Awake, asleep.

Europe. I haven't fully informed myself if the sort of ecstatic state I resided in last weekend was from mounted showerheads, Euro espresso, clean streets, maintained buildings, facial expressions, multiple languages, personalities, smooth roads, cars that stopped in crosswalks even with more emphasis than in the States, or a lack of being in Russian. Tallinn is a city I could live in. It would be fucking incredible to carry out the rest of the program in Estonia, and I sort of wanted to misplace the Russian visa for a few months. Border controls took a bit, there is a stamp out of Russia and another into the EU, and the two bits of ink took around 3 hours. The price of a steady standing and a smooth skyline. The drive in resembled a sort of Scandinavian Ireland, the ruins of castles and such in the shape of Soviet retreat. The difference is striking between the ageing monuments to suppression in the two countries It still comprises some sort of life in Russia, on the last shakes and unending. The few Soviet ruins, ruins and not buildings, flashing past the bus did not grind at the eyes as in the daily encounters in SP. Everything about the ruins seemed almost maintained, a reminder instead of the desolate crumbling masses spilling over the Russian soil. Nothing was forgotten, only held in the past to allow the years to do the washing away of its traces. There are other Soviet sort of ruins along the road, though tragic ones, signs of strain felt under the system. Structures which were comfortable and alive, then probably caused to disappear of any activity through purges and control. Held.
Tallinn encompasses everything that is possible of Baltic Europe. Scandinavian in ways, though infused with its own elements and Balticness. I am going to take on speaking Estonian. The language sounds a bit Scando, emphasizing the first end of every word and creating unending strings of characters with dots and õ over them, all creating a sudden lack of lefsa. Some of the words are transposed Russian or Slavic, though few. The language is sort of the same as Magyar, no solid connection to anything else. Then there are the 14 fucking cases of every word. I'm still taking it on. Estonia and Russia sort of seem to resemble a cute, intelligent and witty Baltic girl and the dirty sort of creepy husky guy at the bar trying to get a bit closer and intimate than either end really need.
Russia carries on reaching and justifying its influence and the subordination in response to such. Given the Baltic states made the smoothest and speediest transitions to EU standards following release from the clutching grasp of the Soviet structure, and most explain such as the inherent Europeaness of its people. The other post-Soviet republics are possibly the same, the constant pull of multiple identities sometimes with an underlying, residing identity comprised of these other varying elements. These characteristics seem to key Russians off to a sort of right to the qualities, a bit ironic in what is a pirate cove of DVDs and music. Seriously, you can purchase 8 or 12 films on one DVD, and all with horrible Russian dubbing which is inseparable from the original language. Elements of cultural travel to Russians are not only a few words or ways of taking alcohol that can be passed off, they take on an unspoken cycle of domination and acceptance in the Russian view. These bits of Slavic culture have a significant sort of tax stamp which should be collected, even as those on the other side of the 'deal' have moved on and looked inward if they ever realized and took in the elusive agreement itself.
The drive is around 6 hours, including the strenuinity at the border. There are no Russian-Estonian books around these parts, and few have ever seen the country. Visas are a bit difficult and when Russians obtain these, it is evident on the streets of Tallinn and in the stores selling the vodka. Most of the population in Estonia no longer even speaks Russian, and the number of Eesti speakers around SP are probably lower than the number of decent places to get salads and Pumpkin Spice Lattes, nonfat 5 pump PS .5 pump cinnamon 4 shot light whip with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on the top. Think about that for a bit.
As it always is, I'll stream off some other bits in time. Sharpish if I land some tickets to Eesti or Vilinus this weekend, set myself in a bit of calm and raise a collar to the Baltic sky. The government flying fast to a few people for the clearance and such, cheers Jancsi!, fly off in conversationon me as you want just hold back if they call you comrade with a thick Russian accent and reference this post between shots.
For this, a rise of a mug of trance.en. Jah, hoian end poliitiliste arengutega kursis.
See sobib mulle hästi.