PROMOTING GOOD PRACTICES AND CRITICAL THINKING WITHIN MEDIA
A group of young people from Portugal, Germany, Italy, Estonia and Turkey gathered in Diyarbarkir, from 2nd to 10th October, to participate in a Youth Exchange project on “Power of Youth Media”. Through workshops, discussions and creative sessions they learned about the importance of media for preventing radicalisation of young people and promoted media literacy and critical thinking among young people.
The participants discussed different aspects that should be considered while consuming or creating news media or social media. Given that media can be a powerful tool in guiding people’s attitudes and mind-sets, the awareness of manipulation by the media was pointed out. Other subtopics, such as prejudices and stereotypes accompanied by identity and culture were also discussed.
A view to Tigris river
In the project different topics related to media were approached using methods of non-formal education and peer-to-peer learning. This being a youth exchange, the inclusion of the participants was promoted in the sessions by giving them space to propose and facilitate the morning energisers and many of the activities carried out. In fact, the participants were able to learn more about media not only by listening to the expositive presentations of their peers, but also by intervening in their group reflection rounds and were also able to learn by doing. Each of the participants contributed to the creation of the outcome contents of this Youth Exchange by recording and editing videos, writing articles, preparing and managing the contents to be disseminated in the social media of the organisations involved.
The multicultural environment of this project, as well as its content, gave participants the opportunity to learn more about different media realities of their countries and how these can affect their daily lives. The participants were also able to set tools and strategies to help them tackle media manipulation and cope with the consequences of the emergence of fake news. However the outcome was also a deeper understanding of the societies of the participating nations as the whole exchange was spiced up by intercultural evenings and excursions to the city and surroundings.
Photo by Martino Pedrazzini
Finally, Power of Youth Media has reached its goals: the participants became more aware of the importance and power of media in our society; the organisations involved strengthened their bonds and even widened their network and the local community was embraced in the activities during this project. In fact, the group went even further than the expected outcomes: several future projects have been planned both in the local setting as in the international one. We can`t wait to see what happens next!
Walls of Diyarbakır
Text by: Teresa Pizarro, Marcelo Yamada, Kerti Kera, Anselm Denfeld
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
MTÜ React on partneriks rahvusvahelises projektis “Power of Youth Media”, mis toimub 2.-10. oktoobril 2018. a Diyarbakiris, Türgis. Otsime oma meeskonda neid 18.-30. aastaseid, kes tunnevad huvi projekti teema ning selle piirkonna vastu. Projektis käsitletakse meediat kui vahendit radikaliseerumise kontekstis. Nädala jooksul avastavad noored Saksamaalt, Itaaliast, Portugalist, Türgist ja Eestist seda teemat mitteformaalses õhkkonnas läbi töötubade, rollimängude, diskussioonide jt tegevuste.
Kohapealne majutus ja toitlustus on kaetud projekti kuludest. Suhtluskeeleks projekti ajal on inglise keel.
Transpordikulud kaetakse maksimaalselt 360 euro ulatuses.
Huvi korral võta ühendust enne 24. augustit aadressil ngo.react@gmail.com
Projekti on rahaliselt toetanud Euroopa Komisjon Erasmus+ programmi raames.
From 25th of September until 3rd of October 25 young people gathered in Ohrid city which belongs to UNESCO World Heritage as Cultural and Natural sites.
Portuguese, Macedonian, Italian, Kurdish and Estonian young people spent 7 days together to get practical experience about how to realize one idea into an event. The focus of the youth exchange was on active citizenship and youth initiative, giving the participants the opportunity to create something together. Learning was based on interaction of the participants and reflecting the experience, all activities were based on non-formal learning methods.
Ice-breakers for group dynamics
The aim of this project was to motivate young people for active participation in society and promote the mentality of taking an initiative. The participants were able to improve their competencies and skills (teamwork, leadership skills, communication etc) through learning from experience. Youth exchange “Initialization in Progress” aimed to enhance international dimension of youth activities and promote collaboration between organizations. Overall, this youth exchange was a way to promote diversity, tolerance and intercultural learning, as well as the values of Erasmus+ programme.
Before the start of youth exchange, the participants were instructed to carry out a brief research about the country where the exchange took place – Macedonia. During the youth exchange the participants discussed about the topics in local context. Eventually they chose topics which to continue with creating a public event – environmental issues, youth unemployment, tourism, anti-corruption. Participants experienced working in international teams, learned about other cultures and got different perspectives about problem solving.
“Our time was filled with good, informative, yet fun and bonding activities.” – Angela from Macedonia“By participating in this project I learned about my teamworking skills, because everything you do, you do it with a team.” – Sara from Macedonia
Luis from Portugal:
“It was the first time I participated in something related. During this experience I had the opportunity to improve my social abilities, gain more confidence in myself. Learn how to work better as a group. Discovered new cultures, met new people (that I found that I have more in common than with people from my country). It was a moment of growth, get new ideas, new perspectives of life. I can manage better how to overcome the obstacles that we found while trying to get to our objectives or making a task, not giving up to frustration and sense that I cannot do this (I can say more self-confident). I felt more comfortable in sharing and performing in group and in the streets of the city. It were very important days, not only in professional development, but in personal, social and culture as well. I left Macedonia filled with joy and hope for the future, with the will to do more for myself, for the others and the world. For that I am extremely grateful.”
“Every Intercultural experience is in my personal interest, and curiosity about the world is a personal enrichment.” – Matteo from Italy“Kõige rohkem meeldis projekti juures see, et tegelesime reaalse elu probleemidega ja õppisime, kuidas samm-sammult hakata probleemi lahendama.” – Maarja from Estonia
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
It is our pleasure to announce that there will be held a youth exchange (YE): “Initialization in Progress” in Ohrid, Macedonia on 25th of September – 3rd of October!
The YE aims to promote youth initiative and enforce the mentality of active citizenship. If it sounds interesting, you can find further information about the project from HERE
Everybody who is age 25-30 and feels affected by this opportunity is welcome to apply.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Ate olives. Seriously, I thought they were icky, salty, problematic and unnecessary. I only tolerated them on pizzas in small slices. And even then, I might pick them off if I wasn’t in the mood. But now I sometimes buy a can of olives and just munch with cheese and/or wine. Or use them in cooking. They are great!
Drank coffee. Okay, this is not strictly true. I did drink coffee, but very rarely. Like at work, when there was an event for someone and you only had 20 minutes to ingest everything, I took coffee with milk because it cooled down quicker. Or sometimes I made myself believe coffee gave me energy (normally never does). But here I started drinking their mini-coffees (doll coffees) also known as espressos, and I really enjoy it. For one, the taste is like a million times better. And also, there is only a little bit of it, so it doesn’t upset my stomach so much or take forever to deal with. Highly recommend Delta.
Understood small beer. Another consumable of the doll-variety. It just seems so silly to me, to drink beers that are 200ml. The 300 was also hard to understand, but because of handcraft beer, I was at least used to the size. I still don’t fully believe that it is optimized, but when drinking in a social setting, it is quite nice to have a couple of beers and still drink less than a litre. The taste of said mainstream beer though, I never fully got used to. I still don’t know for sure, if Sagres is better than Super Bock, you know. I would rather just have a gin and tonic anyway.
Knew what it felt like to be an immigrant. My boyfriend is from a smallish place in rural Portugal and there was an instance where I was told there (by someone I just met) that I should better learn the language if I come here and not expect others to know any English. Which in general is true, but I was told this in a really snooty attitude, like I was not making any efforts at all. To be fair, 90% of the time I get a very positive reaction to my language efforts and although my oral comprehension is pretty bad, I still manage to communicate. So I didn’t really appreciate this stranger making assumption about me without any information allowing her to do so. This kind of an interaction makes me remember more how important it is to be open and supportive to people and not judgemental.
Used a prepaid telephone card. It’s fine to have if others know of this and are okay with always calling you, because if you plan to ever use your own phone for calling, texting, using data AND are over 25, then you are probably better off having a contract with one of the telecommunication things. It is just so bloody expensive. Or if there is a better solutions, I was never introduced to it.
Ate mussels, snails, octopus etc, slimy water creatures. Mussels I would recommend, in a nice butter sauce. Everything else I will pass on. Also the famous Choco Frito of the region (fried calmary) just makes me pray for the meal to end. I really like shrimp here though, with garlic, some spice and again, butter sauce. When I had visitors for New Years, one of them made a really good dish of them which I still remember.
Had so many disappointments about making friends. I guess it is always hard to make friends and I have always had luck in that department in Estonia. I still have people in my life that I met in first grade, or even before that, and I have steadily accumulated more throughout my life. But here, living kind of far away from people more like me, or making plans just to bail on them, I just found it really difficult to not have anyone really to count on besides myself. Human relationships are a complicated thing, moreso when you are dealing with different cultures, so I will not pass any judgement or lay blame. At the end of the day I will still be more happy about the good connections I made.
Festa de Pinhal Novo – bigger than expectedVacation in AlgarveOdeceixe – impossible to swimAlteirinhas – possible to swim for a whileOdemira – reminded me of TartuOnce a month I get dressed upFesta de Pegoes – smaller than expected
In this post I name some places special to me with reasons. This also may or may not be an excuse to post some pictures.
First of all there is no way to get around Serra da Arrabida, the mountainrange reaching on the coast of Setubal. It is a home for foxes, wild boar, birds, all the shades of green ever and cute beaches that offer more or less privacy, depending on what you want. You also get a view on the slightly odd Troia – a half-island that randomly has huge tall buildings on it (hotels and casinos), although the place has nothing but the beach to offer. It is possible to do coasteering In Serra da Arrabida by the coast, or go more inland and hike, or just drive to see all the viewpoints that leave you feeling like you are at the end of the world. I guess the ocean has that effect. Since this beauty is only ca 10 km from me, I have been there several times already, but always not enough. It’s not as tropical as Acores, of course, but it still gives off a cool jungle vibe in some parts. Sadly, much of the joy of being on the coast comes if you have a car so it is not so spontanious.
Setubal viewpoint by the
Setubal viewpoint
Museum of Work. My first trip to try and discover stuff on my own was to Setubal in last August. The day was super hot, but I had nothing better to do on that Sunday anyway, no access to any kind of internet anywhere and beautiful weather. I made some mistakes which lead me to walk more, but I found out that was not an issue in Setubal at all. The viewpoint was one of the first places where I sat down for a second to see the purple flowers and the harbor and the ocean. It was such a cute place with all it’s streets and the decorations from the festa that were still up. It just made me feel like I made a really good decisions to come to this strange land.
The road to Evora. When my parents visited, I talked them into going to see Evora, one of the Unesco cities. Evora itself I didn’t find overtly exciting, even at times it reminded me of Tallinn, I think.. But the way there was super great. I haven’t really seen
Cork tree grove on the way to Evora
that part of the country a lot yet, Alentejo, I think. On the way we saw many cork tree groves that made me think of mansions and fancy ladies with sun umbrellas, we saw eucalyptus forests that felt really refreshing in the heat, we saw ancient stone circles and things that made me feel more connected to the nature in general. Just some amazing nature, simple yet complex at the same time
I have been there twice now, since I made my friend take me there as well when he was visiting. Nazare in my mind is in two parts. The lazy fishery, touristy, beachy part, where you have a stunning view of the cliff and can go swimming etc., and then the cliff part itself, where you can feel vertigo, but also the limits of humanity as you feel so high up in the sky and can see so much at once, it feels positively godlike. When you get tired of that, you can take a short walk downwards to the lighthouse, where you can see the two faces of the ocean, as to your left is the calm and to your right roaring rolling waves. The vertigo effect intensifies, at least for me, and I have to grab a hold of something to be able to enjoy the view and not focus on my mortality. But it’s cool, super cool.
Nazare cliff view
Just in general. All of it. Ancient valleys and the mystical fog so unpredictable, with high highs and humidity that makes my hair all pretty. Terra Nostra garden was one of my faves, as was a botanical garden in Ponta Delgada. I have a thing with gardens. I appreciate the heights and will often seek them out, but my happy place is in a mossy sunny (kind of opposites but.. dreaming here) garden with weird bird sounds and some silent water noises.
AcoresAcores
In conclusion, it is important to note that I have not marked down all my favourite places here. Tomorrow I am leaving to check out the south a bit more, to see Algarve and Alentejo. And I have a feeling I find many more favourites on the way. One of the reasons is that favourite places don’t only depend on the place, but also your own state of mind and many times also the company. Because of that it is good to take advice on what to visit, but ultimately whether or not you like going somewhere or seeing something, depens on you yourself too.
With friends in Guimaraes. Photo by Szymon Stepniak
The month of April does wonderful things to people in Portugal. Mostly it has magical powers of making people forget that the winter ever existed. That there was a time, when the humidity made your clothes grow mold in the closet and the cold breathe out visible air. That there was a time when your every thought was about being warmer and not leaving your bed and wishing days went by faster and faster.
Rooftop bar with a view to Troia islandFirst beach day of the season with Justyna
In contrast, April makes people smile and go to the beach and sit in the grass and drink Sagres and have hope and happiness that summer has started. I say summer, instead of spring, because for a northerner like me, this weather is summer. But for the Portuguese as well. This year in general has been called an anomaly, super warm autumn that lasted until December, very short winter (that seems to have only been cold in Pinhal Novo), and a sudden early spring that is warmer than usual. Although people are aware of this, not many think of the weather as much as me.
Cork tree groveRoad to a really really really old rock
April has brought with it a sense of joy because of the weather, because I have had more of a chance to be around other volunteers, work has had more interesting opportunities, I had my parents visit for a week and I have made a connection with a local. The last part is very interesting to me, since until now I had viewed the Portuguese in many ways. With friendly curiosity, with disbelief, with frustration, with apathy, a whole range of emotions. But it was always from the sidelines, like watching a horse race, or more appropriately, a bull run. There are things happening and you say wohoo and root for it, but you don’t get involved too much. So it has been a different type of emotion finding out it is possible to find people like me here.
Movie date
What also is happening, is people going home. A group of short term volunteers in Palmela went and I miss them. A girl from Alcochete went and I miss her. A girl from Lisbon went and I miss her too. In a way, the internationals are their own family, always being able to relate to each other, so it is easy to like them and care. That makes me also remember that although it doesn’t seem like yesterday I came here, it certainly doesn’t feel like it was 9 months ago either. And it seems exceedingly unbelievable that in 3 months one year will be over. Others have given me advice not to start being sad about leaving too soon, as it still is quite a bit of time left. But April had a way of making me forget when all I wanted was for the experience to be done faster so I could go back, being more “evolved” somehow. And now I want summer to last forever.
Quinta da Regaleira with my mom
In that sense, I am forever happy I took the whole 12 month package of EVS. I could not imagine leaving now, just when I begin to see the best Portugal has to offer and now that I myself am more ready to accept it.
This time I feel like writing a pure emotion post about my yes-moments here. So let’s go on this journey and see what happens!
When you once again are waiting for the bus because it is a Saturday but you thought it was a weekday and the bus only comes once in two hours and you missed it by 15 minutes because it still is a Saturday and you are sitting in a cafe, after having your pastel de nata and coffee (normal) and Pedras because you have a resaca due to some beer pong that was played with wine because beer ran out… I digress. Anyway, you are sitting outside alone and looking at the most beautiful trees you have ever seen… the lilac ones without leaves, and looking at the rain and the huddling cats and the road that goes straight up and the laundry that was drying but obviously no more because rain. You sit there, outside, because the fresh air is good, and you still have an hour to go. You sit there because you have the time to not worry even though you have plans later but like… there’s time! You sit there and think, yes. This is a yes moment. Rather.
When you are hanging out with a hungarian and a moldaviam and the hungarian is a bigger fan of Tartu than you are. When you listen to some of your favourite Tartu music, because she suggests it, when you listen to Marten and Argo and she tells you about Möku and Tolstoi street and how she misses it all. And after that you drink wine and watch timelapses of Tartu, your hometown. That is a yes moment.
When you are walking again by the empty lot filled with orange trees and whatever grass and you smell the smell. The sweet sweet smell of spring. Okay, probably the sweet sweet smell of weeds but it doesn’t matter. It’s March and you can already smell it and it smells like freedom and putting your feet in the grass and it smells like butterflies (which you have already seen, coloured was the first) and it smells llike bugs buzzing in a friendly way. It almost smells like Muhu island, but that’s impossible because nothing smells like Muhu. You smell the smell and try not to forget to write about it because you like it so-o-o much. But every day you forget. Until the day you smell the sweet smell again.
When you have a friend from home over at your place, really at your actual house and you make a trip to Palmela and hike and wander and walk and you find yourself in Setubal and then you find a vegetarian pizza place and then you find a beautiful beach with good music and then you find some gin and tonics and you find a view to the mountains and you find yourself being really really fucking happy that she is there and you get to have that memory together. Nothing big, nothing major, a pretty chill calm day. No major sights. Except that there were. And you agree with each other. Then you find that this is indeed a yes moment.
When you know that it is all temporary and even the people that you met yesterday and felt so so close with, might not be there tomorrow, but it is okay. Because even the brief moments you got to spend with some funny, intelligent, brave, unique people will stay with you for a long time. Because it mattered that you were there and they were there and you talked and did things. It all mattered. So you are happy that is was and not sad that it is or will be over. Because it was a yes moment.
I was given a small speech roll at the presentation of a projects resultsAt the presentation of project resultsAdmiring the Alhochete sunsetCelebrating the beginning of spring in Lisbon downtown by dancing with hundreds of othersI gave a interview to local high school students about Estonian music, food, etc.Morning in Palmela – waiting for the bus againPalmela sightsMorning in Palmela – waiting for the bus againPalmela sightsJacandra tree – aka my most favourite treeKaiza da Est’oniaOuting with other volunteers – 2 Estonians, a Finn, 2 Hungarians and a Galician
For the previous months blog I’m going to cheat a bit and upload this exchange. A local high school student asked me to answer questions about Estonia for her school project. This way my foreign friends have a chance to learn about Estonia as well, and my Estonian friends have a chance to tell be how wrong I got everything. Hey, you now, it has already been 7 months. Especially on the education part things got really fuzzy in my mind and I really should pay more attention to what’s going on in secondary education more.
Hope you enjoy and see you next month!
Found some new volunteers near me
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Hi Kaisa!!
For the written project we would like you to “answer” the “questions” below. They are about 4 topics: gastronomy, education, music and language
For the presentation we thought about making a short vídeo with you and our group. It will be divided in four parts: gastronomy, education, music and language. In each one you will talk with one of us. For exemple: gastronomy – you will taste two portuguese dishes (that we will cook) and the person of our group will taste two estonian dishes (if you can cook them).
Found my lovelies at the mid-termDifferent faces of mid-term
Questions:
Gastronomy
How many meals do you have per day?
I usually eat around 3 meals per day plus snacks when I’m working, but if I don’t have to wake up early, I most probably only eat 2 meals.
What do you normally eat for breakfast?
In Estonia, many people eat porridge for breakfast, oatmeal or other grains, with jam. I personally like a salty breakfast more, so I would eat a meat pastry or some store bought salad (our salads are usually with mayonese or sour cream) because I don’t want to cook in the morning. If I have more time, like in the weekends, I like to make omelettes.
Which are the most common ingredients on estonian diet?
We eat a lot of potatoes and other vegetables. Families almost never eat French fries at home, that is considered junk food, but people boil or fry them on a pan a lot. People also like pumpkins and carrots. We have some tradition of eating fish, but definitely less than here, we less variety as well. Meatwise, we mostly eat pork, especially for Christmas dinner.
At lunch and dinner time, is the all family sat at the table?
I suppose in some families, it might work like that, but never in my family. Our kitchen was too small anyway for it to be practical. We only eat together when it is a holiday or someone’s birthday. Sometimes also on Sunday mornings, when we traditionally make pancakes.
Education (secondary school – years before university)
How many subjects do you have? Which ones are obliged and for choice?
Most children in highschool have around 14 obligatory subjects, probably. In my highschool, we had the option to also take religion studies (introducing all of the different religions in the world), philosophy, guide lessons (how to give tours in the old town) and/or speech/debate.
Obligatory ones are Estonian (two different subjects, grammar and literature), Maths (depending on the branch, easier or more difficult math), English, Russian, Geography (not in the last year), History, Biology, Physics, Chemistry (for some, not in the last year), Civic Studies (how is the government formed, different forms of ruling, symbols of countries etc etc), Gym, Music (singing and note learning but also history), Art (last year just history of art).
Are you separeted in areas? Like science, literature, arts, economics.
Yes, there are different branches in high schools but the school can decide what the branch is about. In my high school, in my year, there were 3 branches, but the next year, 5. I was in the class of general humanities, which focused more on languages. So I had 5 lessons of English per week, while the other branches had 3. Half of my class also had French, half Swedish. Another class was Swedish branch (since my high school has a history with the Swedish country), they had 5 lessons of Swedish, and less French and English, but everything else, basically the same. The third was science branch, that had more difficult math, chemistry and physics. But they also studied history, biology and geography like everyone else.
Some more examples of branches from schools that I know of – media studies branch (has video making and other forms of media); medical branch (for those interested in the field in university); theatre branch; music-english branch (quite weird but okay); natural sciences branch (not more math, but more biology, geography and chemistry).
How do your classes take?
How long do our classes take? Some high schools have already made the change towards 1,5 h lessons, but some still have 45 minute long lessons. In most middle schools, lessons are 45 minutes.
Which is the role of the students in their schools? How do they act?
Every year has student representatives from all the classes (1-2) which form the student council. Depending on how open the school is, this council can make more or less of an impact in the schools life. Depends also on the specific children how it goes. Usually this group also has an adviser, mostly the activities manager of the school. That is a person who handles different events and works with students to come up with new ones, usually using the student council for this.
Music
Is there any tipical instrument? Or type of music?
Estonia has its own folk music, which uses many old instruments, that are only used for doing that. I would say we also use a lot of the violin and accordion. These were especially used in the old times in coutrysides for bon fire parties to create music to dance to (since then there was no electricity or stereos). For some reason, metal music is very popular in Estonia (as also in Finland). On the the hand, we also have a lot of choir music and hold a singing festival every 4 years in the capital, with around 20,000 people in choirs singing on the festival ground and up to 100,000 spectators. Some examples of popular, but still somewhat traditional Estonian music – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l5nAh63W0o – they sing in Estonian but with a dialect or a specific area that is dying out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcup1ZsJXA – same group performing with an all man’s choir in old monastery ruins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddCsOTWz7gI – a lot more contemporary group that also toured in America with this song and album, folk-pop vibe similar to Mumford and Sons maybe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWEMFoU3eTw – example of contemporary pop with electronic elements https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttLHedvqOHE – example of electronica that has reached moderate success also outside of Estonia
Does your country give value to music? And arts in general?
I might be biased, since I have also been very into music and influenced by it, and so has my family, but I think that on the whole, our country does give value to music. An example of it is the singing festival we hold every 4 years (together with folk dance festival). This festival is for choirs (children, women, men, mixed and instruments) and features that sort of music, not pop or a focus on soloists or bands. Choirs get selected to participate and rehearse for this for a long time.
On the other hand, we also have a lot of focus on contemporary music development and every year there is a Tallinn Music Festival, which showcases up and coming artists from Estonia, but also other neighbouring countries. Music, in all it’s different possibilities is indeed quite important. That can also be said about arts, I think, seeing as it is a part of the basic education for all. We have a national theatre and many others, plays get shown on tv, and people go to concerts, plays, opera etc.
How does music support education?
In my mind, music is a way of expression to many who don’t have any other outlet, it can make people more calm, motivated or give them a purpose. All of that does indirectly support education. It also promotes a more well-rounded person.
The comercial music is the same as in Portugal?
Commercial pop music is very similar, we do also get a lot of Rihanna, BIber, J-Lo etc on the radio. But here the music is still more latin rhythm oriented and we have less of that. Of course, I haven’t listened to mainstream radio channels for over 10 years, and mostly use Spotify for myself anyway. The things that become popular are rock, british music like britpop and grunge and I guess metal. Depends on the people and subgroups of course.
Language
Which are the main differences between portuguese and estonian language? Gramaticly speaking.
Gramatically, Estonian language does not have genders, even no he or she, we just have one word for both of them.
We also do not have prepositions and instead we have cases, which means that the root word, the noun, changes, depending on the case. We have 14 cases, so learning Estonian can be very challenging to a foreigner. For example, in English you would say I will go into the house. In Estonian, into the house, becomes one word – majja. That is composed of the noun house (maja) and gets additions or suffixes depending on what is being expressed. All of this is very confusing, since we also have a lot of irregularities with this.
Gramatically, we also don’t have a future tense, and we only compose one future option, using a conjugation of one verb and add the infinitive or the intended verb.
I think these are the main differences.
Do you have any word on your language that cannot be translated? In Portuguese we have “saudade” (I miss you)
Actually, saudade can be translated into Estonian with just one word quite easily 😀 We can also translate the German Schadenfreude with just one word (signifying feeling happy for someone else’s misfortune). I’m not an actual language expert though, and also don’t know Portuguese so well yet, so I don’t know if there is any uniquely Estonian word. But one of my favourites is ‘tüüne’, which signifies the calm waters of the sea and can also be used in the context of describing someone as being a calm and easygoing person.
Which is the second language of the country?
There is no official second language in my country, but most would say it is Russian. For me, it has always been English.
Is estonian similar to russian?
Russian uses a completely different alphabet so in that sense very different. But they also have cases (less of them). Language composition and grammar-wise, Russian and Estonian are completely different. Estonian is only related to Finnish and Hungarian, forming the Finno-Hungaric language group.
Final: Can you outline the main diferences between estonian and portuguese culture?
The main difference lies in the Social interaction. Here, people are a lot more group oriented in their social behaviour and also try to always accommodate the other and make them feel comfortable. But the things they do, tend to make us more Northern people feel uncomfortable, because we are used to having a lot more personal space and individualistic expression. For more specific points on this topic, see my blog about it: https://reactngo.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/6th-chapter-of-kaisas-evs-social-interaction-analysis-by-estonian-introvert/
Birthday dayDifferent faces of Guimaraes
Another volunteer – gotta catch them all!Dinner with Imagina Palmela helpersCarnaval!Birthday cake to Kasa
One of the most often asked questions I get from locals and from Estonians alike is: „So what are the differences with your country? What did you notice first here? Is anything strange to you?“. And then I give them answers, more or less politically correct, depending on who I am speaking with. And in some form or other, I always mention the totally different way of socializing with people, especially strangers. Here, everyone is immediately friendly, smily, touchy feely, jokey with you. Trying to make you feel real comfortable. Back home, everyone minds their own damn business and you better not look anyone in the eye on the bus because d’ya want to get stabbed or what? Okay, that last bit is an exageration, but mostly the tendency is to not invade people’s personal space by acknowledging they exist. And that is what makes people back home comfortable.
Exhibit A: Leaving a crowded bus.
Here, you say, Desculpe, posso passar, or something to that effect. Basically, excuse me. It is considered extremely rude to just push past without saying anything. Back home, the public transportation rule (in Tallinn at least) was that you slightly exert pressure with your body to the side of someone, so they know to get out of the way. You do NOT say, Vabandage, palun mööda. Even more, being vocal can be considered more rude. As in, WELL SOOORRRYYY, are ya blind, let me pass.
Entering a person’s personal (mind) space by telling them something or asking them something, is considered more rude on public transportation, then just helping yourself and pushing past. Of course, if during the pushing, you step on them or something, you do say sorry. And you might get a dirty look for it.
Work face
Exhibit B: Taking public transport
Here, if you sit alone on a bus, you might strike up a conversation with someone. Back home, you better fucking not. I may have left my home and am forced to sit on this seat beside you (because there were no empty seats left) but I did take my forcefield with me, so we better pretend that we are sitting alone.
Exhibit C: Buying groceries
Here, if you take a few more minutes by the cashier because they know you and want to know how your child is doing in school, there will be zero people rolling there eyes in the line. Everyone seems to have time for this. Like they have planned it in. I suppose it makes sense, because even if there is no tudo-bem-talk, the check out line still takes forever, beause apparently here, people bag their groceries before paying for them. So you wait patiently while they are fumbling with their 3 different bags of 5 litres of milk that is pumped full of perservatives (how else can it survive without the fridge?). Back home, the second your groceries pass the cashier, you pay, and you best not have delays doing it. Bag you stuff on your own time, EVERYONE IS IN A HURRY.
A beach naer Serra da Arrabida in January
Conclusions
The fact that these differences exist is not very interestig though. Okay, they seem bizarre the first time you are in touch with them, but after, whatever. But the weird thing for me is, I have always identified myself with this stoic, individualistic way of being. I’ve always believed life would be better if everyone just stayed out of everyone else’s business, especially mine. I have spent my life hating the bank and tv people who hunt you in the malls, trying to sell you things. I have gone on tirades about the fakey smiley bullshit that is generally considered to be American, but applies to parts of Europe too. And I’ve had many good arguments for it.
Tangerine trees
I have felt it is terribly energy consuming to constantly be in socializing pleasant mode with people that don’t affect me in any way. I am investing time in a stranger why exactly? We both know the smile is fake, I don’t actually know you therefor I don’t have any real reason to like you (or dislike you). The conversations had on this level are terribly boring and even if you do end up seeing them again for a few times, it doesn’t really matter, because you don’t become friends who have an impact on eachothers lives. I also deeply detested service people in stores who came to you instantly when you walked into the shop. „Let me be!“, I thought. I am far more likely to make a purchase if you just let me be! And all of this was supposedly making me feel better than faking optimism about buying coffee. This may all seem rather rigid so I must add that my feelings on this have also existed on a spectrum and been dependant on my mood. Matter of fact, I have become better in being personable with new people and enjoying it, even back home. But writing neutrally is no fun.
Being cold at home face
What I am actually building up to is that living here, in opposite land, my views have softened. When I went home for Christmas, I missed strangers smiling at me and welcoming me into their shops. I went to make a purchase in a clothes shop, and walked myself up to a sales assistant. Unheard of! I feel more socally open, which I guess is a good thing. But I really don’t understand it. The most logical explanation I can think of is the following.
People feel most socially comfortable when they are following the norms of their environment. Here I know that if I am as they are (or at least as close to it as I can be), things are easier and there are less miscommunication situations. I am following the norm and getting socially rewarded for it. But the strange thing is, I don’t feel I was getting socially rewarded for following the norm back home. It was more of „if you don’t follow the norm, you get socially punished (by dirty looks, underbreath comments, or straight up lunatic old women and junkies)“. And I don’t even know if my reasoning is right. It just feels right from my perspective.
My friend is afraid of heights – I made him go to a high place in Nazare
So I am hoping to figure all this stuff out before I come back, so I am less confused by myself and as an extent, others. I still feel though that strange men putting their hands around me and on my back after just meeting, is uncomfortable and borderline rude. And I am currently on a mission to find out more about the different social rules for Portuguese men and women, so stay tuned if you’re into that kind of stuff, I guess.
One of my favourite views
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