My Inner Investigator: Endless Exploration in Tallinn & Beyond

I could be an internet detective—I’m good at finding things, and occasionally doomscrolling. I usually doomscroll Instagram reels, but at 3 in the morning, I end up on LinkedIn or other opportunities. I was interested in an internship for the summer, with possibly going abroad, and eventually stumbled upon CIEE’s Summer Global Internship program in Tallinn, Estonia. 

My parents were confused when I first mentioned Estonia and studying abroad. I had not directly told them about wanting to go abroad until I had to pay my payment confirmation fee after expediting my passport application. They had not heard of Estonia before I mentioned the place to them, where they asked something along the lines of “Why go to such a tiny place?” After some (a lot of) convincing, my parents understood the perceived value and my interest in the program, and paid the confirmation fee. 

Shortly after confirming my program participation, I had my internship placement meeting with CIEE, and then an interview with my potential internship supervisor, who was interested in my background and thought I would be a good fit. At 8 AM in New York and 3 PM in Estonia, I rambled on about my previous projects with an overload of caffeine in my system and managed to secure my internship placement, all before my 9:30 AM class. 

Internship

I interned at Tallinn University’s Centre of Competence of Psychology and Law with a focus on forensic psychology. My supervisor, Kristjan Kask, leads the center with his research on eyewitness testimony, training investigative interviewers, and reforming the legal system.

I spent my first week at a doctoral writing camp hosted by Tallinn University in Kernu Manor. There, I networked with PhD students and supervisors, where we found commonalities between our reasonings in joining the doctoral writing camp. In a hotel with only a river and a convenience store (“gas station” according to Kristjan), I spent my time on my first research task: manually transcribing investigative interview experiment videos as part of my host researcher Kristjan’s research project. Rather than transcribing using software, transcribing had to be done manually, due to the EU’s GDPR ethical guidelines. While transcribing, I subconsciously attempted to investigate the experimental videos to understand the patterns among the participants and how they may relate to the overall experiment. I relaxed in Keller Spa in the basement of the hotel and got my first taste of Estonian sauna culture, upon efficiently completing the transcripts. 

The transcript served as the foundation for my future research tasks of coding the transcripts based on the reality monitoring theory and gesture usage. Participants of the research experiment were instructed to lie, and as scientific sleuths, the research team was to discern participants’ real memories from imagined ones. More abstract speech and gestures are usually indicative of false memories. For me, it was interesting to notice the patterns among the participants’ actions, specifically with gesture usage. Now, I often observe my friends’ gestures during my conversations and subconsciously code them. It was fascinating to understand and learn about the scientific evidence that supports the analysis of gestures and types of speech. 

Overall, coding is subjective and comes with a great deal of freedom. With my internship, I found that I have a lot of autonomy and can work according to my schedule, in terms of both location and time. The work culture in Estonia is similar, yet different from the work culture in the U.S. 

Kristjan has been a supportive mentor who wants to see me grow with meaningful tasks and to stimulate my potential. His research team is also supportive, yet on the smaller side, which has allowed me to build everlasting connections with them. Kristjan and his team see me as an equal in the distinctly friendly work environment, but also want me to enjoy my time in Estonia, giving me recommendations on what to explore. Nevertheless, my investigation did not end just as a research intern at Tallinn University but as a student with the curiosity to know more about the new world around me, starting with Russian. 

Russian

I began to learn Russian not by choice–it was the only language offered in my high school. In my senior year of high school, I took Russian in Business, where I coincidentally chose Estonia for a project on the former Soviet Union Republics, since I thought the name sounded nice. Then, with three years of Russian language learning and a year of a Russian elective (in English) under my belt, I chose to continue studying it in college by pursuing a Russian minor. In the back of my mind, there was a lingering urge to achieve a near native proficiency in Russian. 

To work towards my Russian minor and proficiency, I took a Russian Cinema course in the spring. Overall, I particularly learned about Russian language, culture, and Soviet history, but such concepts didn’t quite materialize in my brain. I spent the last five years learning about Russian, without actually seeing any of it in the real world. 

I have been at a Russian language learning threshold for a while, and strove to overcome it in a Russian-speaking country, starting with a Russian-speaking homestay. In the eastern area of Tallinn, the district of Lasnamäe has many Russian speakers, where I learned the hard way that many might not even speak English in the area. Lasnamäe is accessible to the rest of the city, with many buses that bring you to the city center, Tallinn University, bus station, ferry terminal, T1, and the airport. During my bus rides, I found it especially useful to listen to chit chat in the background to hear different voices and accents in Russian, which helped improve my own pronunciation. 

I did not choose the Intensive Russian Language program, but decided to combine my internship program with Russian to make the program my own. Beyond Russian language, I also wanted to explore after briefly familiarizing myself with Estonia in a slideshow presentation in 2023. After my internship, I set off to explore Tallinn, with a goal of at least one new place, starting with those that I can learn about Soviet history and practice my Russian. I kept track of my adventures on a Google Maps list and marked a calendar with my activities. 

Here are some of my favorites that capture the story and consequences:

• Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom: The suggested visit time was 1 hour, but I stayed for over 2. I immersed myself in the museum with the free audio guide as I began to understand history with my own eyes.
• Peter the Great’s House Museum: After visiting Kadriorg Palace, I headed off to Peter the Great’s House Museum, which was nearby. I expected that the visit would be short, as the home only has two floors, but instead the visit took over an hour. The cashier was highly passionate about the museum, and I received a free tour with history. I ended up succumbing to the gift shop and purchased a Peter the Great cookbook that is only produced by the museum.
• Linnahall: Built for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, Linnahall is an abandoned music venue that is still used today. It is picturesque with one side facing the sea and the other facing the city. 

Many old buildings are left standing in Tallinn, where you can even walk past them without realizing, except for some more infamous graffiti! For me, exploring Tallinn helped me understand Soviet-related history with my own eyes, Estonia’s position today, and what might be next. 

Tallinn, Estonia

Exploring Tallinn and nearby cities was made easier with student discounts–some even reducing the price by at least 10 euros. I often walked past an interesting museum and impulsively decide to explore it with a student ticket. 

There are also youth discounts for bus and ferry tickets, mainly with Lux Express. When travelling to nearby cities, I highly recommend Lux Express for the price, comfort, and free hot drinks, including hot chocolate! Here are the trips I went on beyond the CIEE program. 

📍 Riga, Latvia

After an almost 5-hour bus ride was my first independent day & weekend trip to Riga, Latvia. 

With other members of my program, we walked around the city to take in the architecture that may be a bit more charming than that in Tallinn. This exploration frequently reminded me of the Russian movie “The Stroll (Прогулка)”, with three main characters talking and walking around St. Petersburg for the day, with the long summer sun that seemingly never sets. This helped make the trip one of my favorite experiences in such a lively, walkable city. 

Must-sees:

• Latvian National Museum of Art: I’m not much of an art person, but it was interesting to compare the art in Latvia with that in Estonia. The building itself is magnificent and has grand exhibits.
• Old Town - House of Blackheads: Situated a market square, the House of Blackheads is stunning even from the outside. There is a museum inside where you can learn about the association of Brotherhood of Blackheads while admiring the architecture. The building is especially beautiful at night with lights.
• National Library: With an observation deck, modern architecture, and many floors to explore, visiting the National Library was a must. There is an impressive window display of books that spans most of the library, and going to the top floor lets you take in the city of Riga. I especially enjoyed the game exhibit, with information about typography, printing, and more!
• The Corner House: Also known as the KGB/Cheka Prison Cells, the Corner House provides valuable insight into Soviet history, with the basement that you can only see with a guided tour. I visited other KGB prison cells, but the Corner House definitely provides the best experience. 

If you want to visit all of the Baltics, I recommend that you keep going down from Latvia to Lithuania, otherwise as the bus ride from Tallinn to Vilnius is ~9 hours. 

📍 Tartu, Estonia

My internship supervisor, Kristjan, often recommended visiting Tartu, as he lived there for 15 years. My Russian professor soon said the same, after I mentioned that I was running out of places to explore in Tallinn. She connected me with her colleagues at the University of Tartu for an introductory tour of the university and the Russian department. I got in contact with the professors, and once I got to Tartu, we went on a walk around the university and talked in Russian. My favorite area was the park near the large Emajõgi River, coined the “Mother of all rivers”. 

Places to go (if you buy a ticket for one, you get a discount for the others!): 

• AHHAA Science Centre: Near the bus station, enjoy the fun interactive exhibits of the museum while learning about science!
• Upside-Down House Tagurpidi Maja (Peapeal OÜ): Drink water! You can get cool pictures if you turn upside down, and show off your strength to float in a house :)
• Estonian National Museum: The museum is massive–it was originally a Soviet military airbase. I really enjoyed the features of the ticket you get–you can tap your ticket on exhibit texts (originally in Estonian) and it automatically translates to English! You can also tap your ticket on some exhibit screens to save the text for future reading. There are nooks and crannies with even more exhibits for you to explore! One of my favorites was the Echos of the Urals exhibit, with a diagram of the linguistic connections of the Uralic people.
• Ruins of Tartu Cathedral: Free and in the University of Tartu, the cathedral ruins are a must-see. The sight was stunning and, of course, made me want to investigate more. 

📍 Helsinki, Finland

With just one ferry ride away is Helsinki, Finland. I went on the earliest ferry to Helsinki (8:00-10:30 AM) and the latest ferry back (7:00-9:30 PM) on Viking Line, which has much to explore–there is even an on-board grocery store! Helsinki has public transportation, but I ended up walking to most places, with a total step count of 35k and 15-17 miles, so be prepared to walk! 

I went on a Sunday during Finland’s midsummer, so many places were closed, but here are some recommendations based on what I could see: 

• South Harbor: Near the ferry terminal and city center, take in the water and architecture.
• Senate Square: Part of the city center, you can admire the old and famous buildings that surround the square. The area is picturesque with the Helsinki Cathedral, Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki, and a Helsinki sign.
• Helsinki City Museum: The museum is free and provides interesting insight into Helsinki’s history and culture. One of my favorite parts of the museum was the sauna exhibit, with a sign saying “SAUNA BAD”. It is a Finnish-Swedish joke as bath is “bad” in Swedish. In the gift shop, there are souvenirs with this joke, and of course, I had to buy one.
• Many churches: Finland is rather religious, where there are many beautiful churches within walking distance of each other.
• Helsinki Central Station: Helsinki has a subway system (similar to New York, but of course cleaner) with a large train station with many stores to explore. It is near the National Library of Finland, which also has impressive architecture.
• Lasipalatsi Square: The area has much to explore, including the largest Muji in Europe, which takes up the entire fourth floor of the shopping center. Helsinki has more “American” and “Asian” stores, if you’re looking to purchase things that you can’t find in Estonia! 

📍 Haapsalu, Estonia

As a seaside resort town that is lively during the summer and quiet during the winter, Haapsalu is a peaceful place to explore. It is near the Baltic Sea and walkable. 

• Railway Museum: Once you get off the bus, you can immediately see the railway station, with many old trains from the Soviet era. Further on your left is a water stop tower, which is interesting to explore. There is an actual museum in the train station that is worth seeing. It reminded me of another Russian movie called “The Thief (Вор)”, with appearances of Soviet trains next to a train station museum.
• Haapsalu Castle: The main area to explore in Haapsalu with a cathedral and observation decks. With the museum, you can understand more about the history of Haapsalu and the castle itself. When I went, there was a concert in preparation for the Song Festival, where there was even a performance of Espresso Macchiato!
• Haapsalu Promenade: Walk along the Baltic Sea while seeing swans, and even a polar bear! If you want to take the scenic route to other parts of Haapsalu, I recommend just walking along the promenade, since the area is beautiful.
• Tchaikovsky Bench: The Russian composer Tchaikovsky visited Haapsalu and composed the song Souvenir de Hapsal, Op. 2. 

📍 Narva, Estonia

The famous border town, where you can see Russia with your own eyes! On one side of the Narva river is the Narva castle, and on the other side is the Russian castle. 

• Peetri Plats (Peter Square): Next to border control, the square is in the center of the city, which helps you figure out what place to explore next!
• “Old Town”: Town Hall and the Narva College of the University of Tartu—they’re beautiful buildings with different architecture compared to the more Soviet buildings nearby.
• Narva Castle: The main attraction in Narva! The castle is a museum, but there is a tower that lets you observe Narva and Ivangorod.
• Narva Promenade: Explore the entirety of the area near the water; there is much to explore! To my surprise, there was even a pair of viewing binoculars and an open gym. 

Back to Tallinn!

Throughout the week, I spent any free moment exploring. To make the most out of my time in Estonia, I often took a random bus to a possibly interesting area and walked around. With the help of inspecting Google Maps, I discovered hidden gems such as the Eesti Panga muuseum (coin and money with a vault downstairs), Banned Books Museum, and a Chocolate Museum. 

Though, here are some more notable places to explore :)

• Old Town of course! After visiting the different Old Towns, the one in Tallinn is the best. It is more touristy than the others, but with good reason. In the beginning, I spent most of my free time exploring Old Town with all of the unique stores. The Town Hall Tower gives you a good view of Old Town, even though getting there is a bit of a climb (be prepared).
• Tallinn TV Tower (Teletorn): Another destination with significant history while also providing you a spectacular view of the city and beyond! Disclaimer: The mascot also looks like a Teletubby. Nearby is the Tallinn Botanical Garden, where you can buy a ticket bundle for the TV Tower and Botanical Garden!
• Balti Jaama Turg (Market): With a farmers’ market, many restaurants, street food, and vintage + antique stores, Balti Jaam is an essential destination. There is even a Kalev store to stock up as much chocolate as your heart desires!
• Fotografiska: I like taking pictures, a lot of them. One day I decided to go to Telliskiviki Creative City (I also recommend) and saw a photo museum on the map. I impulsively decided to buy a ticket and explore. The photos are strikingly high quality, and rather chilling as they seemingly come to life.
• Malls: Tallinn has many malls, including Solaris, Viru, Nautica, Kristiine, T1, Ülemiste, and Lasnamäe Centrum. But, my favorite is T1 with Asian grocery stores, Miniso, large book stores, and of course, the Skywheel.
• Kadriorg: Largest park in Tallinn with the Kadriorg Palace, President’s Palace, Peter the Great House Museum, KUMU, and the actual park
• Piritia Waterfront: I originally ventured to the area after noticing that my bus goes past a Rusalka statue (my university has a cardboard boat race and my club’s boat was called Rusalka). However, after further exploration, I fell in love with the Baltic Sea. It is near Kadriorg, but there are parks and museums further up the waterfront. 

The Investigation Continues 

In Tallinn, my internship remained my top priority, but so was exploring the world around me, too. However, there is much to Tallinn with its charm, in addition to the connections and memories that I’ve made. I’m excited to share my stories with my family and friends back home, while exploring more places in my home city and abroad. Now with the travel bug, I am already looking into more study abroad opportunities, and to even come back to Estonia in the future to continue exploring, and to continue investigating. 

If you’re interested in studying abroad with CIEE, feel free to use my referral code! Use it when you start a new application to get $200 off your program costs, and a $200 donation will be made to the Global Navigator Scholarship fund. A little can go a long way :) https://my.ciee.org/?rc=jacqueline