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A View of Estonian Life |  |
The photo gallery... Estonia is online...
It all began...
as a grant proposal submitted to the National Research Council. The research projects involve James S. Aber at Emporia State University, Kansas and Volli Kalm at the University of Tartu, Estonia. Both are senior scientists with similar backgrounds and interests in surficial geology and geomorphology, specifically glacial deposits and landforms with associated features of the Quaternary ice age. They proposed to undertake a series of exchanges to utilize geographic information system (GIS) and satellite remote sensing techniques combined with ground observations for mapping, classifying, and interpreting the geomorphology of Estonia. Low altitude ground observations will be recorded with both conventional photography and with kite aerial photography. Visit kite aerial photography of Estonian.
The proposal was accepted and Professor Kalm visited Kansas in the summers of 1999 and 2000. The Aber family moved to Tartu, Estonia, arriving the 14th of August, 2000 and made these observations and experiences available to all who are interested in viewing. We can be contacted via email.
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We have arrived...and begun to settle in our apartment in Tartu, Estonia. Where, you might ask, is Estonia and Tartu? Let us put it in perspective. Estonia is located in central Europe, the northern most country among the Baltic Republics. Learn more about Estonia at http://www.estonica.org/, Estonica, an encyclopedia about Estonia.More specific to our stay, Tartu is the second largest city after the country's capital, Tallinn. It is a university town, which is what brought us here in the first place. The days are noticeably shorter than when we arrived and today's weather in Tartu is available here, thanks to the station on the roof of the university physics building. Tartu has an informative online guide with all the specifics on the city you could want! We called Tartu home for several months. The purpose of this page is two-fold, in that it is a way for us to archive our 2000 experience abroad and for you to learn some about Estonia through the eyes of outsiders. Some of our observations may be found with August News, September News, October News, November News, and December News. Return to the top
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| We flew from Wichita, Kansas, to Chicago, Illinois, to Stockholm, and finally to Gothenburg (Göteborg), Sweden to pick up our new Volvo!  We then hopped a ferry to Estonia. As you can see, the rooms are extremely small but well equipped with bunk beds and champagne! Jim, Susie, and Jay are sitting on one bed, while another bed is located above them waiting to be pulled down. This nice ship, the Regina Baltica, left Stockholm at 6:00 pm and arrived at Tallinn the next morning, at 8:30 am. |  Finally, we are introduced to our new apartment in Tartu. Tartu is a liveable city with a nice balance of museums, schools, and services. |  One of the first places outside of Tartu that we visited was the town of Otepää, which is in Valgamaa county. Otepää is the home of the Estonian Olympic Training Center. They have paved and dirt trails for running and cross country skiing practice. For the professional, there is a ski jump that is even used in the summer. |  Suur Munamägi, which translates to the Big Egg Hill, is located at Haanja, Võrumma county. It is the highest point in the Baltic Republics, which includes Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The hill is 317.6 meters (about 1030 feet) and at the top of the tower, 346.7 meters (about 1125 feet) above sea level. The 50 km (or 30 mile) radius view is beautiful. |  We drove from Tartu to the west coast of Estonia in about four hours. The coastal location seemed to be of strategic importance. Are these remanants of the Cold War? | |
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| Estonia is online... |
in a major way. A technology awareness and promotion campaign, the Tiger Leap program, began in 1998 with the slogan, "the internet connects people, not computers." According to Linnar Viik, an internet analyst and advisor to the Prime Minister, more than half the Estonians have used a computer and one third own a cell phone, but the emphasis remains on how these tools serve people rather than how many exist (Allsalu, 2000, p. 21). Estonia has created this high tech identity, while being ranked rather low in the world for corruption! If interested, you may explore their digital world, which is, for the most part, in the Estonian language, but we will highlight ones in English.
Go to Estonia online for some tidbits on a country that has been a geographic crossroad between East and West. This historical position has created a population with bipolar insights! Visit the history of Estonian education to learn more.
Reference
Allsalu, V., (Ed.) (2000). Estonia a land of human dimensions. Tallinn, Estonia: UP Publishers.
provides a good index for teachers, listing this site and more!
This page originates from the Earth Science Department and Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas, USA. An Estonian View was created August 22, 2000 and last updated 30 March, 2005. You are currently the 01737th person to access this page since October 21, 2000. Thanks for visiting!
copyright 2000-2005 © Susan Ward Aber All rights reserved.