It has already been 22 days (from all my 22 years of life) since I can call tell: "Yes, I'm living in Tartu and I'm here not for a vacation, for a month, or even a semester, but much longer.". Me, who sometimes is so patriotic (deep, deep down into my small black heart) it even hurts, I have willingly moved to another country.
Life is weird like that sometimes, isn't it?
But that's for small intro. And, let's be honest - to study in Tartu has been my (seemingly unattainable) dream for a very long time. Not for 2 years when Karin (smart, beautiful, wonderful Karin) showed me new Chemicum building and told me about one of masters programs there. Since moving here I've been catching myself remembering - when I was visiting Tartu - how beautiful and captivating the city had seemed to me and how I liked the taught of studying here. Years went, and well, people forget. I had other dreams, other problems and new foreign cities.
Then I went to Riga, to study chemistry (actually quite unexpected development) in University of Latvia. And joined sorority Dzintra. And went to Tartu again. And again. And again - and remembered.
And now I'm here to stay.
At the same time everything feels like returning home - meeting friends, remembering known-but-long-forgotten things- like how almost everything is within walking distance. Finding out about new changes. Celebrating 1st September with friend - drinking vine from my mismatched glasses at night in Toomemagi, in ruins of Cathedral. Discovering peppermint&chocolate ice cream, sharing excitement about Estonian language. And most of all - seeing people who not only breathe university - it's in their bloodstreams, into their atoms and molecules. Becoming one of them, slowly and at the same time rapidly. Like waves in Emajõgi.
P.p.s. To my friend who asked if I'm going to write blog about my time here and I answered "Ha, no, why would I ever do that?" - well, I should have know better, being in Tartu with Laiksne! :D
P.s. I'm still searching for my name. Since almost nobody understands "ū" - which is important for me, a reminder from Latvia which carry around constantly. For now, for my Estonian friends I'm starting to write it like "Ruuta", but in IDs etc I'm still Ruta :(
P.p.s. To my friend who asked if I'm going to write blog about my time here and I answered "Ha, no, why would I ever do that?" - well, I should have know better, being in Tartu with Laiksne! :D
You can always do like all Chinese students I meet this semester do - "My Chinese name is [something in Chinese] and my Western name is [something not in Chinese but sounding nothing like the Chinese name], because it is hard to pronounce my Chinese name."
AtbildētDzēstHave to admit that so far, none of the Chinese names have been more difficult to pronounce than "Rūta" would be. So, you would blend in well. :P