Meet and Greet

I have now been in Estonia for ten days, and I think it's about time that I start introducing some of my new friends.  I've met so many new people, so I'm just going to introduce a few crazy kids that I've had the pleasure of getting to know a bit better over the past week or so.

Meet (front to back):  Brett, Evelin, and Oliver

I'll start with Brett.  He's the other American, and he also hails from the great state of metro-Atlanta.  Brett is about to turn nineteen, and this is his third summer in Estonia.  Yes, I said third.  He came for ten days before his senior year of high school to help at one of the English camps, and the Estonians haven't been able to get rid of him since.  Seriously, though, he was an intern last year and it's been great having someone who knows the ropes but who also knows how to make me feel more comfortable adjusting to life in Estonia.  Brett is a drummer, and his dream is to go to Hillsong College to get a degree as a worship pastor.

Evelin is next.  Oh my, what can I say about Evelin?  She's just a beautiful ball of joy.  She's crazy as can be, but that's why I love her.  She's eighteen, and she's lived in Tartu all of her life.  She's the only Estonian intern this year, but her personalit(y/ies) sometimes feel like she's about ten people rolled into one.  She's goofy, smart, sweet, sarcastic, and one of the most unique people I've ever met.  I'm so glad we're working together this summer.

Oliver is great.  I mean, obviously--the kid has dreadlocks.  Of course he's awesome.  I met him this past Sunday, and he had been awake for thirty-five hours straight when I met him; he was slightly delirious, but it didn't take me long to realize why everyone loves him.  He's another person that is just full of life, and he is like a little ray of sunshine everywhere he goes.  He's getting ready to begin his eleven month duty of serving in the Estonian army, a requirement for all Estonian boys (II men).  Oliver is looking forward to his service, though he's not so excited to cut off his dreads.  He says that he once he's done with the army he wants to grow dreadlocks for seven years, and since he's nineteen now I guess he'll be sporting the rasta look into his late twenties.  More power to him!

Next is Kati...pronounce it Kah-tee, not Katie.

She's probably going to be mad at me for using this picture, but she always hides when I take her picture so this is all I have :).  Kati is turning twenty-four in July, and she works at Risttee as the pastor's assistant.  She and Evelin are two peas in a pod, both crazy and fun to be around.  Kati LOVES Edward Cullen and hip-hop music, and I'm pretty sure she loves America more than Obama does.  She speaks English incredibly well, so I use her as my translator whenever I don't understand the gibberish (just kidding...Estonian is a beautiful language) everyone speaks when they forget there are Americans present.  Love her.

This is Meelis (May-leez):

I knew I'd be friends with Meelis before I even met him because I thought he looked like he could be related to my college pastor.  He was shy when we first met, but he warmed up to me shortly afterwards when I turned on "Bohemian Rhapsody" and he freaked out yelling, "AAAAAHHHHH!!!  THIS IS THE BEST SONG EV-ER!"  I've now realized that he gets that excited about pretty much anything he likes (and he likes a LOT of things).  He's seventeen and crazy about life.  He's the type that will try anything once, and he pretty much reminds me of a male version of myself except I think he might like to shop more than I do.  Crazy, I know.

Finally, I give you Maret (Marr-et).

Maret is a sweetheart who just moved back to Estonia after spending a couple years in London.  She, too, speaks English incredibly well...maybe even better than I do.  Oh, and she now has an English accent, so I definitely think she sounds better when she speaks.  She is generous and positive, and she just radiates Christ's love.  She makes the most out of pretty much any circumstance, and she is always upbeat.  She also volunteered to be my tour guide this past Saturday when I wanted to explore Tartu, and she didn't bail on me even when it started pouring down rain.  She's great.

This last picture is a shot of Kati, Oliver, Brett, me, Meelis, and two other friends, Hanna and Timo, this past Sunday.  We spent the afternoon at the house where Brett is living, and it was so wonderful to just hang out with friends (and make a pie and do four haircuts).  The best part of the evening was when I got to Skype with my parents and introduce them to everyone; they all agreed that Bill and Lindsay rock.  I hope you've enjoyed getting to know some of my new friends!  Keep up with the prayers; we all appreciate your support!

Peace and Love

Lo B.