s-1
| I first came to Estonia as an exchange student. |
s-2
| I was supposed to stay here for five months but obviously, things changed. |
s-3
| The decision to stay here was very intuitive, it wasnt rational. |
s-4
| I just felt very comfortable here and thought if i stayed here longer, good things would happen. |
s-5
| Then, of course, I met an Estonian guy, and now Ive been living here for two and a half years. |
s-6
| When I first came to Estonia, I had no excpectations. |
s-7
| If we think about migration nowadays, people mostly go to Scandinavia or Germany, the United Kingdom, France. |
s-8
| I could imagine life in those countries but I had never been to this region at all. |
s-9
| Having no previous knowledge or expectations made it so much more interesting to come to another Eastern European country. |
s-10
| What I like about Estonia the most is the way people treat each other. |
s-11
| I think its because its such a small country: people take friendships more seriously. |
s-12
| Its harder to get close to people but once you do, the friendship is forever. |
s-13
| Another thing I like is the people's secular attitude. |
s-14
| In Poland, I always felt the need to protest, especially when it came to womens rights. |
s-15
| Poland is very traditional and conservative: many things there shouldnt be like this in the 21st century. |
s-16
| In Estonia, I feel more comfortable as a woman. |
s-17
| Right now, my life and my heart is in Estonia. |
s-18
| I will definitely stay here for a while. |
s-19
| In many respects, I feel closer to Tallinn and the Estonian culture. |
s-20
| But of course I also miss Poland: I miss the very open, emotional style of communication and I miss Polish culture, going to the theatre, cinema and local exhibitions. |
s-21
| I think to feel integrated, one should know the local language. |
s-22
| Im a bit ashamed I still dont speak it. |
s-23
| Since everybody speaks very good English here, you can get by with that, but you cant read the local news and feel part of the community. |
s-24
| Here, by organizing some cultural events, I have gotten close to the locals, but I wish I could also read the news or Sirp to see what my friends are writing. |
s-25
| I think participating in cultural activities is really what integrates you into the society. |
s-26
| In the last year, Ive really noticed how multicultural Tallinn is getting. |
s-27
| In the centre of the city, you mainly hear English! |
s-28
| I dont know if its a good or a bad thing but I think Estonians have nothing to worry about: their sense of national identity and culture is so strong it cant be endangered by migration. |
s-29
| And since so many people are leaving the country, you need immigrants to keep the economy going. |
s-30
| Also, more migration brings more good food and enriches the local cuisine! |
s-31
| I really feel at home in Tallinn. |
s-32
| Geographically and demographically, its perfect here. |
s-33
| Honestly, it feels so cool here - I live in Eastern Europe but I feel so cosmopolitan! |
s-34
| And Ive been welcomed so warmly by Estonian, I was helped a lot by Estonians. |
s-35
| Im thinking I probably wont be able to repay all this kindness but I would like to give the society something back in the future. |