I was vaguely interested in going abroad when the restrictions on overseas travel by Covid-19 were gradually lifted, and I came across this tour. I chose "Estonia" out of several courses for the simple reason that I would never go there on vacation and that a country I was unfamiliar with sounded interesting. In the preliminary lecture, we started with the main topic of the tour, "What is sustainability?”. Also, I was able to get to know the lifestyle and values of the people in Estonia, and at the same time, I was able to deepen my friendship with tour members.
Once I arrived in Estonia, I spent my days sharpening my senses, trying to feel Estonia through all the information that came into my eyes, ears, and mouth. However, what left a lasting impression on me in Estonia was the real "silence" though it’s a little weird. The sound of my own footsteps and breathing in the deep snow, the voices as "sound" in an environment surrounded by people speaking in a language I could not understand at all, the people marching with Estonian and Ukrainian flags in silence on the day after the Independence Day. Although none of those memories were silent, what I always remember is the somewhat empty silence after the sounds I made were absorbed by the snow.
Everywhere was covered by snow.
It is no exaggeration to say that this tour was a turning point in my life. Of course, it was my first trip abroad in several years after Covid, and I made invaluable friends, but more than anything, I feel that the greatest accomplishment was placing myself in Estonia which borders Russia and Ukraine, on the one-year anniversary of their military invasion of the two countries. When I was in Japan, I only wished for peace when I saw news reports and took it as someone else's problem and just wished for peace. However, when I came into contact with the ties between Estonia and Ukraine and the Ukrainian students I made friends with there, I was struck by the feeling that I was sharing time with an incident that was to become a historical fact. I wondered if the facts they were experiencing would eventually be transformed into historical facts that would appear in textbooks someday, and I might talk about them as a memory.
Flags of Ukraine and Estonia (Tartu)
When I turned on the TV after returning to Japan, I saw a special program about 3.11., I felt as if my own feelings overlapped with those of the people who were dealing with the fading memories of the disaster 12 years after it happened. I hope that the military invasion will end as soon as possible and that people's lives will be at peace. Also, I want to do my best not to forget my memory.
Finally, I would like to thank for Mr. Maruyama and Ms. Akiba for leading this tour, and I cannot thank them enough for always making it possible for us to have the best experience, despite the many difficulties you faced because of three-year absence. I sincerely hope that this tour will remain in the future.