Aleksander Petrov, who has returned to his grandmother's homeland, emphasizes the importance of communicating in Estonian, because this is the only way to practice what you have learned and thereby expand your circle of friends and find new opportunities for development, study and work. 

What brought you to Estonia? 

I came from St. Petersburg to my grandmother's homeland in the fall of 2022. I am an Estonian citizen because my paternal grandmother was born in Mustvee during the period of first independence in 1931. Now Estonia has becme home to my family. 

What do you like about Estonia? 

I like almost everything in Estonia - cleanliness, security, silence, fairly high standard of living, nature, opportunities offered by electronic administration and much more. I haven't found any sharp negatives for myself so far. 

Why did you decide to learn Estonian? 

The main motivation for learning the language was that I am not planning to move anywhere from Estonia soon. I can therefore highlight several aspects of everyday life where language skills are necessary. First, my son goes to kindergarten here and will go to Estonian school. I consider it important to be able to support him. Secondly, in any case, I do not want to limit my social circle only to the Russian-speaking population, even though it is quite possible here. Thirdly, knowing any language, especially the official language of the country where you live, always opens opportunities for development, study and work. I am also used to showing respect to people and not putting them in an uncomfortable situation - living in Estonia, it is normal to communicate in Estonian without switching to Russian or English. 

What are the difficulties of learning a language? Have there been times when you wanted to give up learning Estonian? How did you overcome the difficulties? 

A few years ago, in the middle of January, I applied to the Integration Foundation and already in the middle of February I started learning the Estonian language. I got into a good friendly group with a great teacher. Then I went on to the next course and so on until this summer. Of course, there were, are and will be difficulties - sometimes you don't understand the grammar right away, sometimes you don't have enough vocabulary... But I think it's normal and I didn't want to stop studying. 

How did the adaptation in Estonia go? Did the locals welcome you? 

Adaptation was easy. At first, I lived in Narva, where there is no language barrier and in general everyone was ready to help me and give advice if possible. At first it was quite difficult for me to understand that there is no need to fill out a bunch of documents and all you need is an ID card. Work, taxes, doctors and so on - you can figure things out on the internet in a couple of hours and there is always someone to help. We keep in touch with the friends I made in Narva, even though I moved to Tallinn. 

What did you do to communicate more in Estonian? 

After moving to Tallinn, I started to communicate more in Estonian, and of course this increased my language skills. But even here, communicating in Estonian without advanced language skills is quite difficult, because if you think about it, if you try to understand what was said to you or simply ask to repeat the same sentence a little more slowly, people will very quickly switch to Russian or English. Of course, this makes it easier to cope, but unfortunately, the quality of communication and thus learning the Estonian language suffers. 

What would you recommend to other newcomers who have arrived in Estonia? 

Everyone's situation is different and there is probably no single piece of advice. In general, you should not be afraid of moving to Estonia if you have the desire and the means. And of course, learning the language in any possible way is very important here both for communication and securing a job, coping with everyday life and ensuring the best future for your family. 

FOR INFORMATION

The Settle in Estonia Programme is a free educational programme provided by the Estonian state which is intended to help the foreigners who have arrived in Estonia to adapt and become accustomed to local life more easily. We offer courses for people who have come to live or study in Estonia and have lived here for less than 5 years. For example, war refugees to whom Estonia offers international or temporary protection, as well as people who have come to Estonia to work or do business here or relocate with their family member. We offer language training and other courses to help you cope with everyday life in Estonia. Read more and register: https://integratsioon.ee/en/kohanemine. The adaptation programme is co-funded by the European Union and the state budget. 

In the framework of the Integration Foundation’s cultural education programme introducing the Estonian cultural space, in cooperation with the Estonian National Museum, an educational programme was carried out this spring and summer, offering communication practice in Estonian, where the language was practised through the introduction of the Estonian cultural space. The programme consisted of five study trips to the Estonian National Museum, where the participants could learn the Estonian language and get to know the Estonian culture through the exhibitions of the museum and the discussions that followed.

The course concluded with the round table event ‘The Power to Speak’ at the Estonian National Museum on 22 June. Dariia Ruda, a young Ukrainian living in Valga, was also among the participants and she kindly agreed to share her impressions and experiences with us.

Please tell readers a few words about yourself.

I am from Ukraine and came to Estonia two years ago. I finished high school in Ukraine online and now, I am trying to get into the Pallas University of Applied Sciences. Besides that, I am trying to integrate into Estonian life, to get to know Estonia more, because unfortunately, I have not had the chance to do that so far.

How did you hear about this language learning programme?

I was just looking for different language learning and practice opportunities online. My aunt recommended me some courses. I called the Integration Foundation and asked for recommendations and found the course of the Estonian National Museum. I live in Valga and going to Tartu is not difficult, so the opportunity to visit the Estonian National Museum suited me well.

Today, you will attend the fifth and also the last event of this course. Looking back, what did you like and dislike about the course?

I really liked the course where they talked about the Urals and Estonia’s connection to this culture. The course was very interesting and interactive, among other things. In general, the Estonian National Museum has very exciting exhibitions and there are opportunities to learn and practise the language. The information is also in Ukrainian, which will undoubtedly make learning easier for me. I liked the study tours and the discussions that followed them.

What I did not like is not at all specific to this course. My general language skills are not very good yet and so I sometimes had difficulties in fully understanding everything. I could not participate as actively as I would have liked in the different discussions. In the end, however, it was all to my benefit and motivated me to learn more. So my overall impression of the whole course is very positive!

What have been the biggest challenges for you in adapting to the language environment here?

In terms of language, the challenge for me has not been so much the language itself, but the fact that, firstly, you hear a lot of Russian in Valga every day and, secondly, the people who come to communicate with you immediately start doing so in Russian. So the opportunities for me to practise my Estonian have been very difficult to come upon. In other words, the biggest challenge for me was to find people with whom I could actually practise the language on a daily basis and learn through it.

Unfortunately, I have not had many opportunities to visit other parts of Estonia. Apart from Tartu, I have been to Tallinn a few times with our small Ukrainian community in Valga, but not much more. It has certainly been my own fault. Undoubtedly, a larger circle of acquaintances would have meant more language practice. Hopefully that will change soon, especially if I manage to get into Pallas. My entrance exams are coming up soon and I am working hard, especially on the language.

Would you recommend this course to others?

Yes, definitely! We had language café events in Valga in April and May. I did some advertising there, encouraging others to participate in such programmes. However, most people in Valga have jobs and are unable to go on trips like that. I am the only person in this group who is not from Tartu. It is much easier for the ones living there.

What are your future plans?

As for my future, I know that I would definitely like to continue my studies, live in an Estonian-speaking environment, and find a job. I think I have a pretty good and solid plan in place for the future.

In cooperation with the Integration Foundation and the Estonian National Museum, the next language courses of the Estonian National Museum will take place in August in Tallinn and in September in Narva.

The project receives support within project no. 2021-2027.4.07.23-0006 ‘Activities supporting Estonian language learning and civic education’, sub-activity No. 3.4.4.4 ‘Provision of various cultural and leisure activities to support Estonian language learning and practice’, financed by a grant of the European Social Fund+.

The Integration Foundation launched the Language Friends programme in 2020 to provide language learners with the opportunity to continue practising language online due to the emergency situation in effect at the time. The programme got off to a good start and has continued successfully also after the end of the emergency situation. To this day, a total of 5,365 language learners have taken part in the programme. This year, the largest number of people so far – 827 learners and 810 mentors – found a language friend.

Mailis Sütiste-Gnannt, an Estonian national who is a German and Estonian language teacher, freelance journalist, interpreter, and translator living in Guermantes, near Paris, France for most of the year, was a mentor to Emine Cetinkaya, a Turkish housewife living in Tallinn, for two and a half months this spring. The women kindly agreed to share with us their impressions of the journey they had together.

How did you benefit from participating in the programme and what did you like most about it?

Emine: It is always exciting to meet new people. My language partner Mailis is a wonderful person. We chatted on Skype on Tuesdays for 30–40 minutes at a time. Mailis also wrote down the words and expressions that came up during the conversation in the chat window and explained the grammar with different examples if necessary. That was particularly useful, as I now always have the option to review the words if I happen to forget something.

Mailis: I have been involved in the Language Friends programme since the beginning and this was my fifth season. It is great to help others and especially to encourage them to speak our language. My language friend Emine is warm like the sun, always cheerful and very positive. I learned a lot of interesting things about Turkish life, customs, and food. She was always happy to talk about what she is doing and share her recipes. The interviews also coincided with the Ramadan period, when she ate nothing and drank no water from sunrise to sunset. It is amazing how much willpower a person must have to do this.

What was the most challenging part for you?

Emine: The most difficult part was definitely the grammar. It is hard! Mailis explained the different rules to me over and over again and I also reviewed everything I was learning in the Estonian language course. Mailis was a great support to me!

Mailis: We did not really encounter anything too complicated. The only misunderstanding we had was not because of the language at all, but because Estonia and France have a time difference and there was a small misunderstanding about the time of our meeting.

Why should other language learners and mentors participate in the programme?

Emine: That is because we only speak Estonian here and these conversations are very practical. I wish to continue participating in the programme as well. I feel it is very necessary for me. I think the programme could be even longer; I would like to speak Estonian much more!

Mailis: It is great to contribute and help language learners of other nationalities. It is also an enriching experience for you, as you can broaden your world view with new insights into other cultures and customs.

Do you plan to continue your conversations in the future?

Mailis: We only got to see each other in real life for the first time in the Estonian Language House in Tallinn after the official programme had ended. We took a picture together and afterwards sat in a café and chatted about our lives and the weather. We will definitely meet again when I come back to Estonia this summer. Emine’s firm wish is to provide us with home-made Turkish food.

Emine: The programme is not actually over for us yet. We continue to chat online every Tuesday morning, just as we did during the study period. We have probably missed the meeting only once or twice. I am really looking forward to our new meetings!