IN 10 SECONDS!
Forget it. It’s impossible.
Even getting born as Estonian takes 9 months. And learning this language …. it takes years to understand when to add which ending to speak correctly. (maybe not for Finns, who share the same crude kind of language, finno-urgic to be accurat.)
But getting ESTONIANIZED is quite easy (compared to it). Complete the following tasks and after short time you will feel very adapated to Estonian live and culture.
Eat one Kohuke every day. Allowed are also the russian and latvian varieties.
Drink estonian alcohol (maybe not every day. Otherwise you might join a social problem group. Of course this is also a way to come closer to Estonian live, but not the best one…)
a) Vodka (est: viin). Recommended are Saarema Viin and Viru Valge. Better to stay away from Laua Viin…
b) Vana Tallinn. There is the ordinary one, Vana Tallinn Cream, Vana Tallin Cream Orange, Vana Tallinn Cream Choclate (all recommended by the Estonian Sommelier Association …)
The Estonian mobilephone number is a must for everybody spending more than 2 weeks in this country. There are incredibly cheep offers for prepaid-cards. For example, the START-package from TELE2: pay 45 eek, get your own number and call for all 45 eek.
Get your estonian bank account. In a country where everbody pays even the smallest amount by card, you can use your cash card in almost every place.
Get an estonian ID-card. This little plastic thing with a horrible picture of you, makes your live in Estonia even more comfortable than it anyway is. You can use it for banking activities, as bus ticket, for electing (if you are allowed to), etc.
This is so easy… I still can’t believe it. (okay, okay for EU-citizens. For all others it needs a lot more papers.) The most complicated thing was to get registered in registration office. After that you visit one of the really nice and helpful ladys in the Migration Office (est: Kodakonsus- ja Migratiooniamet) in Lastekodu Street next to the Busstation (Tallinna Bussijaam). If you have no foto with you (or your’s is to small…) you can take a digital one in the fotobox there for free. After 10 minutes, a nice talk and paying 150 eek (10 EUR), you are told that you will receive an email next week as soon as your ID-card is ready.
Heyjey, welcome to Estonia!
Lol… So is it hard to do for Americans?