Winter is in the Air!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I don't celebrate Christmas, but it's hard not to smile and be filled with warmth and joy walking through the streets of the Old Town with snow falling on your face and a skinny Santa driving a van blasting Christmas music through the streets. The Christmas Market in the town square looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale - lights everywhere, a humongous Christmas tree, and the smell of Glögg and warm food spreading like wildfire between the stalls.

Christmas Market in Tallinn. Now tell me that isn't magical.

When it snows, Estonia becomes a literal winter wonderland, straight out of fairytales and Disney movies. Although it has unfortunately not snowed much, I have gotten a glimpse of that world here in Tallinn and on the road. I went to Viljandi on Thursday. Viljandi is well known in Estonia as the cultural capital of Estonia. It snowed a bit the night before, and the road to Viljandi was filled with trees covered in a fresh coat of white snow. Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the road however I've begun to realize how little justice photos do to the beauty of nature. I urge you to use your imagination, to imagine tall, skinny white trees bearing the weight of fresh snow produced by the heavens above.

While on the topic of Viljandi, my boss Ali and I each gave presentations at a high school there. I wondered the entire time we were in the school why schools in the U.S. don't take a leaf out of their book (Ali tells me it's because the U.S. is not a small Scandinavian country). Here's why: the school was so open! Windows covered the entire length of the vast area I want to call a hallway but really isn't a hallway. The only doors I saw were those for classrooms and bathrooms. The cafeteria gave way to a pyramid where students could take breaks on beanbags between classes and that pyramid gave way to a library. It was a giant, airy, open space. There was so much light from the windows. Everything about the school screamed modern - from the innovative tables to smart boards in every classroom to no bells indicating the beginning or end of class, promoting the idea that students should take responsibility for their education at a young age. The new building I just described connects to the old building, which was built in the 1920's and has been renovated and such. I wish I went to a high school like that.

I'm giving a presentation on the Trace Effects video game. Get over my attractive face.

I have to hand it to the Estonians - for such a small country they sure are innovative. Against all odds, this tiny country of 1.3 million has maintained its national language through centuries of occupation, created what is perhaps the greatest model of e-governance in the world, ranks third in the world in press freedom, and is constantly supporting and creating new ways to improve in every aspect of society, be it technology, education, or anywhere else in between or beyond. God, I love Estonia - I'm not ready to leave.