Turisalu-Tallinn

This brandly new road that is still work in progress is implemented by a bike lane.

Life in the camp

In my camp bedroom, wooden walls make it comfortable. Just one problem: don't use tap water, it smells so weird that you risk to be dirtier while leaving the bathroom. This tap water comes from ancient rusty pipes.

Helsinki III

A Ericsson mobile ad in Nokia's homeland! In contrast with Estonia, Finland is highly developped in high-tech, telecommunications, engineering. What is more, there are seven universities.

Helsinki II

Insert a two euros coin for this bike, it is like a trolley. Where are the theft?

Day in Helsinki

Take the ferry between Helsinki and Tallinn is so easy in comparison with getting a visa to go to St Petersburg. A beautiful city with all its green parks, Helsinki still is a modern expensive not-too-much-for-turists city. Please, 1 euros for toilets. Because I had only 20 euros with me, I walked all the day.

Reasons of my come back

It was my second year in a row.
To make tem study english, better is a native english speaker. To others, it represents a nice trip:

• contact with estonian culture throught exchanges and gastronomy
• experience in teaching and management of a team
• a full accomodation for a volunteer job
• possibility to visit the country during the week-end
• " " and to progress in english
• spend nice holidays
  

People from the camp III: students

Student ages range from 7 to 15 years old. They were three estonian speaker estonians, two from Russia, but most of them came from the russian estonian community. The latter suffers discriminations due to their lack of skill in estonian language. Learn english is a most if they want to communicate with their estonian counterparts and study in England. Settled during the soviet area, they now represent 30 % of the population, they arn't russian beacause of their estonian growth ground roots, nor estonian by nationality; it's burning issue in Estonia.

People from the camp II

Juilia and Guiada were my only two "colleagues". They came in Estonia via Erasmus to study russian in the pestigious university of Parnu. The camp was a opportunity for them to stay longer. I was surprise by the closeness of our cultures. They listen to Manu Chao, Led Zep, they watched Walt Disney.
The italian accent blurs my oral comprehension of what written down I would guess. However, it often happens that to express some words we use our native languages. For instance, quicksand: sable mouvant-sable mobili, ant: fourmie-fourmica...

People from the camp

After a disastrous 2007 camp edition, that nearly stopped the camp, this year was prepared in a hurry, with fewer and younger students.
On the left, Marina is the Bellnor director.
On the right, the cooker initiated me into russian food, a few-sugar-and-fat non-spicy-rather-insipid gastronomy.

The Turisalu Summer camp

The camp is located 30 km from Tallinn, the Estonian capital. Surrounded by forests, 500 metres near white sand beaches and offering football field, volleyball and basketball courts, such a frame is charming and picturesque. Enjoy here a wild quiet country with flourishing nature in summer.

One itinerary, one plane. after Boeing, I flew over Estonia with a Fokker 50. Andrew, staff member, went and fechted me to the camp. I arrived at one o'clock. A 19h30 trip, tiring!

Riga Airport

I waited there 5 hours for a connexion

a long tiring slog

The trip in itself is not one of of the easiest.On sunday, I left home at 5 in the morning to take the TGV train in Nantes (100km). I had to cross Paris by subway and then by RER B to go to the huge CDG Paris airport, it took more than half an hour and few euros, around 10. All efforts not to lose myself counterbalance those made by authorities on signs and connections.

Trip diary

From 6th to 19th of July, I spent two weeks in Estonia, plus Riga and Helsinki. This is the object of my trip diary. To those who read this travel blog, enjoy yourself through this odd experience. And why not find here information for your next trip.