Narva, Estonia: A conversation with Kirsika (b. 1994)
Kirsika is a volunteer at the NGO VitaTiim.
She shows me a YouTube video of a group dance she is currently rehearsing. “We’re going to a home for people with disabilities later, and we are teaching them this dance.”
I’m not a dancer. When I was seven years old, I went to a studio where we did samba, rumba, and other dances like that. In Estonian we have a saying: your legs are made of wood. My instructor told my mother, Your daughter has legs made of wood. You should stop bringing her here for lessons.
Sadly, it’s rare for an Estonian from any other city to come to Narva. People don’t know a lot about Narva, so it feels separated from the rest of the country.
I’m still on the lookout for cafés and other trendy things in Narva. I really want people to get a wider picture of Narva, especially people from other cities. I feel that it is my personal mission to share my experience and invite people here. I want to improve my Russian skills. I want to get to know people and know their stories, to understand the full picture of Narva. Somehow, I have a flawed picture now — I just know that people do not come here. They ask me, You’re in Narva? Why there? Or sometimes, a more sincere and curious response: Very nice, what project brings you there?
To me, Tallinn is a big city. Viljandi is very small, and Narva is somewhere in between. The biggest difference is maybe that Narva is mostly Russian-speaking people. Maybe also the vibe is a little bit different. In Tallin, people are in a rush. Viljandi is very calm. The people there move more slowly. It’s a folk city, with Pärimusmuusika ait, the folk center of Estonia. Viljandi is close to my heart, because I studied there.
I’m still getting to know Narva. The people I know are very kind and inviting. It’s the welcoming feeling of VitaTiim that has allowed me to experience the city this way. When I think about my volunteering project, I am very blessed because I am able to make my ideas come true. I am able to grow here. Somehow, I feel that living here is the next stage of growing up — where I can organize my own work and activities.
I’m studying community education and leisure management — basically, youth work. I had done youth programming for my church before, and with other projects. I chose this field of work because it’s more practical and hands-on. There is a great balance between practice and theory. I have a lot of ideas for projects I want to create — but it has been hard because of COVID. I’m slowly able to start with things. I’m working on a care house project — there, we don’t have to meet with people because we are putting on a concert from outside of the building. I’m also planning a language café. It’ll be a place for informal education, like playing games and cooking food.
It would be in Estonian. It would be a place for people to practice Estonian, if they want to.
When you compare the income of Estonia with other countries, it is lower. People leave because of money. They see that their work is more valuable in other countries.
Construction workers tend to leave for work often. We’re pretty known for going to Finland and working over there. We do most of our construction over there — if you study construction, you might be planning to be in Finland for half of the month or a month, then come back.
Estonia is a good place to come and buy alcohol — it’s cheaper for Finnish people to come here. They often party in Estonia. We often see them drunk. Of course, that’s not the whole picture about Finnish people — I am being very careful about that!
When we look up to Finnish people — it’s about their educational system. They are good role models for us, and for the entire world.
I can see that some people want to be a bit more Scandinavian. At least in Tallinn, I feel the city is becoming a bit more Scandinavian — in terms of style, architecture, the environment, how things are decorated, things like that. It’s the simple, minimalist mindset. It’s already in our culture, but we are trying to become more aware of it.
I studied in Denmark for 2 years. The feeling in Denmark — the way they decorate their houses, and leave their curtains open — is inviting and cozy. In Estonia, people make sure to leave their curtains closed — especially if you are on the first floor! People do not invite you to look. It’s like there is still some sort of fear, or being closed-off. It’s like they are afraid of what their neighbors will see.
I don’t know how much of that is true, but that’s something I think of. When I think about Danish people, it seems like they are more free. They are very willing to take risks and say Let’s do it! Maybe I am narrow-minded, but here it seems like people are a bit more scared to do things — because they don’t know what friends will think or if their family accepts it. People care very much about what others think.
Youngsters are more open-minded. At least in Estonia, our parents have one specific job, and that’s what they study for and do. It’s hard for them to understand that young people see it a bit differently. Young people have a broadened vision. They say, of course, I am studying for something very specific — but I can also do good in many different areas.
Of course, there are also the elderly and people who are older and more free. It’s a complicated issue. And, there are also some youngsters living in homes where their parents are living in the past. So, some of these people are influenced by their parents also.
These days — and I think this is happening in other places, also — we don’t rely on one job, or stay and do the same thing forever. We’re not getting stuck in one place. I don’t know if it’s because of our young age, and we don’t have as much to worry about. We just do things. There’s not so much thinking about what others think of us. Not so much wondering, will this work? There’s an attitude that we try our best to really make things happen.
This is part of a conversation series centered around the country of Estonia. Click here to read the introduction.
