Home > Work > Xenophobe's Guide to the Estonians
1 " It would be easier to get a computer to cry than to get Estonians to share their innermost feelings. "
― , Xenophobe's Guide to the Estonians
2 " It's normal to be 'normal'. Nothing is ever 'wonderful' or 'great' to an Estonian. Things are always a laconic 'usual' or, more normally, 'normal'. When an Estonian says that something is 'normal' it indicates that life is continuing on a safe, well-trodden path and that this is the way things should be. Too much excitement is treated as suspect. Essentially the Estonians agree with the Chinese curse: 'May you live in exciting times. "
3 " Teacher to Juku's mother: 'Your son is so thirsty of knowledge! Who does he get it from?''The knowledge from me, the thirst from his father. "
4 " For those countries not in Scandinavia or the Russian Federation, Estonia is perceived as part of Russia, or totally off the radar. Estonian soldiers who served in Iraq had a common complaint: no-one knew where they were from. Many of their American colleagues had never heard of Estonia or thought it was a mythical country. The Iraqis hadn't a clue either. One Estonian captain gave up - 'I told them I was from the moon,' he said. "
5 " Domestic animals come in two sorts - workers and pets. The working kind have a very belt and braces existence and are expected to earn their keep as guard dogs, rat cats, ornamental pub fish, etc. A 'pet' in Estonian is a lemmikloom (which means 'favourite animal') and a very much part of the family. "
