The Russian Consulate in Tartu is located at 1 Ülikooli Street. I walked down there this morning, before eleven, politically committed enough to wander the streets looking for a place to vote. So I walked in circles, peeked into windows, despaired. The building in question hosted a grocery store, a Seppälä branch, and a Russian ghetto club Maasikas.
Oh well. I went to the library, and came back to Ülikooli on the way back. This time, there were two men standing on the street corner. I came up to them and ask nervously, giggling, as I always do when speaking Estonian:
- Do you speak English or Russian?
- Yes, - the taller one said. - I speak Russian and English. He speaks English and Russian, - pointing to his companion (long-haired, with a kind face of a Soviet rock musician).
This is when I knew that they will prove to be my Helpers: entertaining, often comical, but well-meaning, noble, protective. Двое из ларца, одинаковых с лица. I told them about my troubles, and they pulled out their smartphones, started looking up websites, pulling up maps, calling numbers. I was pointing in the direction of Maasikas, making predictable jokes. They laughed. We laughed. They swept me up and hurried down the street, through a back alley, behind a building: bridal shop, unidentified shop, Consulate!
Thank you, thank you, you are my saviours! - never mind, bye! - and away they ran. Brave fellows, and kind. And smart, needless to say.
Voting was a bit anti-climatic, compared to this journey. But listen, on the way home I passed through Raekoja Platz, and happened upon a children's Christmas choir. Päkapikk, pikk, pikk, pikk, pikk - heads bobbing up and down, hands clapping, all of us there together! A feeling of kindness, connectedness, and general good will - like it should be: Christmas, and not tacky: maybe silly, funny, human -
it's somehow an honour to be human here together.
Two From a Jewel Chest, Faces Identical:
Päkapikk:
Oh well. I went to the library, and came back to Ülikooli on the way back. This time, there were two men standing on the street corner. I came up to them and ask nervously, giggling, as I always do when speaking Estonian:
- Do you speak English or Russian?
- Yes, - the taller one said. - I speak Russian and English. He speaks English and Russian, - pointing to his companion (long-haired, with a kind face of a Soviet rock musician).
This is when I knew that they will prove to be my Helpers: entertaining, often comical, but well-meaning, noble, protective. Двое из ларца, одинаковых с лица. I told them about my troubles, and they pulled out their smartphones, started looking up websites, pulling up maps, calling numbers. I was pointing in the direction of Maasikas, making predictable jokes. They laughed. We laughed. They swept me up and hurried down the street, through a back alley, behind a building: bridal shop, unidentified shop, Consulate!
Thank you, thank you, you are my saviours! - never mind, bye! - and away they ran. Brave fellows, and kind. And smart, needless to say.
Voting was a bit anti-climatic, compared to this journey. But listen, on the way home I passed through Raekoja Platz, and happened upon a children's Christmas choir. Päkapikk, pikk, pikk, pikk, pikk - heads bobbing up and down, hands clapping, all of us there together! A feeling of kindness, connectedness, and general good will - like it should be: Christmas, and not tacky: maybe silly, funny, human -
it's somehow an honour to be human here together.
Two From a Jewel Chest, Faces Identical:
Päkapikk:
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