One of my favorite parts about participating in this RLASP summer abroad experience in Tallinn has been the language partner they provide us! My language partner’s name is Alina and it has been so exciting to get to know her. As a local, Alina has shown me around not only the old town, but to some of her favorite areas in Tallinn. On our first meeting, we decided to meet at a local café that was just adorable. We had a great connection, and she taught me new words while I taught her how to play “Go Fish,” which has a Russian counterpart, however, we just called it “Иди ловить рыбу.”
My language partner here in Tallinn studies Russian to teach as a second language, so my time with her was a great opportunity to work on my grammar and my vocabulary. Because her role with me was more familiar and we became friends quickly, I was able to learn vocabulary that I probably wouldn’t have learned for a long time. Our cultural exchange was a great example of cultures emerging from foreign language study.
The second time that I went out with Alina, we walked around Old Town together. She told me about her experience with Estonian, as I’ve thought about studying Estonian as well. I really appreciated her insights, and she even told me that if I came back with Estonian knowledge, she would be happy to help me with Estonian in the future as well!
Our second time hanging out was even more fun, as we walked around to a few different cafes, because I had already visited several of the cafes that she wanted to take me to, and she wanted to make sure that I had an original experience with her. We ended up going to the cutest café, and then we visited a beautiful look out above Old Town. Cafes in Tallinn are so good, but the café that we visited was especially good, and I just adored the pain au chocolat that I bought. The lookout she showed me had conveniently slipped my experience thus far, but it was fantastic! I got to see these old monk-esc statues, that essentially loom over the city.
My experience with Alina has been very encompassing of my time in Tallinn with American Council. American Councils has provided a great array of Russian speakers with different interests that are great for native English speakers. Our Wednesday excursions enabled us to engage with Estonian culture in the city itself, while learning about the history of Estonia in Russian. Our tour guide, Natalyia, is absolutely hilarious and very informed about the history of Tallinn. I really appreciate how she’s able to make our excursions bite-sized and consumable for all levels. She also knows all the coolest and most hidden spots in Old Town, which has learning about Estonian culture very interesting. I can adamantly state that American Councils has greatly improved my Russian and I also understand Estonian culture and independence far better than I would have otherwise.
