My name is Neda, and I am a student of animation at the School of Arts in Nova Gorica. Before finishing my bachelor’s, I took an absolvent year and decided to spend the spring semester at the Estonian Academy of Arts, EKA (Eesti Kunstiakadeemia). In this text, I will separate a few chapters about life in the country, as well as what the semester looks like as an animation student at the academy.

Life in Estonia

Estonia is a small country located right across from Finland, over the Baltic Sea, sharing a border with Russia and Latvia. Due to its position, the weather conditions differ dramatically compared to countries in the west and south of Europe. Winters have very short daylight hours (sunrise is around 9:00 and sunset around 15:00), while summers are the opposite (sunset around 23:00 and sunrise around 3:00). Keeping this in mind, I decided to apply only for the spring semester, as I am very negatively affected by the lack of sunlight. Even so, by arriving at the end of January, I experienced the 9 a.m. darkness and 3 p.m. sundown, which made it quite difficult to wake up in the morning. Depending on the person, this might not be bothersome, but people coming from the Balkans, like me, or from more western regions, usually get negatively affected as well (mood swings, extreme lows in energy and motivation, etc.). However, before I came to Tallinn, we were assigned “buddy students”—students studying at EKA who are responsible for helping foreigners prepare for life in Estonia. They recommended starting a daily intake of vitamin D before arrival. Personally, this helped the most. Apart from still waking up slower than usual, I became mostly indifferent to the weather conditions, so I would highly recommend it. Another useful activity that is also a standard part of daily life in Estonia is going to saunas. There are quite a few around the city, and occasionally, EKA organizes mental health days where they rent out a sauna for a few days and place it in the school courtyard. You can then use it for free and for however long you want. On campus, they also have psychologists who specialize in helping foreigners adapt to the climate, as well as cope with homesickness and culture shock.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Estonia may be the most foreigner-friendly country in Europe. There was never a moment where I struggled to communicate or find my way around—most people, regardless of age, speak almost perfect English, and every directional or public sign in the city has an English translation. So it’s not too difficult to get around, even without Google Maps.

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Studying at EKA

Even though I was a bachelor’s student, the bachelor’s courses in the animation department are only in Estonian, while the master’s are only in English. This means that, no matter which year of study you’re in at your home university, all exchange students are placed into the master’s program. The courses offered this semester were very fun and useful for me personally. Every year, they switch things up and try to add something new—removing courses they think are less useful and introducing those they believe will benefit students more. The spring semester of 2025, which I attended, included courses on comic book making, film music and sound, sound design, and creative expression, as well as many optional courses. The optional ones I managed to get were stop-motion puppet building, co-creation and storytelling, and critical engagement. In addition, EKA offers optional courses from all departments, and even as an animation student, you can choose courses related to photography, jewellery making, blacksmithing, painting, performance art, installation art, etc. However, the system for applying is a bit tricky because it is based on a “first come, first served” system. Subjects like jewellery making and blacksmithing, being the most popular and with the fewest spaces, get taken the fastest, so you have to be really prepared beforehand.

Every department also has studio spaces located in different parts of the city, away from the main university building. Some are kilometers away (as is the case for the contemporary arts department, for example), but others are nearby. Luckily for the animation department, the stop-motion workshop is the closest of all—just a street around the corner from EKA. The spaces are filled with materials and rooms with multiplanes, machines for cutting, sewing, building, etc., all free to use.

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Nature

Village trip

During my stay, the animation department had its annual trip to the countryside, to a village called Käsmu located in Lahemaa National Park. It’s a village known for mostly having artist residences—houses rented by artists seeking inspiration, peace, and quiet. Fifteen of us, from both 1st and 2nd year master’s, stayed in one house for three days, where we walked through forests and along icy, snowy beaches.

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Through the bogs

Estonia is famous for having around 22% of its land covered by bogs and swamps. These date back about 10,000 years and are culturally significant in Estonian folklore. Some locals even believe the bog water has healing properties. Hiking these bogs on wooden boardwalks is a popular activity and very calming and beautiful.

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City park

In Tallinn, there is a beautiful, large park called Kadriorg, which I enjoyed visiting mostly near the end of my mobility, when it was sunnier and the weather became warmer. It is always quiet and calm, even when filled with people sitting on the grass or benches.

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Cultural difference

One thing that might be difficult, and which I heard most people complain about, is that Estonians can come off as particularly cold, depending on where you’re coming from. In general, I didn’t attempt to make many close connections with Estonian students during my stay, as my year was almost completely filled with people from other places of the world. However, I spoke with many other foreign students who had been studying there for several years, from different departments, and many described , conversations the had with most Estonians as brief and distant. Most other departments are predominantly Estonian, which makes living there more difficult and lonely for some. On the bright side, the animation department doesn’t really have this issue, as there are always more foreigners than locals. So from my experience, there’s no need to worry—just expect some slightly awkward public interactions at most haha.

Otherwise, for all exchange students, a group chat is made beforehand, where I saw many students inviting each other for meals and hangouts to socialize, meet new people, and explore. However, since I quickly connected with my classmates in the animation department, I spent all my time with them and didn’t feel the need to socialize with other exchange students.

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To conclude,

I definitely believe I return home with new skills, fresh perspectives, and a appreciation for Estonian culture, nature, and the supportive community I found at the animation department. For anyone considering a similar opportunity, I would absolutely recommend taking the leap.