sophomore, Lincoln, Neb.
religion and philosophy major, Spanish minor
Before I became a vegan, I used to eat cottage cheese and salsa compulsively.
I like biking, playing guitar, reading graphic novels, meandering through parks, etc.
Who DOESN’T want to be former president Nelson Mandela? He deserves all the goodness in the world.
From exhilarating experiences abroad to calm days at home, a little bit of everything happened during this sunny summer. In May, I traveled with Global Service Learning, or GSL, to Nicaragua where we served, worked, and lived for a week and a half, speaking Spanish with locals, building walls with freshly concocted cement, and engaging kids at school. Not only did we become closer with every member of this dedicated, selfless group, but we also gave and took experiences and perspectives from our interactions with Nicaraguans. It was a worldview widening week and a half.
When I returned home I went straight to work at my law firm. I’m a runner, general assistant, and occasional Starbucks order taker. I have a great time learning about the court system, networking, and being active. There’s never a dull moment where I work! But even if there were, I also took a summer independent study with Rita Lester, the chair of the Philosophy and Religion department at Nebraska Wesleyan. I read multiple books on Liberation Theology, particularly Women’s, Latin American, Palestinian, Jewish, and African America Liberation Theologies. I highly recommend studying the subject! I rode my bike about 30 miles every Monday/Wednesday/Friday to and from class and work, which was a blast. Not only did I save a lot of money on gas, I tried to neutralize my carbon footprint and burn calories. On top of working at the law firm and working on homework, I volunteer for the Friendship Home, which is Lincoln’s only comprehensive shelter for abused women and children. Out of everything I have ever done I feel most strongly about this cause and never hold back when it comes to assisting this organization.
And, of course I’ve spent my free time with friends. Some of my friends go to college out of state and summer days are scare, so we waste no time having fun. We love hanging out downtown, shopping at the local boutiques or drinking coffee at The Mill. One of our favorite things to do is watch movies. (I, personally, see almost every movie in theatres). Besides that, we just relax at parks or ride bikes on the trails. My summer has been enthralling, boring, time pressed, lazy, chill, and HOT… a little bit of everything. And truth be told, I can’t wait for school to start.
So far, this school year has been beyoooooooooond busy. I’m taking 18 credit hours of classes, which is busy but doable. But, I’m also super involved with campus activities. This year along with being a member of GSL and a Senator on Student Affairs Senate, I’m also the Multicultural Awareness and Minority Viewpoints Chairperson, a member of the Committee of Chairs on Senate, on the President’s Council of Cultural Diversity, a member of the Wolf Fund Allocation Committee, a Peer Review Board member, a Huntington pen pal, etc. Staying involved with campus is so easy at Wesleyan that it’s really just a matter of picking what you don’t want to do or have time for.
I’m really looking forward to fall break, because I’m going camping. Camping Camping, the real kind. The kind with a tent and no electricity. So exciting! But, the highlights of my year thus far have been introducing Angela Davis at Visions and Ventures and NWU participating in Safe Quarters for the Friendship Home. There was a great turn our for both events, which was incredibly exciting to see!
I don’t know about you but over Thanksgiving Break, I ate a little too many mashed potatoes. Besides visiting with many, many families and friends, I read some books, watched a movie or two, and generally lounged around in the sort of old, grungy sweatpants that should really be thrown in the garbage. It was a welcome break though.
Lately, school and work and extra–curricular activities and life and well…everything has been insanely busy! I’m still doing all of my campus activities like Global Service Learning, Student Affairs Senate, MOSAIC, and the like.
Finals are rounding the corner and I’m still pushing at full speed ahead. I’m looking forward to taking my finals in all honesty since afterward I’ll have a month and a half winter vacation. I’m studying abroad in Estonia in the spring and my semester doesn’t even start until the middle of February. I still have to send in my visa application, pick out my classes, and probably complete other incredibly important tasks that’ll get me into the country. Besides those things, I don’t know what I’m going to do during that time off. Sleep, maybe? What a shame!
This semester, I am studying abroad in Estonia or Eesti, as it’s referred to in Estonian. A little known country in Eastern Europe, Estonia is probably best known for its many occupiers and ability to maintain its unique culture during extensive periods of war. Estonia managed to maintain its Old Town, a downtown area in Tallinn, which is one of the oldest and most well preserved downtown areas in Europe. It’s a mix of old and new, traditional and modern.
Speaking of modern, Estonians love technology. Almost the entire country has wifi; you can pay for parking or department store goods all with your cell phone, some even think Estonia will pilot cell phone voting. But, Estonia is also a haven for outdoorsy types with what seems like a 5:1 tree to person ratio (I’m kidding… but seriously). There are many lakes, rivers, islands and Estonians appreciate them all with amazing recycling incentives.
Most people in Estonia speak Estonian, English and maybe Russian or German, which makes it easy for tourists to get around. Thus far, the experience has been fantastic: the city, people and culture are catered to college life in Tartu (where I am staying). The biggest issue for me has not been the language or homesickness but the food. Pork, potatoes and sour cream are standard traditional cuisine. Don’t expect to find a plethora of beef here, which may be a shock to Nebraskans! But, there are also fresh vegetables and good bread selections here; so, though it’s almost impossible to be a vegetarian, I’m coping and being more creative about my meal choices.
I register for classes on Monday. Wish me luck!
It’s the middle of my third week in Estonia and I’ve already done a lot with my time! I’m taking classes in an assortment of faculties, everything from international law to Estonian language to the history of ancient religions. With the exception of Estonian language, I only have each class once per week, which was a bit of a shock for me. My classes are small, almost as small as my classes at NWU, and they’re worldview shifting; It’s still strange to hear EU citizens discussing U.S. politics. Thus far, the biggest challenge has been to simplify my thoughts with professors and students whose first language is not English. This has proven especially difficult for me in my Religion, State and Society in Baltic States class. My professor has a degree in Theology but doesn’t necessarily have the English vocabulary to discuss the things I want one–on–one. But, theology is insanely difficult to discuss in your mother tongue, so I’m not too upset.
Estonia celebrated its national Independence Day yesterday with sledding, saunas and singing (Independence alliteration!). It’s a time in Estonia to celebrate culture and respectfully remember/move on from the past (something Estonia has done with blazing speed). We had Friday–Tuesday off from school; so, a group of international students took a bus to Latvia, which is the country adjacent to Estonia on its southern border. We spent a couple days in Riga, the capital, sightseeing and just walking around. Sometime soon, we’ll make it to Vilnius in Lithuania, the EU culture capital of the year. This weekend though a group of students are going skiing and snowboarding with a sauna party and dinner afterward. I’ve never been snowboarding… I hear it’s painful for klutzes like myself… I’ll just file it away into my “gotta try it once” folder.
Head aega (See yah),
Jessica
It seems as though I’ve been gone for far longer than a month! I’m so relaxed and well rested that I’m fidgety. I’ve never known what it was like to NOT be sleep deprived…my classes are going really well. It’s strange though because the international law/transitional justice class that I’m in is full of lawyers and masters students. Needless to say, I’m the youngest person there and (with the exception of one other student) the only American. I’m humbled at every lecture as to how much Americans truly do not know or, rather, have never had the opportunity to know. I’m in classes with Georgians, Lithuanians, Latvians, etc. who all speak Russian (not by choice but because of the remnants of Soviet occupation). I feel as though (because I am American) I have nothing to contribute in the realm of international law and transitional justice, but I’m working on building the courage to speak and strengthening my background knowledge of European affairs. I love my Estonian language class though. It’s the only class that meets more than once per week (and the only class I have before noon). I really, really love not having any classes on Friday. It makes traveling so easy.
A couple weeks ago, I went on a ski trip. It was the first time I’ve ever been skiing and, at first, it was terrifying and I despised it. But, after a couple hours, I started loving it and would speed down the slope as fast as possible. There were a couple times though when I couldn’t stop (but was about to run into a patch of forest) and had to purposefully crash…the next day, sore and unable to move, I resolved to join a gym, which I still haven’t done but fully intend to do soon…after skiing, we went to this really nice bed and breakfast type place to eat dinner and enjoy a sauna (saunas are so popular here!) It was a traditional Estonian smoke sauna. It was a little house down a path from the bed and breakfast. After getting really warm in the sauna, we would run outside in our swimming suits, jump into an ice lake and dash back as quickly as possible to the sauna…sounds crazy, but truly it was FUN.
In two weeks, my roommate Laura and I are going on another trip. This time we’re driving to Latvia and ending up in Bremen, Germany. I’m looking forward to visiting and already re–read the famous Grimm story about the musicians on their way to Bremen (if you’ve never read it before, do).
Nägemist,
Jess
On Friday, I went skiing in Otepää for the second time, which was also the second time I’ve ever been skiing in my life. I had so much fun and it was a great way to send off Winter. I’m ready for Spring! Saturday, I went to Tallinn. I’ve never seen the harbor; so, a couple friends and I walked around there for a bit. Then, I stumbled through an informal walking tour of Old Town. (Okay, it was more like coincidence that we ended up anywhere at all, but hey…we survived). This Thursday, my roommate Laura and I are traveling to Bremen and Hamburg. I really want to see the Bremen Town Musicians statue from the Grimm brothers story. And, from what I hear about Hamburg, it’s one of the best places to go in Germany. Everywhere I go in Europe is someplace new; so, I’m gearing up for this experience with all the necessary anticipation.
Jordan, the other NWU student here in Eesti, is currently in Ireland visiting other NWU exchange students there. We’re both in the same Estonian language class. Jordan was really ill for a couple weeks, feeling much better now. We’re basically pros at ordering food and drink…not really, but I can manage “üks Saaremaa vesi gaasiga palun” decently enough. On a final note, I just received my Estonian ID card today! Hooray. It was such a relief since I was actually denied a couple times for my visa. But now, it’s gotten to the point for me where it’s strange to think about going back. I mean, I know that I’ll have to eventually (I’ve already paid for my return flight) but I’m just so happy here. Today was my first day of debate and I’ve found a place to volunteer some of my time. I’m settling in and taking advantage of everything that comes my way…I could go on and on, but you’re busy people! I’ll write again soon, I’m sure.
Head aega,
Jess
Wow. It’s been a few weeks since my last entry and many, many things have happened since then! First, I went to Germany with my roommate Laura. We went to Bremen and Hamburg. Both places were really different but equally lovely. Bremen is sort of like Lincoln in that it’s a medium–sized University town. We, of course, ate traditional German food and walked around all day. We took the train to Hamburg, which only took an hour. Hamburg was exhilarating for me especially because of all the water. Living in Nebraska, I haven’t had much contact with rivers or the sea. In Hamburg there are bridges, water and boats everywhere. It’s a fast paced city with some…uh…different attractions than what I am used to in Lincoln. There’s this street, for instance, called Repperbahn where lots of tourists and locals go at night. Essentially, it’s the Strip of Hamburg. Lots of alcohol, prostitution and partying. There was a time change when Laura and I were in Germany, which I didn’t realize since daylight savings time starts at a different date than in the U.S. We ended up waking up over an hour late and were almost late for our flight, which was quite terrifying. Since we couldn’t take the train (because the schedules weren’t what we expected) and were too poor to pay for a taxi, we RAN all the way from downtown Bremen to the airport. By the time we got to the airport we were dripping sweat and über–anxious about getting to Riga. Despite this pseudo–fiasco, Germany was fabulous. I hope to travel to Eastern Germany before I fly back to the U.S.
Harry Huge and Jack Siemsen were here a couple weeks ago for Easter, which was so nice. I ended up eating lunch with them a couple of times and chatting about my life here, including my travels. And, I guess to the outside eye/ear, it seems as though I’m doing just as much traveling as I am studying. And…well…I actually just got back from Russia yesterday. I went to St. Petersburg and traveled around with my flatmates. We went to the Hermitage, Orthodox monasteries and Cathedrals, the northernmost mosque in Russia, St. Basil’s island, Peter and Paul’s fortress and other tourist places. My flatmate Ania has a friend in St. Petersburg who met up with us and showed us around some local places, too. On our last day, we ended up going to a hookah pub owned by a Lebanese guy and chatted with him until about 1:30 in the morning, then went to Nicholas’ bridge and watched it rise. St. Petersburg is called the Venice of the North, because like Venice (and Hamburg for that matter) there are a ton of bridges and canals. In fact, I think there are about 500 bridges in St. Petersburg. Russia was probably the most difficult country I’ve been to thus far during my studies abroad. Not because it was dangerous or whatnot. It’s just that I don’t know Russian. I can pronounce words and know the basics but I can’t converse with people. So, I was happy to be back in Estonia where I at least can talk to people in the native tongue.
I am really excited for the upcoming weeks. This week in Tartu is Kavedpäevad, which literally means “spring days” but it’s translated as “student days”. It’s basically a week where the entire city honors and hosts events for students. There are different activities going on every day and it’s really quite nice. The weather is perfect, too! It’s finally 20 degrees (Celsius) outside!
Next week is my birthday. I’m entering in to a new decade. Woohoo! It’ll be great. My birthday is on a Wednesday, which is when the official weekend begins, at least for international students! Then, that weekend I’m going on a cruise to Stockholm, Sweden. The next week, I’m traveling to Saarema, which is the largest island in Estonia (Yes, Estonia has over a thousand islands). I’m going to camp with some friends, which is exciting. If Europeans have never heard of smores before then, they will afterwards, as I am a smores fiend! After that…I’m meeting GSL in Malawi for a couple weeks of service learning. It’ll be great to see some NWU folks, make a little difference and learn about Malawian culture and local issues.
When I get back from Malawi, school will be finished in Tartu and I’ll be going to Italy and Greece and…well…doing lots lots more, but that can wait for later…
Nägemist,
Jess
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This is me and one of my best friends Stacie waiting for a Jack Johnson concert in Kansas to start. We were, clearly, excited. |
| Erin Kinberg, John Buller and I rode in the back of a truck on our way to a rural school in Nicaragua during our GSL international experience. |  |
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I met Scott Kleeb at the Lancaster County Democratic Convention when I was elected as an Obama delagate. |
| This is me with the two Nicaraguan girls, Selena and Cindy, who changed my life. |  |
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This is me with my best friend Sarah during the fourth of July. |