5 Unexpected Benefits of Life in Estonia
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2024
- There are some benefits you only find out if you have lived here for a long, long time.
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💡 TOPICS IN THIS VIDEO 💡
•Life in Estonia
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#estonia , #lifeinestonia , #manananwar
★ TABLE OF CONTENTS ★
• 00:00 Why Unexpected?
• 01:01 Appreciating Good Weather
• 03:09 Bland but healthy
• 05:01 Cold but genuine
• 08:42 Being Alone
• 10:44 Starting a New Life
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As an Estonian, I can say that one of the best benefits of living in Estonia is that people will leave you alone and don't expect anything from you. Another benefit is that once you make friends, then the friendship lasts for a long time...even if you don't talk for many years. You can easily go 5 years without talking to an old friend, and then run into them, and just pick up where you left off years ago.
Agreed!
tõsi
The weather in Estonia and in Tallinn can be very different. Estonia is small, so the temperature difference in different parts of Estonia can be 20 degrees at the same time. Hilly Southern Estonia is different from Tallinn. The Gulf of Finland has cold water, Tallinn on the coast heats up due to the sun, and according to the laws of physics, warm air rises, replaced by moisture and cold sea air. The weather in Tallinn is particularly bad in winter, damp and cold at the same time. Continental cold air is dry. 52% of Estonia is forests. Because of the forests, the weather is quite different further from the sea. I live in South Estonia and I don't complain about the weather. Summer is warm and sunny. Autumn is full of colors. Winter is snowy. Spring is wonderful. In the dark time there are stars in the sky because there is no light pollution. It is a crime to leave Estonia in the summer.
How about mosquitoes, is it different in the south vs north? 😏
@@user-qd4yh8bd4n City people are afraid of mosquitoes. I live in the country and I don't have any problems with mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are a natural part of nature and good food for birds.
It depends if there’s a lake, river or swamp. Where I live, there are mosquitos only at the fall of night, and not every day.
@@user-qd4yh8bd4n depends how wet and windy the area is. Mosquitoes like wet and hate wind. So if it is dry windy area, like for excamples near the sea, you are in luck. When you live in a swampy forest, you would not be able to go out in summer without running. Or heavy protection. But they usually do not fly above second floor. And the little bugs are sometimes even worse as they get through most of the nets and typical spray does not scare them.
There is not many mosquitoes in the cities though. And areas that do not have water nearby.
I was born in Belarus. Living in California for years. Lot's of sun, you know, but I miss those clouds we had a lot in Belarus. I am dreaming about moving to Estonia when I am on a pension. This country was just always so good to me!!! Starting in deep and dark USSR, it was just always such an angelic care when I came to visit. Love it!!!
We were in Tallinn for two weeks last fall as tourists. One major difference that we really liked was how walkable everything was and how so many people got out and walked. We came back here to the U.S. and I felt guilty having to get in a car to drive to a store. Add to that the excellent public transit in Tallinn compared to what we have here in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has over 200 cloudy days per year, so I can get what you say about appreciating the sun. Certainly not as cold or snowy here, though. Thanks again for a great video.
We always joke that Americans are born with a shotgun and placed into a car instead of a crib ;) I never understood how my American friends think it's normal to drive 2 hours to work and another 2 hours back home, then drive another hour to go shoping. I understood it when i visited the states and man... You peeps are nuts! :D Just look at the stuff here, you can make things compact, at the hand and enjoy life fithout a car, ya know :P
@@MalrockMCE2Y It’s cultural, unfortunately. Believe me we appreciate Europe and have even toyed with the idea of relocating
@@MrTomTeachesAgain It has a lot to do with your government too. Prior to WWII, USA was similar to Europe where you could walk to where you needed to go a lot of the time and there was public transport you could use otherwise, but when the big residental wastlands known as modern US suburbs started being created, it all changed. The cultural aspect is that Americans expect to have a large plot of land with a cardboard house in the middle of it and a green lawn surrounding it on all 4 sides, and the government aspect is that it's literally illegal to build anything else due to zoning laws.
US could improve itself a great deal if the zoning laws were reformed. Like for example allowing commercial establishments like stores or cafes in the middle of suburbs. Allowing small 2-3 story apartment or mixed use buildings in suburbs, reducing the required empty space between the street and buildings, etc. The culture is never going to change when regardless of what you think about how Europe does it, it is illegal for you to have it. I don't think it has to be that hard to change, some places in USA are changing their zoning laws to be less anti-human. It ain't much, but they exist.
Tbf the cycling infrastructure isn't much better than what you have in the U.S. (that being non-existent). Glad you had a good time here
I think seasons are a very underappreciated thing in human psychology. Life is hard, life is hopeful, life is good, life gets worse, life is hard. Cycle repeats. Seasons as unnegotiable reality stab this into you. In California, it feels like time barely even moves there.
I respect your view about being alone, I think this is very important skill to study and learn as a human and I think its even more important for men.
This video also reminded me, that you were talking about negatives that have positive sides. This is true on all aspects of life. For example, my mom was always worrying about everything, also about me, and that was a bad thing, because she saw some character traits and she automatically focused on their bad sides. Living in a small flat, I was hearing it and that influenced me negatively and ruined my self-esteem for years. Only later I realized that every negative trait has positive sides and positive ones have negative ones as well... So when you see someone from a positive side of someone, when you believe in them, support them, it helps them to use all their strengths, even from personal traits that some could see as negatives, but they are not.
The same is with place of living, the culture, the climate - there is no perfect place, there are good and bad sides, but when you embrace the bad ones, you can find they also give you positive value.
You can learn here anything, work efficiently, and achieve things you want. What all people do in the most cloudy days - they study and work, or do sport, they build something, they make their life the way they wish. The weather helps to focus, when nobody and nothing disturbs. So yes, pros and cons, as a medal has two sides =)
Great video! I would say estonians want to taste the food we eat hence no spices. As in if i see carrots, i want to taste carrots. Same with meat and fish. So for us if there are too many spices, it looks suspicious...is the food old? Is it still good? What are you hiding?? So yup, it can definitely be bland to foreigners. About being alone - for most of us the idea of constantly being surrounded by people seems like a nightmare. So we are very suprised when people come here and are afraid of being alone, for us it's the default state. And yup, definitely anyone can come and start again. There might be some nosy people who comment on you and your life but mostly your life is only your business and people should leave you be. It is socially acceptable to tell them to leave you be
telling the truth! people get more creative when getting alone!
I think the worst part about this place is the huge rift between the Russian and Estonian populations. Most Russians don't speak Estonian at all. Vice versa for the majority of young Estonians. This creates a weird divide between the Estonian and Russian-speaking populations, almost like there are two separate populations in this country with two very different cultures.
Yep it’s like two parallel lives going on at same time.
Most of Russians only looking Russian propaganda here and believe this Russian lies,especially older people.They are acting like some upper humans who are better than enyone else.And also not normal if you live in Estonia 30 years and you dont learn Estonian language.Nowadays here comes foreign country people who learn Estonian by 5 months.Why Russians dont do it? they have low IQ or they are so arrugant and thinking them self upper race.
But also some Estonian Russians is good people and they can be good friends with you.
Putin will fix that
This "problem" will vanish soon, cause people born after 1991 can speak Estonian and those who lives there from USSR era, will all die soon (getting old, people die, as we know). So the problem will vanish soon.
Interesting points. Didn't know we had so little sun 😂 About keep smiling - we are more like WYSIWYG type people. Sometimes In think that someone should warn foreign performers. If we are smiling, that means you are funny. If we are laughing out loud - you are hilarious. If we are not walking out, you are probably doing fine.
A thing I dislike about these courteous cultures is "how do you do thank you how are you". Unless you are my mom or best friend- who fking cares. If you don't want to know - don't ask. And I certainly aint interested in asking or hearing about "how you are". Why not just say hi, hello, good morning etc. It is shorter, doesn't waste time and isn't pretending to care.
Asking "How are you?" is often times making yourself available for advice or assistance to someone you don't even know.
"How are you doing?"
"Oh I'm ok, except for the fact I'm going to have a hard time making my delivery because of the mud on this construction site."
"Well I can't help you, but I do know the other contractor here has a rough terrain forklift nearby. Go talk to them."
You should try Bergen, Norway. It rains more than 300 days per year, your appreciation of good weather will be through the roof.
I’ve had enough rain for a lifetime. Thanks 🙏🏽
5 Real Cons of Estonia:
1- very difficult language (forget English here)
2- very low wages and high expenses (old people working every where because they cannot afford a decent retirement)
3- Too near to Russia (if you know what I mean geopolitically speaking)
4- Not many qualified job options for foreigners, or even locals for that matter(but you always can cycle delivering pizzas if that is your dream-work)
5- unfriendly ultranationalist population (especially if you are Russian or your skin is darker than average)
How long have you been living here? Very interesting points.
@@MananAnwar since 2014 and married to an Estonian. Í am from Spain.
Boston! Too funny you got a fake smile there. By American standards, people from Boston are cold as ice (being from there, I agree). Try the Midwest... you'll get super creeped out! Boston is the Estonia of the US.
Hahaha thanks
Midwest...HA! Boston is to the Midwest as the Midwest is to the South.
I love my family from the south, but it wears me out turning down the food they keep trying to shove down my throat. And it's not just family. Aggressive hospitality is not hospitality in my opinion. It has a way of not being respectful of someone elses wishes.
At the beginning is sounds like you got Stockholm syndromed hard by the weather and the peasant food. Sort of "he beats me because he loves me" type of deal. But the last points, with the creepy fake smiles and learning to become yourself, alleviated those worries. Live your best life 👍
Good summary! Amazing that foreigner can sum it up so neatly, but living in all that .. we, natives probably take it as BAU.
And experience of missing something essential like sunlight (or oxygen) makes you appreciate it ..even if you have only little of it.
I just got my acceptance letter for my Erasmus exchange semester in Tallinn this fall/winter. Your have been a big help for me! I’m both very nervous and excited for what’s to come, but at least I’m learning a little bit now about what to expect. I’m a Dutch person studying in Belgium and coming here I thought there wouldn’t be much differences, but there are so many. And now I’ll get to learn some things about a new country, even if it’s just for half a year. Thank you!
DM me when you’re here.
@@MananAnwar will do. (:
@isiiies How's your experience so far?
Estonia really is the introvert paradise.
😂
Lol. Most of this video is just how you'll appreciate all the other better places much more after suffering through living in Estonia 😅
👀
Yeah that weather...
I was working for a large tech company a couple of years ago. It had been an exceptionally long and cold spring. It was early june and we were still freezing our asses off. Then one day there was a heat wave, and by 1PM it had been decided to cancel the rest of the day so people could go to the beach ("for crying out loud")....
We are kind of weird. We cana endure -30 to +30 but if anything exceed it we start dieing.
Great video! Btw, I was pleasantly surprised by the service in Italy. The service there is simply outstanding, and the people are friendly and welcoming😀
When is the Vlog coming up ?
"Cold and unapproachable"? How about reserved?
Your videos are really appreciated as primers for being fresh to a new life in Estonia, and they get 'two thumbs' approval from my Estonian partner.
Hello Manan. If you want to get some more options of Estonian food, Stockman shopping center, in the financial district has a supermaket with lots of pre made food - a really large choice !... maybe you may find there some nice things ... at least, I found it intresting
Thanks for the tips!
Sul on väga head ja informatiivsed videod. Oled kindlalt üks parimatest Eesti youtuberitest 😃!
This is the classic debate: smile in Europe or especially in countries of the former soviet block (including Poland that was not officially in, but still highly dependent and influenced) vs. smile in US. I get that US citizens feel they are genuine, but that is just a cultural behavior that was taught, while for us smile is just a natural behavior where you can't help it. This has huge behavioral consequences. If someone like you really, they become biased towards you and we somehow expect it. While in US, you expect that kind of behavior, but you won't get it, so it feels fake or like a breach of trust. I know, because as a kid, I was in US for 3 months, and first I was amazed how nice everyone was, waving, smiling, but soon, this changed into a feeling of disjointed behavior. I felt even more alone and alien in that country. I was happy to be back. After that experience I know, I would never want to live in the USA. Visit it, see its incredible nature - sure, but live in? - Never!
3 months isn't very long. I actually know several Estonians, and more than a few people from other former Eastern Block countries that now live or lived in the Cincinnati, Ohio U.S.A. area for several years. Most that I know came here in the mid 2000s. It takes longer than a few months to integrate or learn how to navigate any new culture and fully appreciate the benefits/drawbacks.
A major benefit I see in Estonia is window shopping. You can roam the stores unbothered. This a sharp contrast from Nigeria where shop owners don't allow you to window shop in peace. Great video as usual Manan. Still looking forward to bumping into you. LOL
It’s not that hard. Anytime you’re in Taltech you’ll see me roaming around. Or kalamaja.
every time i´m at a shop and don´t buy, i feel like i´m being followed by the security or a worker like a shoplifter :D
Good videa and true things.
As an 🇪🇪Estonian, i aprove.
Spaciba
@@MananAnwar 🤨
@@MananAnwar oh my god Manan, you don't ever answer with spasibo to an Estonian xD
Would be more interesting if you compare Estonia 🇪🇪 with Pakistan 🇵🇰 rather USA or other places. 🇺🇸 .Nice video bro.
Thank you for commenting. It’s a huge difference, not possible for one video.
@@MananAnwar pls make some videos about the differences you have experienced between life in Pakistan with Estonia. It would be interesting to know about it.🙏
Introverts be careful tho, here in Estonia it's way too easy to over-indulge and become a hermit. I would know. I've barely left my house for the past 5 years now. Egad.
😮
I laughed so much when you got to the part where smiling cashier creeped you out! This sounds like a stupid stereotype, but as a native Estonian I can confirm it's true😂
Fuggg it's interesting to see your point of view. I'm an Estonian married to a Brazilan. I love your share and also to see that my country has evolved. Cheers.
That's awesome!
And who are your childrens? Brastonians?😮
Great points!
From my experience i can say that Estonia is the best country in the world for introverts.
I’d agree here.
Okay I'm sold... My bags are packed 😂..and I'm not kidding. I've gotten an admission for my master's degree, but was having a bit of a cold feet. But with all this information and also as a creative introverted person, it feels like the perfect place for me. See you around in Tallinn, @Manan😊
Hehehehehe...Yes. Yes, true that.
I am from Estonia and can confirm. Haven't seen the Sun in 6 years. Hope I get to see it again in my lifetime. All I have is photos.
I wouldnt say that the food is bland, but more like there are not that many spices. Rare to see spicy foods, which I love.
I bought baby trout platter from selver. It came with some herbs, lemon and one orange pepper. I cooked it and ate it.
I couldn't belive that they would sell dish so spicy in a supermarket without a big nuclear warning. Habanero pepper is pretty strong stuff.
These seems more like forced benefits. Just imagine an interview conversation:
Interviewer: what’s are your negatives
Interviewee: I hate speaking with most people in the professional setting.
Interviewee: just see the positive side, that if I speak to other few, I like them a lot and can do the work more effectively.
Such as your listed benefits man.
That is wisdom.
Lol, felt like a list of backhanded compliments, but actually completely true.
To continue about bland foods, i guess you have never been to France :)
Surprisingly I have been there. And I have had traditional French food. (At my friends place)
@@MananAnwar I used to live in France more than a year and even for Estonian the food was kinda tasteless. I guess i didnt explre enough
I agree with that , i never tasted more bland food then in France .
Thank You for great video. It's nice to see a honest summary of things, in many cases, lot of videos are dry advertisement or skewed by preference. The thing people miss most is that people here have long roots and history. For nearly 900 years, lot of powers have been walking all over the land here, this is why, our people are so fanatical to keep independence and protect freedom in every aspect. The so called coldness, is just a reflex of trust that is verry deep in the genes, you, as unknown element, need to be evaluated first, and if found worthy, then you will be valued, and if you prove yourself as true friend, people will go through heaven and hell to protect and help you. But as stated, there is lot of mistrust. As far as the faked friendliness and smiles, to be honest this is quite deeply hated or found really annoying, mostly like the probing small talk and hidden brain teasers, if people hate you, they will grab the axe and chop you to peces, so to say, not like in souther countries where you will be met by smile - only to be stabbed in the back ;)
Estonia is semi-Scandinavian in my opinion. The flanks to that side.
That ''cold but genuine'' gathegory has bothered me of late.
Let me list you cathegories for greetings for some reference what i mean.
Hand shake, fist bump etc. are for people that already know eachother or are semi close.
Hugging is for people that are very close, generally family members or incase of women, best friends.
And lastly... only person you kiss for a greeting is your spouce.
Now, the war in Ukraine... alot of ukrainian's have come here, to live, to work and all they do is shake hands. I cant get used with it. I cant even imagine what its like when some italian wants to kiss you?! What im used with is, generally speaking, you dont really want to touch strangers and you dont want them touching you!
I just wonder is that kind of behaviour considered weird or... rude in rest of the world?
If you find friends in Estonia, they are😮 friends for life. They will help you with anything
You do not need to recreate yourself in Estonia, you are Ok as you are or feel
You know people in Ireland also didn't expect sun i assume it's all relative because people pretend to be like bear and sleep
Watching y videos i will underatuns that the Eatoniq is bot that worse country then most of ua think
Its not your country thats why😂😂