ESTONIA 
Eastern Europe
Capital: Tallinn
Languages: Estonian (official), Russian (regional)
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:
- Independent, mature, dependable, trustworthy.
- Estonians are very attentive, and they are good at communicating.
- Patriotic (after decades of Russian occupation, they are proud to be Estonian!)
FUN FACTS: 
- Estonians love technology and are very knowledgeable when it comes to technology. Wireless Internet is available almost everywhere and Skype was invented in Estonia.
- Estonia is one of the Baltic countries together with Latvia and Lithuania. However, the Estonian language is not related to Latvian and Lithuanian but it is actually more related to Finnish.
- Estonia only has an area of 45,227 sq km. Texas is more than 15 times larger.
Education
- Compulsory education finishes at 9th grade (age 15/16) and students can continue with high school, go on to a technical college, take up an apprenticeship or seek employment. High school finishes at 12th grade (age 18/19) and students can then go on to study at university.
- Parents put a lot of focus on their children’s education from a young age and parents like their children to have varied hobbies and interests.
- The option of being an au pair is now common in Estonia. They like the idea of discovering new cultures and improving their English skills. Work & travel programs, volunteering and traveling abroad are also common options for a gap year.
USEFUL PHRASES:
- How are you? Kuidas läheb?
- Fine, thanks. Suurepäraselt, tänan.
- My name is… Minu nimi on…
- Nice to meet you! Meeldib sinuga tutvuda!
- Thank you. Tänan.
Photos by: Dennis Sylvester Hurd {flickr}, Young Shanahan {flickr}