Home could be more welcoming

...but then again, everybody reports that and misses Willamette. The first thing I noticed was that prices of groceries have risen fifty per cent on average. There went one thing I was happy about in Estonia! One of the first days, after already having witnessed way too many people quarreling or drunk or both on the streets, I ended up in a "stand" -- a confrontational situation with the potential to develop into violence. The opener for this was, of all things, my cowboy hat. As it most often happens, the situation dissolved peacefully -- the opposites are close to each other in the Russian psyche. It is probably unnecessary to mention that this was the last I wore the hat.

But I also notice the beautiful things. Summer nights that should properly be called prolonged twilights, for it only goes dark for an hour or so, nights that invite you to walk out with friends and have some deep conversation. The fountain of kissing students at Tartu Town Hall Square has gotten some new and prettier lighting.