Estonia connecting people

tere tere my dears!!

here is my contribution to our brainstorming, next wednesday!
to the readers we might have: this is just the beginning, just one ideia to a brinstorming that will lead us to somethign bigger.... we'll let you know!! =)


* before becoming an EVS volunteer what were your thoughts about foreign people in your country?
before going abroad I didn't pay that much attention to foreigners in my country. I grew up (and I still live) in a social neighborhood where a lots of people from the portuguese ex-colonies live. so, I guess I was used to different looking people and never questioned myself much about it. about a decade ago, when Portugal started to receive a lot of slavic immigrants, i guess there was a collective feeling towards these people. I thought they were cold, hard working and not so much into mingle. never had much contact, so I guess I dindt had many ideas about them.
i guess is truth if I say that before going abroad I had the most commom prejudice about foreign people, the ones you dont really realize. you know, like when you watch your purse as you see a gipsy....

* at that time, before going abroad, how did you define yourself?
as a portuguese, only. i guess at that time I knew me to be curious and tolerant. I would define myself as a fearless young portuguese female with few knowledge about Europe and World history. I was always very interested in people and their stories, but I guess I was a bit limited and indiferent. at that time i would define myself as a tipical middle class portuguese interested in studying, travelling, nostalgic and attached to home, girl!

* in wich point of your life, when, did you decided to go abroad, to become an EVS volunteer? and why?
I decided cause one day I realized I was 23, had finnish my studies and was working already. I had a settled life even before I had a chance to live it! It came to my mind that i needed to go abroad and experience the world a bit, i needed to met new people, to put myself in a different position. I wanted to go, so that I could see if I could make it, if I could had a diferent job, live another life, experience the world in a diferent way. I though: "if I stay, i'll be married, pregnant and paying a mortgage in less than 2 years"...

* how did it feel to be a foreigner?
it felt weird and good, bad and sweet... most of all it felt a new thing everyday. I felt I was learning everyday something new, either it was a new word or a new way to cook or how to lower my defenses. i guess the hardest part of being a foreigner was being obliged to not take for granted the things (right or assumptions) I took in Portugal. I didn't thought of myself as being different before, and having to admit that i was, in another context, made me think a lot. being a foreigner showed me how much of a portuguese I was, in which ways I related to my people the most. It also showed me that being diferent is good, is what makes you unique, what unites and separates you from the rest of the world.
of course at many moments being a foreigner just sucked! not understanding the surrondings and the cultural, historical and social contexts were I guess my biggest handicaps. but again, it was a major oportunity to learn, to absorv, to enlarge my points of view. at the same time, the lack of knoweledge from other people towards me gave the oportunity to talk about my country and culture, like a seller selling a diferent point of view.

* what do you think that estonian people were thinking about you? what do you think were local's impressions about you?
at first sight, I guess people noticed me as foreigner for being dark hair, skin and eye colour, and also loud and fat! when you look diferent from the majority (if and when there is a majority of people looking the same) it's impossible not to be noticed... so, people that did not know me it's hard to guess what were their thoughts... i like to believe that people looked at me as a friendly foreigner, with curiosity instead of prejudice.
the locals that got to know me told me I was afectuous, loud and touching people a lot. i guess I was thought about as a latin mama!

* how do you define yourself now? can you say what have changed? are you the same person that came back from Estonia at the first moments, or time has made you realize you'r different?
now I would say that I am an european young lady. i am much more aware and interested in european (and world) issues. i believe to be more tolerant and capable of understanding the other people. most of all, now I can realize what diferences are cultural, and therefore not likely to be discussed. I dropped the regular prejudices that everyone has about everyone who's diferent or at least I really try to!!
at the same time I guess I am less aware to diferences, cause it seems like i accept it better, not noticing it so much! It's hard to explain, but i guess I started to look to people more like as all pieces from the same puzzle, instead of pieces from different puzzles.
i am diferent, most of all, because I feel more t be a part of something bigger than my country. I realized that people that I thought to be completly oposite than me can actually be my friends, cause, despite of all differences, we always have something in common, you just have to find it! i guess i became less individualistic and more eager into mingle in the crowd...

* in wich way do you think that cultural exchange can led people to loose their national/cultural identity?
it cant, I guess. in regular conditions, I mean, when one is not forced to be in a foreign country, when it is a choice, you just have to accept the difference in order that your difference is accepted as well. i strongly believe that cultural exchange can only be a profitable business. instead of the "melting pot" theory, I believe that the cultural exchange is a "salad bowl". you have different ingredients in order to create something unique, where you can still taste each different flavour. accepting the differences can be a good feature of your national identity! i easily understand that locals have hard time to accept foreigners. all changes, all differences have a hard time coming trough. but it is possible to maintain your identities (national, cultural, linguistic, etc) and still share it with others.