped me off about a block from eGA and pointed me in the direction of the office. I spotted a small metal sign that said ‘e-Governance Academy’ and had been instructed by Ivar to proceed to the 5th floor where the eGA offices are.
Ivar, however, was running late, as he has a 5-month old baby that he is responsible for babysitting while his wife is otherwise occupied. We had planned on having lunch at 12:30pm, but Ivar didn’t end up getting into work until around 2ish. This was fine, however, as I met two of my other co-workers, Annela and Liia both of whom are extremely nice.
Liia gave me a brief explaination of what eGA does and what her role in the organization is, and Annela was extremely helpful in answering many of my questions about Estonia and Tallinn in general.
When Ivar arrived, we went out to lunch and Ivar picked a fancy restaurant called Madissoni, which was in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel, one of Tallinn’s bigger hotels. Here, I had chunky tomato soup and a salad with chicken. It was technically Estonian food, but nothing too daring just yet. Ivar also insisted that I get a beer, so we both got a Saku and said “Terviseks!”
Over lunch we talked and figured out some of what I will be doing with eGA. I also had my first taste of the wireless penetration in Estonia as I jumped on the free WiFi network in Madissoni while Ivar took an important call from an Egyptian diplomat who is coming to Tallinn on September 25th for a conference and a briefing in e-governance that Ivar has invited me to attend.
At lunch, I told Ivar about my undergraduate background and my research interests, and what I hope to accomplish while in Estonia. He was very receptive to my goals and is going to help me create some ways (public interest surveys, collaboration with other companies and organizations, etc.) to gather quantitative data that I can use in formulating an opinion on why and how usage of wireless Internet has happened and is currently happening in Estonia versus other countries.
On September 16th, Estonia is making history with the first ever national election in which citizens have the option to cast their ballots online. As far as I am told, I will be involved in the post-election analysis, and Ivar hopes that I can help spread the word about Estonia’s initiatives to America and the rest of the world.
As Ivar and I walked back from lunch, he told me that both Liia and Ivar are former member of the Estonian Parliament, which totally blew my mind. Estonia is so small so there is an opportunity to meet and work with very powerful people, but this is still very new to me, and I can’t imagine being in such close proximity to former congressmen or senators in the U.S. In Estonia, Ivar has authored several laws that the Estonian Parliament has passed, including a referendum on public policy that is well known around the world, and Estonia’s Code of Ethics, which is the first of its kind in the European Union. Both Ivar and Veljo are fascinating men, and I am very lucky to be working with them.
After stuffing ourselves at lunch, Ivar and I returned to eGA, where I met Steven, another colleague of mine who is from Belgium, and also doesn’t speak any Estonian. Steven is very nice and even offered to help me find my own apartment, so I don’t have to cramp Veljo in his small but cozy apartment. I looked online, and with Annela’s help (she is Estonian, so she has a much easier time speaking on the phone) we called a few places, but, with it being Friday, most people were not able to show us apartments right away.
Steven and I found one place, however, that looked like it might be decent for the price ($400/month—the top of my price range, according to Steven), and it happened to be in Steven’s neighborhood, so he offered to take the bus with me and check it out on his way home. But let’s just say the place wasn’t for me… so I took a bus back to the old city and met Veljo for dinner and a brief stroll around the city.
This city is so beautiful. In Vanallinn, the streets are narrow and cobblestone, and the city wall from the 12th century still stands. Tallinn is one of a kind because most other medieval cities of this type were destroyed throughout the years. Tomorrow, I will meet up with Mark and Trudee—two other Americans who are also doing Fulbrights here in Estonia. I hope to get a cell phone and explore the city more. Can’t wait!!
29 August 2005
3 More Days...
The time is just about here for me to embark on what will undoubtedly be one of the greatest adventures in my life.
On Thursday, September 1 at 12:15pm, I depart from San Francisco International airport and will not be returning to the United States until July 2006 at the earliest. This proposition is intimidating, though I am also very excited.
Laura and I have been putting together our trip to London, and some of the highlights will include Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, the National Gallery, Stonehenge and Oxford, though we may tweak these plans a little as our schedule becomes more definite. We have also arranged to meet up with two British friends of mine that I met while on a semester abroad in Australia in 2004, so that will be a blast to see them again.
After a week in London, I head to Estonia! I have continued to be in touch with Veljo and Ivar, who are preparing for my arrival. Last I wrote, Veljo was helping me secure an apartment in Tallinn, and I am glad to say that I now have an apartment! Veljo had been helping me primarily in my search, and after hearing what I wanted in an apartment, Veljo mentioned to me that someone had just moved out of his apartment, and asked me if I would like to live with him, at least until I find a place of my own (as it is much easier to find a place for me when I am in country). I of course said yes, and will be paying only $200/month. More importantly, I have a place to rest my head now, and I have one of Estonia's Internet gurus at my fingertips as my roommate! It will be fascinating to pick Veljo's brain and this assures me that I will have access to him for whatever research I am doing. It's all quite exciting to me.
Attached are some photos of the outside of Veljo's house in Tallinn. It is only about a 5-10 minute walk from the old city of Tallinn and is very close to the public transportation tram system that I will use to get to eGA in the wintertime. Also, as Veljo is the founder and main proponent of the movement for free wifi Internet access in Estonia, his apartment is completely wifi enabled.
The last thing I should mention that recently set myself up with a program on my computer called Skype, that allows me to use the Internet to make and receive phone calls, even internationally, for a very low rate. Without getting into the specifics of the technology, I wanted to let you all know that now have a (510) telephone number that will reach me even when I am in Estonia, so you all can call me for no more than it would cost to call me if I was here in the States. The number is 510-962-3181, and I would love to hear from everyone.
Check out where I'll be living (our place is on the second floor):
On Thursday, September 1 at 12:15pm, I depart from San Francisco International airport and will not be returning to the United States until July 2006 at the earliest. This proposition is intimidating, though I am also very excited.
Laura and I have been putting together our trip to London, and some of the highlights will include Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, the National Gallery, Stonehenge and Oxford, though we may tweak these plans a little as our schedule becomes more definite. We have also arranged to meet up with two British friends of mine that I met while on a semester abroad in Australia in 2004, so that will be a blast to see them again.
After a week in London, I head to Estonia! I have continued to be in touch with Veljo and Ivar, who are preparing for my arrival. Last I wrote, Veljo was helping me secure an apartment in Tallinn, and I am glad to say that I now have an apartment! Veljo had been helping me primarily in my search, and after hearing what I wanted in an apartment, Veljo mentioned to me that someone had just moved out of his apartment, and asked me if I would like to live with him, at least until I find a place of my own (as it is much easier to find a place for me when I am in country). I of course said yes, and will be paying only $200/month. More importantly, I have a place to rest my head now, and I have one of Estonia's Internet gurus at my fingertips as my roommate! It will be fascinating to pick Veljo's brain and this assures me that I will have access to him for whatever research I am doing. It's all quite exciting to me.
Attached are some photos of the outside of Veljo's house in Tallinn. It is only about a 5-10 minute walk from the old city of Tallinn and is very close to the public transportation tram system that I will use to get to eGA in the wintertime. Also, as Veljo is the founder and main proponent of the movement for free wifi Internet access in Estonia, his apartment is completely wifi enabled.
The last thing I should mention that recently set myself up with a program on my computer called Skype, that allows me to use the Internet to make and receive phone calls, even internationally, for a very low rate. Without getting into the specifics of the technology, I wanted to let you all know that now have a (510) telephone number that will reach me even when I am in Estonia, so you all can call me for no more than it would cost to call me if I was here in the States. The number is 510-962-3181, and I would love to hear from everyone.
Check out where I'll be living (our place is on the second floor):
 |  |
 | |
The Lair of the Bear was a blast, but I'm ready to head off to Europe. I miss you all and look forward to talking with you soon!
Cheers,
John
10 June 2005
Lair of the Bear
Tomorrow morning I head up to The Lair of the Bear, a family camp run through the University of California Alumni Association. At 'The Lair' I will be staying at Camp Oski, and will be one of two pool lifeguards. This promises to be an exciting 2+ months up in Tuolumne County, which is about 3 hours north east of Oakland, as I will be working with about 150 college students (or recent graduates, as is my case!).
I booked my plane tickets to Estonia yesterday, and so I am officially going!! On September 1, I fly from San Francisco to New York, where I will briefly stop before heading to London. Normally I would not be excited about a stopover, particularly on an international flight, but on this stopover at JFK, my sister Laura will join me, and we will travel to London together, where we will spend a week together seeing the city before I head off to Tallinn on September 8. Laura has been to London before and should prove to be an excellent tour guide and companion. I'm excited!!
In terms of preparing myself for arrival in Estonia, everything is coming together well. I have finalized with Ivar Tallo of the Estonian e-Governance Academy that I will be working with eGA (http://www.ega.ee), and I will even have my own office in their building, from what I am told! I will also travel around Estonia with Veljo Haamer of http://www.wifi.ee, and we have been in continuous touch. I am still in the process of finding an apartment, but both Ivar, his secretary Annela and Veljo have been extremely willing to help me in this process, so I am hoping it will go smoothly. I am also considering splitting the cost of an apartment with another American Fulbrighter: Mark Hood of University of Connecticut. Mark is studying Water Quality Management at Tallinn Technical University, with a man named Dr. Arvo Lital. It should be a fascinating project!!
Well, that is about all that I have for this update, but the trip is approaching, and I am getting excited!! Keep checking back for more information, which I will post as I get it. Take care, and please don't forget to email me!
Welcome to the Lair!
My tent cabin from working at the Lair in Summer 2002
Cheers,
John
I booked my plane tickets to Estonia yesterday, and so I am officially going!! On September 1, I fly from San Francisco to New York, where I will briefly stop before heading to London. Normally I would not be excited about a stopover, particularly on an international flight, but on this stopover at JFK, my sister Laura will join me, and we will travel to London together, where we will spend a week together seeing the city before I head off to Tallinn on September 8. Laura has been to London before and should prove to be an excellent tour guide and companion. I'm excited!!
In terms of preparing myself for arrival in Estonia, everything is coming together well. I have finalized with Ivar Tallo of the Estonian e-Governance Academy that I will be working with eGA (http://www.ega.ee), and I will even have my own office in their building, from what I am told! I will also travel around Estonia with Veljo Haamer of http://www.wifi.ee, and we have been in continuous touch. I am still in the process of finding an apartment, but both Ivar, his secretary Annela and Veljo have been extremely willing to help me in this process, so I am hoping it will go smoothly. I am also considering splitting the cost of an apartment with another American Fulbrighter: Mark Hood of University of Connecticut. Mark is studying Water Quality Management at Tallinn Technical University, with a man named Dr. Arvo Lital. It should be a fascinating project!!
Well, that is about all that I have for this update, but the trip is approaching, and I am getting excited!! Keep checking back for more information, which I will post as I get it. Take care, and please don't forget to email me!
Welcome to the Lair!
My tent cabin from working at the Lair in Summer 2002
Cheers,
John
19 May 2005
The Year in Review
I graduate from college in 2 days!!! I can't believe school is over, and before I know it, I'll be up at the Lair, then headed off to Estonia for an amazing 9 months.
Looking back at the year, Wheaton was extremely successful in the national scholar scene! At year's end, the grand total of Wheaton Scholars is 18!! 1 Rhodes, 2 Watson, 11 Fulbright(!), 2 Rotary International, and 2 Truman scholars! For a look at all of Wheaton's scholars, check out:
Wheaton College 2005 National Scholars!
Our previous record for scholars is 11, and for Fulbrights, the previous best was 6. Way to go class of 2005!!!
Looking back at the year, Wheaton was extremely successful in the national scholar scene! At year's end, the grand total of Wheaton Scholars is 18!! 1 Rhodes, 2 Watson, 11 Fulbright(!), 2 Rotary International, and 2 Truman scholars! For a look at all of Wheaton's scholars, check out:
Wheaton College 2005 National Scholars!
Our previous record for scholars is 11, and for Fulbrights, the previous best was 6. Way to go class of 2005!!!
27 April 2005
The Times and the Globe
Today I was featured alongside 10 other scholars from Wheaton in the New York Times and Boston Globe! So far, Wheaton has had 11 winners of national academic scholarships, and I am one of them!
13 April 2005
News!
I got it!!
Today, life begins as a Fulbrighter! I can't believe I was actually selected as a winner of a Fulbright Scholarship; it's quite a thrill and I have to keep pinching myself to make sure this all isn't a dream.
What this means is that from September 2005 through June 2006, I will be travelling around Estonia, seeking to discover why such a small country that has been independent for just 14 years has become such a player in the wireless community-- particularly in relation to wireless Internet.
While in Estonia, my home base will be in Tallinn, the capital city, which I hear is quite hip and cool. Some people I've talked to have described Tallinn as 'a new Prague,' though when I have told this to other people, they immediately disagree, citing a unique Estonian identity. In large part, it is my goal to understand this identity, particularly how it has influenced the Estonian development of wireless communications. From everything I have read, it seems that these two things go hand in hand, and by actually going to Estonia and talking to all different types of people, I can truly get a sense of this relationship.
In Estonia, I hope to look at wireless Internet in three ways: organizationally, politically, and culturally. Through the organizational lens, I will be able to consider the structure of this technology within Estonia, mostly by looking at raw data detailing computer ownership, number of Internet connections, percentages of these connections which are 'wired' vs. wireless, and cellular telephone ownership. Through the political lens, I hope to look at how Estonians actually interact with wireless Internet-- both in general and on a day-to-day basis-- and who is benefiting the most from this technology. In doing this, I will talk to Estonian businesspeople, schoolchildren, college students, senior citizens, government officials and policymakers-- anyone that uses wireless Internet-- to see how the technology has changed the way they live. Finally, the cultural lens, which I hope to make my biggest focus, will allow me to look at Estonian identity, what makes the Estonian people unique, and if their identity is being altered by rapid advances in this type of technology. Under this category will also fall my attempt to discover the reasons why the Estonian people have arrived at the forefront of this wireless revolution, particurlarly in relation to the very recent soviet occupancy of Estonia. By studying Estonia, a country that I believe has adopted Wi-Fi Internet as more of a necessity than we might imagine, we can learn a lot about our own country, and our own move toward an increasingly wireless society.
Before leaving for Estonia, I will be heading back to California to work at the Lair of the Golden Bear, a family camp run by the University of California, where I will be a lifeguard. In the middle of the summer I head out to Washington, D.C. for a pre-departure orientation where I will meet other Fulbrighters, including the other winners of grants to Estonia! After a week in D.C., I come back to the Lair to finish the summer, and then I expect to fly to Estonia at the beginning of September.
Keep checking back here for updates, though this blog will really take off beginning in late August/September. Also, please share this link with anyone who might be interested. Keep in touch guys, I'll miss you all like crazy when I'm gone!
-John
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)