A Heart Full of Images

"Вот мой секрет, он очень прост - зорко одно лишь сердце. Самого главного глазами не увидишь."

This is one of my favourite quotations from 'The Little Prince'. A friend of mine gave the Russian version of this book to me, hoping that one day I will be able to read and understand it.

As a matter of fact, I recognized a considerable progress over the last weeks, concerning my Russian language skills. In the beginning everything sounded like a cloudy jumble to me. I'm making little steps, however, every word that I recognize, knowing what it means, feels like a huge victory to me. And as soon as you figure out, how great it can feel, when you start understanding more and more words, you can not stop learning anymore. By now I actually understand many words that I hear every day and every week new words are coming to light.

There is only one remaRRRRRkable problem. Pronouncing the Russian 'rrrrr' is giving me a hard time. Searching for a solution, I found hundreds of exercises and techniques on the internet that are supposed to help you. Trying it all at once, I ended up lying on the floor, with an open mouth, making a noise that reminded more of an electrical tooth brush than of the Russian r-sound.

I guess I will need some more practice... But I would be very thankful for any advice!

This week is the 21st week of my voluntary service in Narva, Estonia. Since my last post I have heard, seen and felt a lot.

A very meaningful event was the On-Arrival-Training in Tallinn last month. In case someone has not felt the volunteering spirit before, this person has definitely felt it after this four day seminar. It was such a vivid and fruitful time! Besides the basic information about EVS, Erasmuß+ etc. we learned many interesting things about Estonian culture and history. Also, we had time to think about ourselves (our abilities, needs, wishes, strength, weaknesses etc.) and what we would like to achieve during our voluntary service. Since an EVS is a one-in-a-lifetime-experience, you have to consider well, how you want to make this time unique and unforgettable.

One important thing that I learned during the training was that, as a volunteer, you have to expect ups and downs. This means that there will be a time, when you feel lost. A time when you question everything. BUT - and this is important - it is very likely that this time will pass. Sometimes you get over it very fast, sometimes it will take a few days and a lot of chocolate. How quickly you want to step out of this black whole of doubts, depends on you. Being flexible and casual in various situations is something that I am learning right now and I suggest it to everyone. Sometimes it is helpful to just let go of some expectations and ideas, in order to see the beauty of the moment and enjoy.

In this post I would like to devote a few words to my mentor Lena.

She invests so much time, care and love in me and I can not thank her enough for this. She was there since the beginning and looked after me. Having her as a friend is a gift. Just yesterday, Lena came over to our apartment to help me decorate it for Christmas. For four hours, we sat together and made beautiful Christmas decorations, while listening to Christmas music and eating gingerbread cookies. She brought this warm and cozy atmosphere into our apartment that you know from home.

I would like to end this little insight of my life in Estonia with music.

I have listened to so many great musicians and bands during my stay in this country and the jazz concerts on Wednesdays have already become a little tradition to me. They are a time to relax and clear your mind. Enjoy!

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