Going Home 2011 p5

So I'm sitting by this lake near Lahti in Finland. There is smoke from about three or four Jaanipäev fires (or 'Juhannus' fires in Finland) going up around this lake which from where I am sitting is about 3-4km across. A nice size lake. There is dance music coming from somewhere over on the other side of this lake which is killing the serenity. It's not super loud mind you, but the thmp thmp thmp from the dance tracks bass line is like a hung-over pulse in my mind. "This is Finland", I think. Pine and birch trees...drunk twenty somethings littered around the forest...and dance music. Or is it Europe in general? - perfection, and no one really cares. It's hard to tell.
There's something that came over me from sitting by a Finnish lake for three days with nothing but nature, three other adults and three grommets to deal with. Reality.
Obviously it was reality because that was where I was at that point in time, but what I'm getting at is for all the noise and chaos that life generates in the cities and lives that we occupy, sometimes it's nice to go to a place like that and do nothing about it and have no way of escaping it. Be captive to peace and quiet.
But the mind wants to revolt, "Oh, I left the oil on the hot-plate and haven't paid three bills...". And that's fine. It takes a while to sedate the mind back to a point where you can say "you know what, I'm insured. Let the place burn down. I'm always on time with the bills. What's one late one going to do?". Besides, the drunk kids in the boat (about 10 of them from where I was sitting) seemed to be trying to make life interesting for themselves as there below-water-level craft navigated its way to another point on the lake to piss off some other neighbor. Hope they make it to tomorrow I thought, otherwise their cares wont matter a whole lot anymore.
*9 people died on Finnish lakes that night. Juhannus is usually the day where most drownings occur due to alcohol related incidents*  
So there I was; Coo Coo birds in the distance, lapping water against the rocks of the shoreline, the occasional sssst of a beer can opening and the heat of a long overdue sauna to deal with. Three days of it.
I want to write and tell you all about it, but there's nothing to tell. Vene vidi vici - simple as that. We came, we burnt wood, we walked around, we sat around, we talked, we reflected, we breathed in clean air, we watched rain fronts come in, we watched them go. We ate, we drank, we panicked when one of the kids went missing (he was in a car tuning a radio), we slept, and then, we left.
The only things that spring to mind about our time there was the thoughts I have when I 'time-out' like that; how do I get a slice of this (non)-action? Why isn't there anything like this back in Australia? IS there anything like this back in Australia? No! No, there can't be. Where would you find this much pine and birch in Australia? Silly. Hhhha.....my beer is getting warm.
So it had worked. After three days, my mind was almost mush. I had unwound.

Going Home 2011 p4

It's a small world after all...well that's what I was thinking when we touched down in Helsinki, then got on a bus that transferred us out onto the tarmac to our flight to Tallinn. On the bus was someone from the Sydney Eesti Maja community. By the time the flight was over, we'd say "tere" to another. By the next day, we would run into another, and so it has been since our arrival in Estonia. Holiday? What holiday??
It was good to be back though. Good to be back in a place that is genuinely starting to feel like home. Gone is the exciting jitters of going to what was a new and exciting place. Now, Tallinn is exciting, but the air of discovery is wearing off as the cover of familiarity is drawing over. The security of the place is there now. I know a lot of the streets. The language is becoming more and more understandable. The freaky locals are less freaky (without changing). It feels like I blend in a little more and so far; no-one has thought I'm Russian. HAPPY about that!
As it is, we will be leaving back for Finland before really settling in. We ave a few days on a lake to contemplate the navel and get all zen. Till then...

Going Home 2011 p3

The window of opportunity for travel between volcanoes erupting at opposite ends of our travel destinations passed. Fortunately we jumped through the window before it was shut again by a coughing and spluttering volcano in Chile that cranked up again, disrupting airports in the southern half of Australia.
Our arrival in Singapore was trouble free. Luckily, due to buying online airline tickets - individually - and having the online company botch the ticketing process, we were bumped up a class making our trip considerably more comfortable than being stuck in coach. It's not the longest stint of the journey to Estonia from Australia, but to stop for two days and catch your breath and adjust (somewhat) to time difference is always the preferred method of travel. 
And so we arrived at Singapore into a steamy 32C night, the same as just about every other night in Singapore. Having a mean average of...32C...allows the traveler going to Singapore one less thing to worry about before leaving for the place - how the weather is going  to be.
At any rate, our cab was air-conditioned and the highways to our accommodation were free of traffic allowing for a scenic drive to the western side of the city's peninsular. It's funny to realise you are essentially driving from one side of the country to the other in half an hour.
Other than stopping in Singapore airport due to transfers from other destinations, I hadn't been into the city since 1984 when on my way to live in Bangkok as a child. My wife had never been, so together we had open minds about the place.
The journey in the cab was kind of dream like. The roads were bathed in golden street light only hinting at the greenness that was otherwise obscured by the night. A trillion lights out to sea hinted at the shipping traffic that Singapore supported. What vegetation could be made out revealed an entire state that was manicured relentlessly and to perfection. It was hard to make out whether or not we were in a city or someones garden - some would argue, Lee Kuan Yews garden...
Arriving at my friends residence late, we were usher into bed after a few night caps and slept soundly in the comfort of air-conditioning.
We were awoken the next morning by fighter jets practicing landings in the near-by military airport. During moring coffee, my friend explained 20% of Singapore's GPD is spent on defence and they like to spend a fair chunk of it on jet fuel. Why 20%? Well it seems the Singaporeans are a little paranoid about invasion by either Malaysia or Indonesia. As the 4th largest financial hub in the world, it's not too hard to understand why a territory only 704 sq km my look ripe for the picking before long.
To re-enforce the paranoia imposed by the government on its citizens about a supposed invasion, my host shows me his families bomb room just beside his kitchen. It's a small room, large enough to fit about 3-4 adults and a few kids all standing. The door to the room resembles that of a bank volts. Its metal with about 5-6 rods running down the side which lock the door to stop foreign troops killing of Singaporean citizens when they invade. And this friends, is standard building code these days in Singapore. Whether or not the citizens of Singapore take a military threat seriously or not is a matter for every person to consider. But given the idealistic lifestyle its citizens lead as opposed to that of its neighbours, would lead me to believe they may take it more seriously than some people let on.
Our first day was spent doing what most people travelling to Singapore do - shop. Although there are the obvious differences in what you can buy there as opposed to your local mall, I have to save, my wallet wasn't set on fire. At street level, the prices of things seemed no better than Australia and I would argue in some cases the prices were more. A trend I did notice however was as you shopped on higher levels or more out of the way places, the cheaper the prices for certain things got.
The eating was the real highlight to this pace. Instead of heading out to the city chic restaurants and bars, we opted for eating with the locals instead. The eating hall, I guess you could call it, was situated at the bottom of a block of a housing project. The mix of people was a real blend of all of Asia's tribes. Malays, Indos, Indian, Hindu, Christian (I suppose), Muslims, some Chinese and Japanese and the odd Caucasian thrown in for good measure. But the balance was there. Everyone sat together and no-one accept friends and family sitting together really segregated the place by one tribe sitting apart from the other. The food on offer reflected this. There was every type of Asian food on available. Most dishes I had tasted in Australia anyway, but our hosts insisted on ordering to give us a true taste of Singaporean fare. I can say the highlight of our meal was prawns in cereal. Yes, I know, it sounds odd to read, but trust me, you gotta have it!
Sitting back in the restaurant looking around, it was plain to see Singapore has a wonderful government housing plan. The government builds apartment blocks all over the city. The can be easily identified by large numbers on their elevator shaft towers at the top of the buildings. They aren't anything special in most cases and seems very basic from the outside, but they are clean, well managed and consequently illuminate any slum that may spring up for the less privileged. The blocks are reflective of the time period they were built in as well which stops the repetitive and obvious signs of public housing showing up, much like it does in western countries.
The tenants are able to buy their homes as well, however, as an interesting (and commendable) footnote, the Singaporean government allows it's citizens only one primary place of residence. Given the interest rate for home loans sits around 1-3%, the ability to invest in property is almost frowned upon, unlike it is in much of the western world. Of course there are ways around this and some people take advantage, but the notion that the home is sacred and shouldn't be used as a way of leveraging greed and wealth (a slight paradox considering the city we were in), resonated very positively for me personally.
Heading back to our hosts apartment complex and swimming in their 80m long, island themed pool complete with multiple spas (Jacuzzis for you Americans) and waterfalls, I reflect on Singapore and how "easy" life seems there. I'm surrounded by ex-pats reading on sunbeds while their nannys play with their children. It feels like they have long forgotten how good they have it and why and how they got to being where they are. I know. I was there once before.
But of course its not all easy in Asia. Fortunately (this time) my family and I aren't privy to seeing what the hard part of life is like in Asia. Like malaria, the poor have been irradicated in Singapore and Hong Kong. Bangkok still lags.
Instead, the water where I am is refreshingly cool and I wade around the pool gently, my son in my arms having his first swim. I think a little more about where we are and about where we are headed - Estonia, security, and life in general. 

Going Home 2011 p2

As if getting to Estonia isn't hard enough. If you can jag a good Internet deal on flights, you might be lucky to get a trip lasting around the 22-24 hours mark - that's Sydney to Tallinn. Of course you can stretch it out with longer stop-overs if your so inclined and make it 40+ hours whilst taking in some annoying detour airports like Heathrow or Frankfurt, probably on the same flight.
No, for me, it's Sydney -> Singapore (or Bangkok or Hong Kong) -> Helsinki -> Tallinn, an that's it. The sooner it's done, the better.
Although I'm used to the challenge, the void in terms of mentally dealing with travelling between Estonians and Australians (or probably anyone) is laughable. Whilst Aussies are used to travelling a minimum of 6 hours just to leave Australian territory for something not resembling Western culture, Estonians find the thought of this like having a year knocked off their life span. Travelling Tallinn to New York in the U.S. is a doddle at 9hrs, but to an Estonian, that's a life commitment right up there with marriage. A once in a life-time prospect. But what do you expect from people who live in a country that takes 4 hours to drive across...
So here we are; my wife, child and I about to embark on our (what is normally) one and a half yearly sojourn back to the fatherland when a frigging volcano in Chile, on the other side of the planet, decides to pop and involve Australia - a country with no volcanic activity. This Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano comes on top of the other pain-in-the-butt volcano in Iceland, Grimsvötn, which took a shot at disrupting our travel plans at the other end of the journey a few weeks ago. Whilst that later of the volcanoes put a lid on itself, this newer threat in Chile comes completely out of the blue.
The fact that these things happen before a journey and not while on the journey remains a mystery. The thought of calling work and expressing ones obvious dismay at not being able to return to work has been playing on my mind. "Sorry boss.......no. 'Fraid I can't get a cab................I'm in Estonia..................ES..TON..I..A. Where is.......it's in Northern Europe........yes near America".
Hhhhhha. Let's see what happens.

Going Home 2011

Saturday 11/06/2011

One week out from heading back to Eesti and the panic begins. It's heightened this time by the fact that instead of two adult brains in a panic, we have thrown a third into the mix, that the other two have to think for. A recipe for impending disaster I'm sure.
Although there are things to do, there is the usual anticipation of things to come heightened by numerous photos of long nights and clear skies from friends on facebook, and reports of hot days already beginning. Fingers crossed it holds till we get there and stays while we are there.
Sydney is cold. Meteorologically and metaphorically. A change of scenery from this place is long, long over-due. For me personally, I need to get away from this place and shed a skin of it. The noise. The tough-guys. The sport. The razzle and serious lack of dazzle. It's time to go away and try and re-birth Sydney on my return. It's worked in the past, but every time convinces me less.
I'm looking forward to catching up with a friend in Singapore first for a few nights. This time will be different for both of us as we have family to introduce to each other in the shape of sons. From there it will be on to Estonia for a few weeks to introduce said son to the other half of his family.
I know what to expect and don't know what to expect - that is, in terms of Estonia. That's what I like about returning every time. Although Tallinn is small, it's kind of like a good favorite movie - every time you see it again, you uncover something you didn't see the last time or the first time. It always seems fresh and never gets old. I don't know. If I'm wearing 'läbi roosade prillide', then who cares. I don't.
The exciting thing this time though is I/we return with an agenda. More on that later...

Film Review: "Ühtne Eesti" Suurkogu

Right, "Ühtne Eesti" Suurkogu (Unified Estonia) is a documentary / film / theatre production by NO99 Teater of Tallinn. And YES it comes with sub-titles.

The rundown: 'Ühtne Eesti' was a campaign to launch "a fictitious political movement" with the concept and direction coming from Tiit Ojasoo and Ene-Liis Semper. The sum of the campaign resulted in a political extravaganza lampooning Estonian politics at the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn. The real intention of "Ühtne Eesti" it seems was to shake up the status-quo of Estonian politics.

Although two and a half years in the making, it was not until the 24th of March 2010 that a press conference was held by NO99 to announce they would hold a convention to demonstrate how and why everything was/is wrong with Estonian politics.

The campaign would run for 44 days including advertising (i.e. good ol' fashioned propaganda) such as posters in bus shelters and on street-scapes, radio and TV appearances as well as incorporating Internet and digital multi-media accessibility.

Given the concept was being orchestrated by a theatre; the campaign was obviously bogus from the get-go to any reasonably intelligent person on the street. I mean really; why would a bunch of well-recognised actors decide to launch a political Party?

Well, over time, it seemed the general public became less sure about what they were being told they were going to see at this convention and what might actually happen. At any rate, the campaign for "Ühtne Eesti" was ambiguous enough that a large chunk of the Estonian population supposedly bought into the idea the play would actually result in the birth of a new political "force". 

Tiit Ojasoo.
Real beard? Real Party?
You be the judge.

Two things can be deduced from this: i) the general populace really do not listen to the message political parties put out and only care about their own short term gain and what is said about a parties leaders in 'Kroonika', or ii) the general populace is genuinely starved for real choice when it comes to political Parties and were hoping something would eventuate at this convention. I'll bet on the former... 

Anyway, so worked up about 'the new kid on the block' did the population become that the likes of Eesti Reformierakond (Estonian Reform Party), Eesti Keskerakond (Estonian Centre Party) and a few other Parties  felt worried enough to have a few Party heavies along at the conference, just in case an actual Party did from.

After campaigning in a style akin to an up-coming election, the new "power" on the block attracted 7000 people to the Saku Suurhall who either thought they were going to witness the birth of a new political Party, or be part of a rather unusual, awkward, though original, joke. 7000! That's a lotta people for a small theatre group in one show. Probably their biggest audience...

Well they pulled it off with aplomb. What turns out to be an almost 3 1/2 hour spectacle of politics, social commentary, satire, dancing girls (yes) and one or two famous Estonian singers should be approached with a bit of time under your belt and the sense you should not hurry through it. If you’re after a bit of light entertainment, don't even throw the DVD in the player - this is not for you. Like all intelligent Estonian film, it helps to be switched on when watching this. I watched it in chunks and was glad I did as I am not as up-to-speed with Estonian politics as I fantasize. I needed the time to digest the information, farce and message that was at times oh-so subtly being put across, and at other times, right in your face.

When I say farce (not face), I refer to the well acknowledged state of Estonian politics in general. It helps to have a basic understanding of the state of play in the country so you know what a lot of references they use in this show are about. I am not going to give you a crash course in Estonian politics right here, right now, (because the night does not compensate the blind) but I might steer you towards a blog that has good political and social comment. OR, you can read the booklet that comes with the DVD.

Campaigning

Some highlights of the show are actor Tambet Tuisk interviewing many notable people in and around Estonian politics, followed by fellow actor Jaak Prints (from 'Riigimehed' fame) taking a verbal sawn-off shotgun to political members of the audience, dumb enough to accept invitations to show up. Jaak unleashes a no-holds-barred barrage of what appears to be justified abuse at these people which may leave some viewers cringing with embarrassment, and others wide-eyed, mouths agape thinking is he ever going to get work in Estonia again let alone walk out of this alive?

Just when you catch your breath from Jaaks performance, he is inevitably topped. There is a live cross-over to Andres Mähar who appears to be the roof of the Saku Suurhall?...or is it NO Teatres roof top? Anyway, while holding the Estonian flag, he gives an impassioned plea (is saying the 'f' word in Estonian every second word can be considered impassioned) for people to rise up; to WAKE up and basically smell the coffee. Or just go back to drinking it and watching the mindless morning show.

The general lottery of the audience members to decide who will make up the Party is a particularly funny part of the event as well. If you have not caught onto the farce by this stage, there is no hope for you.

Although it has a slap-in-the-face start, the brilliance of this work lies in the subtly of the cast who carry out the event to perfection. If you were not familiar with these actors, you might be forgiven for going along with the speeches that are given, punctuated by random thoughts, singing, and multi-media input that would leave any stranger to Estonia asking WTF? If you are from outside of Estonia and do not know a thing about its politics, a lot of what goes on and what they talk about will go over your head, but don't worry. It is the broader message about politics in general that comes through anyway. You will not miss that.

The production, editing and stage work that has gone into this film is top-notch and is on par with that of any western worlds political Party conventions. From the press conference announcing their arrival to the posters on the street through to the Saku Suurhall set-up, if you did not know this was a stitch-up, you might (could) vote for a Party like this purely based on the slick production which gave it the feel of a brand new car.

Jaak Prints schools us.

Special features with this DVD include the 'Election School no.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6'; a series which breaks down the tricks inside politics. The booklet that comes with the DVD also explains the concept of the project as well as the interviews and who the people are that they are conducted on. It also aids in explaining the machine of Estonian politics (and politics in general) a little bit better. 

If you let yourself go with the DVD, you are sent on a type of mental enema that has been long overdue in most people’s minds. Watching this movie left me feeling better knowing that all the b.s. we have to put up with in politics on a daily basis is b.s. after all (even though I already know it). The sense of "thank Christ someone else sees this and not just me!”, washes over well.

Why I have not seen something like this before evades me. Maybe there has been something like it or something very similar before. Who cares? To me this is an original. It should be compulsory viewing in schools. Part of me wants to send this to Andrew Denton (producer of 'Hungry Beast' in Australia) and see what he can make-and-do with it. Australia needs a political evaluation of itself much like this program provides. Hell...the world needs this self-evaluation.

As for hoping that this event made a difference in peoples minds and changes the way they see and understand politics, and ultimately how they vote on it... unfortunately I think we'll never k(no)w. Had they made a genuine Party of "Ühtne Eesti" at this convention, then maybe we would have had something to measure how effective their campaign was when the votes came in at election time. But then again, as (dare I use him as example) Stalin once said "It's not the people who vote that count; it's the people who count the votes", or something to that effect. Even if voters suddenly gained mental independence and vote based on critical thinking leading to a decision....nah let's not kid ourselves. Lemmings are never good judges of height.

My final thought is slightly off-tangent. Whilst Skype may be the greatest modern idea to come out of Estonia in recent years, another fantastic Estonian idea may have unwittingly been created from the "Ühtne Eesti" project: the death of 'Reality' TV and the birth of 'Reality-Check' TV.

Oh! And don't just look at the highlights here - buy the DVD!

Some Little Plans for the Future

For the past 8-9 months, my wife and I have been travelling down a tunnel with a light at the end of it. Pretty soon we'll come out of this tunnel and into the light more commonly referred to as 'parenthood'. Yes, it's great and all slaps on the back are appreciated, as I'm sure I'll be returning those slaps down the track trying to get people’s attention and ask "What the hell have we gotten ourselves into???" All jokes (and submerged fear) aside, my wife and I are as mentally prepared as we think we can be for the big event and the future beyond. Or are we? 

They may be small, but they hold
our future in their hands

When preparing for the arrival of a child much like we have been, we  have gotten, and been given, all the advice in the world and had our heads  in every book and website trying to learn how and what to do on the big day and forever thereafter. All the possible equipment we could ever use has been purchased and every possible bit of clothing a child could need has been given or handed-down from family and friends. There's nothing like the unity of community that the arrival of a child brings - I'm happy to have found that out.

But with all the preparation that has taken place and with every best intention of landing on our feet and running when the baby arrives, we were stopped in our tracks recently when someone asked,
 "So, where have you put your names down for day-care?".

Unfortunately my reply was, "Day-care? Bugger. Day-care. Yeah, right. Ummmmmmm........?"

Ok, so we hadn't thought of something as simple as day-care. But why should we? Its two years away at best and there are more pressing things to worry about for the moment. But as anyone living in a major Australian city will tell you, you have to book as soon as you know you've conceived to assure yourself a privileged spot in one of these money-sucking institutions.

Taking this new chore on board and penciling it into the 'to-do' list, a few more questions began to pop up in our minds. The first question that jumped at us was: where the hell are we going to be in 2-5 years? I mean there's no point running around putting our names down with a half-dozen day-cares in our area if we we’re not even planning on being in the same area in the future.

The second question we were forced to ask was: how involved were our parents and friends going to be with this child and how much help could we rely on once my wife was due to go back to her job after a year’s parental leave?

There were no easy answers for either questions, but two solutions did present themselves fairly quickly. One was made possible by simply moving closer to my mother in time to come. The distance for her to travel to baby-sit the child became shorter making help from her more accessible and available. The other solution though practical as well, unfortunately, is not so helpful because it does not exist - day-care in the city.

"Of course day-care exists in the city, kurat!” I hear you think. And you’re right, it does exist. But not the type I have in mind.

You see, not so long ago, knowing of impending parenthood and coupled with all the changes (ne) surges in direction shown by the leadership in the SES, as well as the mini baby-boom that is occurring within the Estonian community of Sydney, the thought crossed my mind that there actually could be enough demand to make a day-care of our own within Eesti Maja. Aside from the prospect of putting together such an idea, it made complete sense to me.

Think about it. Here we have a growing brood of children within the community and parents who don't necessarily have the help and assistance they would have if they were living back home in Estonia. More often than not, these parents are living within the city limits and need a reliable place on a regular basis to place their children.

Not only that, if a day-care were created, our children would have a secondary Estonian environment to grow in, learning the Estonian language (preferably off an Estonian carer...from Estonia) in an environment they would become familiar with and come to accept Eesti Maja as a second (or at least a more familiar) home. By creating such a familiar environment for our children to start their lives with, we are creating the biggest benefit of all - we would effectively be sowing the seeds of future generations in our community. Something the community has not done in the past, but drastically needs to do now to assure its long term relevance and survival.

There are examples of similar strategies which occur in most cultural communities inside of Australia. In particular the Jewish community has a very well structured education system in Sydney. And although they do not have a regular weekday day-care, Toronto in Canada at least runs a weekend school/day-care - Toronto Eesti Seltsi Lasteaed. 

To give validity to an argument that an Estonian day-care is a viable idea, there may be incentives from the Estonian government to promote culture abroad – and by that I mean education. If there is funding for Estonian language lessons (be it minimal) that are held in Eesti Maja and around Australia, surely early education of Estonias citizens (and by that I mean its junior citizens) abroad must be on the agenda as well.

The importance of an "Estonian" start in life should not be lost on those of us in Australia. With a small national population, an economy battling to get back on its feet and youth leaving by the scores in search of better opportunities abroad, Estonian culture is in need of booster shot. And why shouldn't it come from abroad?  You see another question my wife and I have been pondering is how we are going to raise our child in an Estonian way, rather than just putting them through the English speaking pre-schools here. Sure they do a good job, but that component of Estonian culture we want to instil in our children could never be replicated by Australian culture.

We have become extremely conscious of giving our child the opportunity to be raised speaking two native tongues - that of Estonian and English (and not the other way around). It's almost the first question on everyone’s lips when they ask about our child, "So are you going to teach them Estonian???” Part of me wants to answer back, "Don't you mean: are we going to teach them English?” But I don't. Because what do I have to go on? I don't speak Estonian fluently, and the teaching of Estonian (both language and culture) rests entirely on the shoulders of my wife. Our child faces the prospect of beginning their life being saturated by Australian English and culture. After all, they will begin life in Australia.

For some the idea of a day-care may seem farfetched and unwarranted. I would assume they would be the people a service like this would least affect. We've seen firsthand evidence that mothers in Brisbane get together for social interaction via the 'Estraalia' TV series. But what will happen to those babies in a year’s time? What support other than themselves do those Estonian mothers in Brisbane receive? Currently none (as I understand) because they don’t have an active (though they do have a social) community or Eesti Maja like we have in Sydney.With my own personal interest and sentiment aside, I strongly believe a day-care is a feasible idea for Sydney Eesti Maja. Not only would it provide another way for our community to come together (after all, that's what a community hall like Eesti Maja is for), it could provide another avenue of income for the Maja as well as provide a badly needed service amongst a growing Estonian community here in Sydney. It gives Estonian immigrant mothers and Australian-Estonian mothers an alternative to norm day-care practices in Australia as well as going it alone.

The idea of a day-care for Sydney Eesti Maja is a valid idea, and one that could set a path for other Eesti Maja's in other cities such as Adelaide and Melbourne. If it were to be a service that offered weekdays, it would be the first of its kind for the international Estonian community (outside of Estonia) in general. It would be a massive feather in Sydneys cap. 

It may seem like it should be at the bottom of the list of things Eesti Maja should get around to doing. There are never ending renovations to do and other incentive based ideas to get the community active and the money coming in. However, paint peels, ideas and opinions about what should happen to the Maja change with the direction of the wind as well. But one thing remains constant – the people inside the building. In my mind, something like a day-care should be right up the there at the top of things to do. It's forward thinking and it's investing in the greatest equity we have in our community - ourselves.

T.V. Review / Comment: Estraalia Episode IV

Well episode IV of 'Estraalia' came and went on TV3 in Estonia and I am kind of left perplexed.

I mean on the one hand, I was expecting a continuation of the first three episodes where we watched a mixed bag of interview and opinion to be followed by the grand finale of episode IV devoted to Sydney - which never eventuated. On the other hand, what we got was a re-cap of the first three episodes mixed together presenting a more informative and enlightened view of Estonians in Australia - kind of like I suggested in my last entry. Hmm...

I have to admit I felt kinda guilty. Why? Well when watching episode IV, it was like everything I had poo-pooed in the first three episodes had been taken on board and a rushed / revised episode had been put together and presented to the public as episode IV. But deciding I was kidding myself to think that anything I write here may have an affect of the behavioral patterns or thought processes of a TV production team would be silly....wouldn't it.....WOULDN'T IT???

Or had they had this episode planned all along and have I gone and jumped the gun?
BANG! "AND RACING...SIIMONS MOUTH HAS TAKEN THE LEAD CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY HIS FOOT COMING UP ON THE INSIDE..."
I doubt it.

My last post (in regard of 'Estraalia') was made on the 15th of February and episode IV was aired on the 24th of February - Vabariigi Aasta Päev. A gap of 9 days. Was this long enough to put together a compilation program instead of a new episode? Whether my paranoia is correct or not - not - Independence Day was a curious choice of days to air a program considering most people would normally be out in Estonia enjoying the holiday. Hmm...

Anyway, the episode was interesting even though we had kinda seen it all before. Whilst the majority of the footage was new, it was re-visiting places and people we had already met in the first episodes. Why there was absolutely nothing more of Sydney was a glaring omission and a major mystery. Had they run out of footage about Sydney? Maybe everyone of interest in Sydney was away for that weekend while the production team were in town. Again, I doubt it. Why get so much of every back-water and major city and not enough of the place where the majority of Estonians head to? I guess we'll never know.

Gone were the negative sound bites used in the beginning of the first three episodes, replaced by an intro that cut straight to the chase of the show. Present were proper insights into peoples lives here in Australia, both established, present and hopeful. Maybe not so relevant as to why people were coming here from Estonia, but a whole lot better than taking this piss on them (well most of them). AND some useful tips on how to travel inside of Australia and some advice on expectations for Estonians once they arrive! WOW!

Juhan Ulfsak, the man behind the voice

Also, a teasing add-in that appeared on the tacky end-credits (as opposed to the studio quality credits of the first three episodes) in only the last episode and none of the first three episodes was the credit of Juhan Ulfsak (a great guess by my wife) who did the voice-over for the entire program - something I made mention of in my last post. Hmm...

Writing this, I cant help feeling bated. An overwhelming sense of a set-up is crowding my little mind. But why? What happened to Episode IV - the real episode, the one I anticipated? Well, I don't know. Maybe I'm just deluding myself thinking there was more to this show than was first shown. It appears not. It appears this show has been presented instead of the one the producers are hiding from me and intend to sell to willing viewers in smoky, dark bars. "PSSST. Wanna see what Australia is REALLY like?"
If you come across a copy of the "real" episode, please boot-leg it and forward it to me.
PLEASE!

Whatever happens, I'm happy the series ended on a more positive note. Although I am left with many questions about the production of the final episode, the show itself salvaged what could have been a four piece shocker and tipped the balance of my opinion in favor of making it watchable. I think you should too.

T.V. Review / Comment: Estraalia

I'm happy with this as my flag!

WARNING: The following is a bloody long review about an Estonian TV show that was recently bought to my attention. The name of this show: ‘Estraalia’. And no, there are no plot spoilers. Not when the plot was lost.

It’s a long story as to how and why I came across it, but I’m glad I did. I believe the show deserves your attention as well for it seems one could be forgiven for thinking there is a plan afoot by certain jealous Estonian journalistic types to cultivate a cynical outlook towards Australia, Australians and Estonians in Australia.

Now, I have not done many reviews before (this being my 2^nd), but even so, writing about ‘Estraalia’ has been hard to do as it has left me with mixed emotions every time I have watched it. What you read here is my 6^th ?, 7^th ?, 8^th ? draft of what I set out to write about, such was my changing opinion. Truth of the matter is Suspects, if my eesti keel was half decent and I was not relying on the bias translation of my wife who despises the show, I might have an altogether different opinion of the show all over again.

Any way I look at this program, I liked / hated / enjoyed / yawned at this 3 hour long tale of why Estonians are trying to find a place for themselves for however long, for whatever reason/s. What you take from this show is really left to your own interpretation, so be warned: watch ‘Estraalia’ with an open mind and read (but ignore) my opinion expressed here.

 

BEFORE YOU START TO WATCH, A LITTLE BACKGROUND:

Ken knows about the shade

‘Estraalia’ is a very lose documentary that was filmed over two weeks in August of 2010 and consists of four episodes; I, II, III, IV (IV is yet to air in Estonia). Each of the episodes is 45 minutes long and is based on the separate stages of an excursion headed by producer Ken Saan (not the one Cold Chisel sang about) and interviewer Krister Kivi. 

The title ‘Estraalia’ refers to Estonians in Australia and is an interesting choice which I'll be arrogant enough to say I was jokingly using by the time I had met my wife all of three or so years ago. I used the term 'Estralian' to describe any Estonian associated with Australia; and 'Austonian' to describe any Australian associated with Estonia. I’m not really sure if anyone had already used the terms ‘Estralian’ and ‘Austonian’ before, but when I googled them both, nothing appeared. Fact enough for me.

Anyway, I digress.

The idea of ‘Estraalia’ was to go around Australia interviewing Estonians who live(d) and work(ed) in Australia and supposedly try to get to the bottom of why there has been a steady influx of Estonians heading to Australia and why a lot of them are not planning to return to Estonia any time soon.   

“Miks ahvatleb Austraalia eestlasi sellise jõuga, et igal aastal rändavad teisele poole maakera tuhanded Eesti noored, kellest paljud enam kunagi koju ei tule?”

Now I’ll tell you straight from the get-go, (as an Australian-Estonian) if you watch this show there is the strong chance you may end up taking things insinuated and said, personally. It’s highly likely you are going to fall on one side of the fence and not sit on it. You will either be that of an Estonian who has never visited Australia before and knows nothing about the place (the majority of the intended audience back in Estonia) and is viewing this show subjectively from the outside, or; you are going to be either an Estonian and/or an Australian living in Australia viewing this objectively from the inside (the non-intended audience). And no, I haven’t gotten my ‘objectives’ and ‘subjectives’ mixed up.

While watching this show, it’s important to remember that you have to remain un-bias towards it. I mean, if the shoe were on the other foot and I was watching a show with ‘Hamish and Andy’ in it taking the piss out of Aussies in a country I’d never been to, I’d probably have a chuckle. Regardless of this, I am writing this review from the perspective of the later – the case for the ‘objectives’, i.e. not chuckling.

NOW ON WITH THE SHOW: 

Well now Suspects, I'm no post-production tech-head, but once the show begins to roll, any dummy could see the start of this documentary had washed out (colourless) images of Estonia set against saturated (over-colored) images of Australia. It's a production trick producers tend to use to subliminally emphasise or highlight a point. In this instance Australia seems alive and Estonia seems dead. It’s an old trick, but one which (especially in this case) has run its course. 

The filming is simple and off the cuff. The big fluffy microphone is often caught in the frame and it's lucky no-one broke a nose filming while on the move. If it did achieve anything, it showed that for an Australian, any foreigner can shoot footage of Australia, whether the outback or the city, and instantly an Australian will know it is Australia.

It may have been more the fault of post-production and the producer but Vaiko Turruste, the Estonian cameraman charged with shooting Australia, seemed to have missed every fantastic aspect this country has to offer, and managed to shoot just about every back street, dust bowl and crappy kitchen he was told to shoot. To his credit when the camera stopped in a planned location, there were one or two truly nice frames, particularly that of regional Australia. That’s fine for an Australian who’s seen it all before, but for an Estonian sitting in their apartment in Lasname, it hardly inspires. Needless to say, this series won’t be getting any funding from the Board of Tourism in Australia.

Similarly - but with the benefit most of us have of having been to Estonia - it showed how easy it is to shoot a wet, grey, dilapidated Estonia with its track-suit clad poor and quirky old. I found these cheap shots unfair because I choose to view the Estonia I know in a far more positive light - rain, hail, snow or shine. A fine example being Tallinn named ‘Best City for Winter 2011’ by BBC Travel with Lonely Plane. How come images like this did not show up as a comparison to Australia in 'Estraalia'?

When discussing the camera work in 'Estraalia' with an Estonian woman recently, she tried to point out to me “The show isn’t about Australia. It’s about Estonians.” I thought, well no dear, it’s about both. As reflected in the title. If it didn’t involve Australia, the show would have simply been called 'Estonia' and they (the Estonians and the crew that followed them) would not have bothered to get on a plane and come here in the first place, would they? If it was not about Australia, why are so many choosing to stay?

The question was answered by most of the interviewees over the course of the series so far. There were varying opinions on why Estonians were coming to Australia and staying from teenagers to retirees in Eesti Küla in Thirlmere. At any rate, after using every negative sound bite from these interviews to set the mood for the start of the show which was too obvious for my liking, it left no mystery as to which way the production teams argument was going to go. The familiar voice over of Juhan Ulfsak? (only working of voice as there were barely any credits) in apathetic tones made it obvious this was going to be more mocumentary than documentary within the first three minutes, and that it didn't necessarily aim to paint its subjects in a particularly friendly or sympathetic light.

Krister training for Oz

Although throughout the show there seemed a good cross-section of people interviewed, and at times some interesting facts and information came out, Kristers technique of giving his talkative interviewees enough rope seemed to drag on, become repetitive and the interviews of any importance were guided by ‘planted’ questioning. They could not be convicted of straying from their theme.   

Sadly, at times the show smacked of being stuck inside an immature 16 year old boys head.  Sure they were polite and sincere to their subjects’ faces, but the questions asked, the film taken and post editing carried out betrays what they were really thinking. At times I was left waiting for an interviewee to accidentally say “dick” or “poo-poo” and hear the crew break into laughter in the background.

Although some Interviews were arranged with targeted people to give what seemed like a broader picture, interviews were generally conducted on hapless, caught unawares, ill-prepared Estonians and generally in the demographic of 17-20 something. From speaking with some of the interviewees post release of the show (some who had seen the finished product, others not), the fact lengthy interviews were conducted only to be edited down to the useless bits of information worthy of Kroonika was a great disappointment. None of the arranged interviewees I had spoken with were happy with the end result and were left wondering why the crew had bothered turning up in the first place.

One theme Krister did unwittingly begin to develop was based around the success of Estonian women in Australia as opposed to that of Estonian men. The intent of questioning seemed to revolve around “...sure...your married to an Australian and have had a baby, but are you HAPPY living here?”. As an Australian, I couldn’t help but start to feel there was a tad of victimisation and envy creeping into the argument. After all, these women now had the best of both worlds: the family and life-style in a warm country with the benefit of being able to come and go to Estonia as they pleased without a worry in the world about renewing visas or wondering if there was a job to come home to. Something the majority of Estonians (unfortunately) can only emulate.

Another theme that seemed to be pursued but not successfully obtained was that Estonian men were only coming here for the money. True if you look at the lengths they go to get it (money) sticking themselves out in the middle of the country where “You won’t get Australians coming out here” as one cattle-station owner put it. But why Australia then? Why not America? Maybe as journalists, if they pursued the reasons behind this, such as the visas needed to work are easier to obtain, the show might have begun to salvage credibility. But no.

"Ei leia ühtegi austraallast kes siia elama tuleks."

Other interviews seemed to focus on the bad experiences of Estonians in Australia as opposed to the good experiences. What purpose this served I’m not sure. Maybe its aim was to try and alienate Australians as a race of weird people in a weird country, and therefore scare more Estonians off buying a plane ticket here. Who knows – but good luck with that one chaps.

Conversely, some interesting views began to emerge when Estonian men were interviewed, as to why Estonian women weren’t interested in them anymore, and what they thought their chances with Australian women were like. As it turns out, the majority couldn’t answer why they thought Estonian women weren't interested in them, or why they weren’t interested in Australian women. Australian women were too hard to crack and thought too much of themselves! "Ha!" I though. "Maybe I'm more of an Estonian man than I give myself credit for".

Considering most of the men interviewed had bailed on the girlfriends back in Estonia..."to work and make some money"...and while in Australia thought of themselves more-or-less free, it turned out these guys were only interested in other European women, in Australia. That’s a long way to come for a bit of skirt out of your back yard that’s in someone else’s back yard sport!

In the end it’s hard to grasp what the real intention of ‘Estraalia’ is. Is it to try and ask why Estonian women want out of Estonia? Do Estonian women like Australian men in particular? Do Australian men like Estonian women in particular? Is the program suggesting Estonian men should rally and conduct a recognisance mission of Estonian women from Australia, much in the vein of the  great ‘Escape from Entebbe’? ? Are Estonian women deserting Estonian men before Estonian men desert them for Australia? Is it all just a race to get to Australia first? Do Estonians want out of Estonia in general?? It’s hard to know what conclusions to draw as the interviews were so long and covered a lot of ground...broadly.

Obscure questions to all of these other questions left me pondering; if Estonians packed all their things and went on the road to find a supposedly better place, would the land that we know as Estonia still be Estonia, or would the place where all the Estonians settle be the new Estonia? I guess this question can be answered by the Israelis, but we should probably stop and ask the Palestinians what they think as well.

And if Namibians all of a sudden started speaking Estonian and forgot their own language, would this make them Estonian? Soooo many questions....

So what now? The fourth episode has already been shot and is still to air in Estonia, so there’s no chance we’d be on that, hurrah! If I were any of the people on the last show, I’d be sitting pretty nervously about now, but then again – any publicity is good publicity.  

The ultimate conclusion to be drawn from pretty much all of the interviewees is that given the choice, they would stay in Australia, but always call Estonia home. Have your cake and eat it? Why not! I know that’s how I want it. These are the founding principles of what Western society is based on after all.

What of the crew who came to Australia? I mean, after trying to get to the bottom of what is driving Estonians here, I couldn’t help notice this show was a reflection of travel plans of many Estonian travellers themselves. Was ‘Estraalia’ just an excuse for them to have their own little sojourn down under, or was it a genuine junket? Whatever their excuse, I had to feel a little sorry for them at times after driving through the places they did to get the footage they got. There’s better ways to spend two weeks in Australia.

'Estraalia' is entertaining though after viewing the first three episodes fairly close together, my feeling was the whole series could have been condensed into one two hour show. I felt like I had wasted a little time watching it, but then again, I've wasted far more time on far worse shows in the past - thank you B.B. For the masses back in Estonia, I'm sure it provided something warm to watch on a cold night, and I'm equally sure the masses are waiting with baited breath for the final instalment.

I guess the only way I can close on this review for episodes I, II and III is by hypothosising there is always a point in an interview when the interviewee wants to turn the questioning and the camera back on the interviewer and ask a question themselves. Imagining I had been interviewed for "Estraalia' and wanted to ask Ken Saan, Krister Kivi and Vaiko Turruste a question of my own:

“Kui sa saaksid elada Austraalias, siis kas sa elaksid?”

I would be willing to lay down some pretty serious money their answer would be,

“MUIDUGI!”

$5.00

Today the average full-time wage for a male in Australia is almost $65,000 p.a. (Australian Bureau of Statistics) therefore the average worker is fast approaching the time when they will earn $1 for every minute worked - i.e. $60/hr. Today if you see a gold coin on the ground, rather than bother to pick it up yourself, you might steer a kids attention towards it and get them to pick it up as their hands are closer to the ground than yours. Chances are, if there are no kids around, you might not bother.

In 2011, $5 will buy you:

• nothing substantial from McDonalds 
• 10-15 sms messages on your mobile phone 
• 4.3songs off iTunes 
• 3.5 litres of fuel

Not much when you think about it. But why am I talking about $5? I'll get to that soon.
On the 31st of December last year, I had the  p l e a s u r e  of sitting in on the Council of Estonian Societies in Australias (Austraalia Eesti Seltside Liit, or AESL) General Meeting which was held at Adelaide Eesti Maja towards the end of Eesti Päevad. The meeting was made open for all comers to be in the audience. Boards from all corners of the Australian Estonian community came together to discuss matters at hand. 

During the meeting, there were numerous things discussed on the agenda. I had no idea what these things were when I arrived or what to expect though a quick look through the agenda showed there were going to be some interesting things discussed. 
Once the meeting got under way and the usual pleasantries were done with (weapons holstered - joking) I found the naming issue of Eesti Kula particularly interesting as I have recently written about in another entry on this blog (November 2010). 

Another item that popped up and came in under the radar was the proposal to raise membership fees per member to the AESL from $1 a year, to.......$2! a year. Admittedly, due to my Eesti keel not being so hot, I didn't learn about this matter until the 'New Years Eve Ball' later that night. But I was understandably amazed when I heard about it. 

When I learnt there was going to be an increase in membership fees, I could only assume it was in line with the rise in inflation that has occurred in the last year....sorry....typo....last 20 years. That's right people! - the membership fee has been stuck on $1 for the last 20 years or so.

Craving more information, I also found out that during the discussion of this topic at the meeting, un-surprisingly, there was opposition to the proposal to raise the fee to $2!. The main argument behind why the fee had never been raised in the past basically came down to the fact that the AESL administers many smaller organisations (20 in fact and will soon count more) which have members that pay fees to these smaller organisations which in turn end up with the AESL. It was suggested that if the fees to the AESL were raised to $2! dollars, these smaller bodies may elect to drop out of the AESL as these smaller bodies feared members dropping out. I can only conclude this was because it would send the members of these smaller organisations bankrupt such was the burden of spending an extra $1 a year.

A compromise was suggested that these organisations should pay a single fee on behalf of those members, thereby eliminating the need for more fees to be paid to the AESL. The rationale being that if these other bodies were having memberships paid to them by their members, and these other bodies were paying fees to the AESL, then those fees were as good as AESL fees anyway. Follow? No? Well I don't either so...tuff.

“So what does the AESL do?”, I hear you ask (as did I).

Well, by way of financial contribution, the AESL supports:

• Meie Kodu to the tune of $10,000.00 annually 
• The Estonian Archives in Australia gets $3,500.00 
• The Adelaide newsletter "Virgats" gets $1,500.00 
• Sõrve gets $3,000.00 
• ESTNET (www.eesti.org) $700 
• Estonian language teachers $500 
• Unanticipated requests $1500 (?)  
• Estonian language and culture $3000  
• Membership to Ülemaailmne Eesti Kesknõukogu (ÜEKN) $100 plus costs associated with ÜEKN AGM $300 
• AESL general running costs budgeted at $500

Now, I'm not economic savant suspects, but my basic schooling in space math leads me to question whether or not the old annual membership is a little under-cooked. You see membership fees go directly towards the administration of the AESL, and with a 2011 projected budget of $1,400 just to keep the administrative part of the AESL ball rolling, a possible loss of a few thousand dollars is on the cards as there are only approximately 1,350 members across Australia. i.e. $1,350 in fees with a bill of almost $25,000.

There are three other (possible, though not guaranteed) income streams that help bridge the considerable gap left by (the lack of) fees:

• An annual "Rahvuskapital korjandus", i.e. an annual request for donations from members of the member organisations 
• If AESL is nominated benefactor in someone's will 
• Interest on monies invested that have previously been bequeathed to AESL

Now, I don’t know what your line of thinking is, but knowing a little bit about Estonians fish like tendencies  for dolling out cash and looking at those last 3 points, there’s about as much reliable cash flow from those sources than a South Australian river bed. 

Thankfully, stunningly, logic came to the fore at the meeting and the compromise to make membership a single fee via the smaller organisations was vetoed and a rise of $1 in membership fees (begrudgingly) agreed upon increasing fees to $2! annually. With this momentous and historic step forward, the AESL has assured its future with a lavish budget of $2,700. Roughly $22,000 shy of what it needs to not loose sleep at night.

Super.

Not.

I for one want to take things a step further.

I'm proposing that every member who pays fees to one of the smaller organisations dig deep. The time has come to get serious about our/your  organisation again and raise it to the heady heights of yesteryear by having a coffer dripping with cash. Well not quite dripping. I'm putting it out there that the annual fee be raised to...drumroll...$5 a year.

"$5 A YEAR???", I hear certain members of our community scream.

"But we already pay taxes to Qwoin Gillard!", they argue.

"How will we afford to feed the kids, the dog and court fees for tennis on Thursday mornings with the ladies auxiliary?"

The plain fact of the matter is by paying such paltry fees, we are failing in our individual duties to support the body that supports what we do. With a membership base of 1,350, a realistic rise of fees to $20 would be needed to assure the organisation pays the bills on time and keeps-on-keeping-on from year to year un-aided. So an ask of $5 is pretty reasonable, right? It means the difference between getting something done that needs to be done straight away rather than form a sub-committee to discuss possible alternatives and strategies around the expense, and never get to doing it anyway.

If your still unconvinced and find coughing up another $3 extra dollars a year too hard to swallow, maybe you should ask yourself why you are turning up to our Maja’s, our Eesti Päevads, our Sõrves? Why bother if we’re dooming the system to fail from the inside out? And it will if it stays as $2!.

For those of you who think my idea is wrong, uncalled for, not needed, my only suggestion to you is to take a teaspoon of cement and harden up. Even if I am wrong, $5 a year...let me emphasize those last two words...A YEAR...not daily...not weekly...not monthly...A YEAR...is not too much to cough up. In fact it constitutes less than 2c a day.

There is no personal budget that cannot afford $5 a year. You waste $5 every single day of your life on something frivolous you don’t need – like extra G.B.'s and bandwidth to read my blog.

There are no excuses.

Click on ‘YES’ in the poll at the top right side of this page to help send the message that we want to support our administration and have the annual fee raised to $5 a year.

Support the body that supports us.

You know it makes cents.