A gap year in Estonia
Gap years in Estonia
If you’re looking for a destination with history, scenery, and nightlife, Estonia is an original choice. It has all the advantages of Eastern Europe – cheap lodgings, great connections, and superb skiing – without being overcrowded, by tourists or otherwise.
Gap Year Opportunities
There are numerous opportunities for enterprising gappers in Estonia: teach English as a foreign language, improve your ski skills or train as an instructor, or work in one of the resorts as house staff. When looking for projects or packages, hunt out those with local support and inclusive accommodation. In Estonia, English is spoken quite widely, which is a good thing – because the national language is one of Europe’s most complicated!
Getting Around
It’s easy to be fleeced by Tallinn taxi-drivers, so steer clear – instead use the comprehensive bus, tram and trolleybus network. That’s if you’re not wandering around on foot, which is probably the best way to slowly discover this lovely city. To explore the country and its neighbours, you’re best off taking a bus – better than train, which has been mostly privatised of late. From Tallinn you can hop on a coach to Latvia or Lithuania, and you can catch a plane for not much more. According to Wiki, you can fly to Amsterdam for around £50.
About Estonia
Just like much of Europe, Estonia was conquered by, ruled by and freed from many different powers between the 16th and 20th centuries. To understand the country today, it’s important to learn some of the modern history – and, in particular, the country’s peaceful struggle for independence.
For more than fifty years, Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union – a rule of terror that began with military invasion in 1940 (and continued throughout and after the German invasion between 1941 and 1944). Thousands of politicians, soldiers and civilians were arrested, deported or executed, and more than 30,000 men were put into service on the front line of the Soviet army.
“To start with, people simply ‘disappeared’,” writes Andres Tarand in ‘Estonia: Identity and Independence’. “In June 1941, the first mass deportations were organised in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania... there would be an unexpected pounding on the door, you would be given one hour to pack your essential things, and you would then be put into railway cattle wagons. It was a matter of liquidating the kulaks as a class, of removing the officers of the suppressed people.”
Thousands of Estonians were killed in prison camps, or at battle for the Soviet Union and the Baltic German armies. In the 1950s, when Stalin died, the regime relaxed a little: Estonians were permitted to join the party, travel between nearby countries, and watch Finnish television, but anti-Soviet feeling continued to grow. By 1990 a number of political movements were established with the goal of Estonian independence. Unlike Latvia and Lithuania, where thousands would die to achieve their country’s independence, Estonia managed to seek and obtain independence – peacefully – by August 1991. It was acknowledged by Europe, then the USSR, and all Russian troops were gone by 1994.
This recent history has had several important effects on Estonia today. The country has taken steps to re-establish its identity, including teaching the Estonian language to children and adults (many of whom were taught Russian at school). It has strengthened trade and political links with Europe, becoming a member of the EU in 2004. Independence Day (or Independence Restoration Day, because Estonia was independent before Soviet occupation) is still celebrated on August 20th every year.
Why Estonia?
What is there to keep you entertained in this country?
- Tallinn. This beautiful city has a fascinating history and a gorgeous coastal setting. Its skyline of ancient spires and business blocks is best viewed from the Gulf of Finland (but bring woollies). Oddly, this medieval city is a world IT centre – a colder, more interesting Silicon Valley for Europe. Explore the Old Town (a World Heritage Site), feast on roasted elk, dumplings or Russian caviar, and learn about Estonian history at the Museum of Occupation.
- Estonia has an award-winning back-catalogue of film and animation – look up classics like ‘The War’ by Unt and Volmer, which was an Estonian view of the occupation and war between Soviet Union and German forces, or work by Pritt Parn, whose style is emulated in modern cartoons like Rugrats!
- Travel and drink on a budget! With hostel rooms costing between £10 and £30, and beer still very cheap at £1 - £1.50, prices are very backpacker-friendly, wherever you go. Compared with somewhere like Finland, Estonia will give you more experience for a lot less cash.