Getting ready to go...

​It is less than a week until I head off to Europe for the summer, with my mum. I have a few days left of work and really looking forward to the holiday we have planned. When I say planned, I mean that word in a very loose way. For those that know me, I plan EVERYTHING, yet this time...it is mostly the opposite. I have come to a point in my life where I am just going with the flow and see what happens. It doesn't mean we have not planned anything, but there are a lot of days where we will wake up and do what we feel like, just the two of us.

It almost feels freeing to not be committed to anything, when the last two years of my life have been a whirlwind of ups and downs, both professionally and personally. I am looking forward to going away, resetting and really just experiencing Sweden and Estonia for what they are.

The reason for this blog is that I keep telling myself, and others, that I am a writer. I have not published anything, however I thought what better way to start writing! While on holiday, sharing some amazing memories and experiences and a different side to Estonia than what the instagram stories and posts of #Tallinn and #Estonia share. There is so much to see and do in Estonia that is outside the old capital city of Vanalinn that most do not get the opportunity to explore. We will be traveling off the beaten track, going to a number of craft camps and learning some of the sacred Käsitöö (handicraft) ways of the old Estonians.

I can not wait to share my adventures, with mum (Maie), and see what kind of mischief we can get up to! Word on the street is my brother in law, Leslie, has challenged me to come home from Eesti (Estonia) with matching tattoos, with mum (challenge accepted!)

I am not at all phased if this reaches no one or millions of people. The point is I am writing for myself and, in a way, sharing parts of my adventures, in a very vulnerable way. We all have different perspectives on how we see things, how we experience things and this is something I would like to do, share, and be seen, and share my adventures for those who wish to see Estonian (and Sweden for a brief moment in time), through my eyes.

Below are some images from the last time I was in Estonia, 2019, which are not common images you might find on instagram or facebook, in relation to Estonia, as they are well outside of the capital and some cherished places I am looking forward to visit again.

​These are some of the places I visited last time throughout Estonia. For me Estonia is all about Nature and Käsitöö (handicraft). The two are very connected and what I feel makes Estonia, Estonia, as well as the singing and dancing. The abundance of colour, pattern, and greenery is designed to elicit joy and the warm, fuzzy feelings. This, for me, is what it means to be Estonian. Wanting to learn more, connect and share in the abundance of our culture. I am so looking forward to experiencing this through a new found lens and can't wait to share it.

Until I fly,
​Marissa xx