New in Tallinn!

My name is Lea, I am a French exchange student in EBS for 5 months.

I arrived in Tallinn at the end of January but it wasn’t actually my first time coming to this city. I came last May for a week to discover Tallinn for a vacation. Back then, the streets were flowered, the sun was shining, there were many tourists in the city and the nights were short. I already knew in January that it would be completely different coming here in winter.

The first main difference when comparing Tallinn to Paris is the weather. It is obviously way colder here and it has been snowing pretty much every day since I arrived. I came to realise that it is not as bad as people say. Wear a scarf and some gloves and you are good to go.

The most emblematic thing in Tallinn for me would be the architecture. The typical Scandinavian and medieval buildings are mixed with the old USSR ones. It gives an original touch to it.

I live in a more modern part of Tallinn, near EBS and below the Old Town. The city is not as huge as Paris, everything can be reached by foot which is a really convenient way for me to discover things.

Another noticeable difference from my country are the people here. Estonians and especially guys towards girls are really respectful. You cannot find any dirt in the street, the city is safe and no one would try to bother you, even at nights.

After settling into my flat with 4 other roommates, the day-to-day routine kicked in. It has been a month since I arrived here and I still need to discover a lot. Nevertheless, I think I can call Tallinn my home now.

Written by Lea Boubet

Translated by Triin Tikk

Edited by Kärt Mättikas