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EESTI ELU reedel, 22. aprillil 2022 — Friday, April 22, 2022
Let’s do it together! In the past two months, the Estonian Ecumenical Relief Organization in Canada (EERO) has received an unprecedented number of donations from many dif ferent organizations, who have stepped up to assist Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. Congratulations to the Van couver Estonian community for raising over $4000 for the EERO Ukrainian Refugee Fund on Sunday, April 10th! A live lecture event was organized jointly by the sorority Korp! Filiae Patriae (K! FP) and the Society for Advancement for Estonian Studies in Canada (SAESC/EKÜK). “Arvo PärtModern Estonian Master” was presented by Thomas Kirves, beloved conductor of the Läänetuul (Western Wind) choir. 45 people attended in person, while other community members participated virtually. Our heartfelt thanks go to Ingrid Soide, Lilian Olljum, Kati Nõmme and Viive Alexander for their hard work.
In addition, several generous donations came from Vancouver directly to EERO for which we are very grateful. Many Estonians have grown up hearing the harrowing stories of parents or grandparents, who arrived in Canada as war refu gees after 1944. Some are choosing to donate in their memory. EERO has received in memoriam donations to the EERO Ukrainian Refugee Fund honouring Mare Roomets, Lilli Piil and Irja Mägi. “One the objectives of ERC (Estonian Relief Committee in Canada) / Ehatare is to provide help where needed in the Estonian community”. ERC is donating $10,000 to the EERO Ukrainian Refugee Fund, to help communities in Estonia cope with the critical needs of Ukrainian refugees fleeing daily from the war.” In its 55th year, Kotkajärve Metsaülikool or University of
Canines: Covert connoisseurs of the Estonian language Vincent Teetsov In December 2020, Maris Hellrand from the Associated Press published a news story about Zorik, a black and white dog in Tallinn’s Kala maja neighbourhood. Over his life of 12 years, Zorik had gone from being found aban doned in a “coal storage area” to befriending and re ceiving the care of many local residents. Zorik, in turn, was cautious but caring to other local ani mals, such as stray cats. Within his final months, he was brought to a home in the countryside. Zorik’s moving away and death deeply sad dened the community members who loved him. Thus, in his honour, jour nalist and animal rescue volun
A dachshund at Toompea Castle.
teer Heiki Valner came up with the idea to place a statue of Zorik (along with the kind of cat he would have been seen with) in his old neighbourhood. Speaking about the dog’s role in the area, Valner said, “He was a point of social integra tion.” This would definitely not be the first time dogs have been kind and feeling. But perhaps there was something distinct about the use of the Estonian language that connected this dog to his human neighbours. Although English and French are Canada’s official languages, when we broach the topic of how best to communicate with our canine friends, I would vouch for the effectiveness of Estonian. If you were to visit every Estonian household with a dog in North America, for
Photo: travelnuity.com
the Forest (MÜ), has also committed its support. MÜ has launched a newsletter campaign to encourage all past partici pants to donate to the EERO Ukrainian Refugee Fund. “ MÜ has received assistance from the Estonian Republic for our sum mer camps and other cultural programs”, says Maimu Mölder, one of the directors. “Now it’s our turn to support Estonia!” Thanks to all the individuals and organizations, who continue to fundraise and donate to support Ukrainian refugees in Estonia, EERO will be able to transfer a further $30,000 to Estonia next week. That brings our total to date to over $181,000 or 140,000€. Please visit our website www. EEROcanada.com, for more information or donate via e-transfer eerolaekur@gmail. com or by cheque: to EERO Ukrainian Refugees, 17 Tufton Crescent, Toronto, Ont. M4A 2E2 or the EERO page at Canada Helps. PS. We hope you enjoy: The World We Inherit / Maailm mis jääb meile, the Benefit Concert available on YouTube the eve ning of Sunday April 24th. EERO
that matter, I’d hazard a guess that a significant number of them were speaking Estonian to their pet dogs – even if Esto nian wasn’t the primary lan guage in human conversations. What makes Estonian effec tive for canine communication? Firstly, its sounds are firm and clear. Dogs (koerad) respond to greetings and commands that they can pick up among the many affectionate cooing and doting sounds they hear. Imagine a friend comes to visit you one day, and after they pass through the door and reach out to pet your dog’s head, the dog gets excited and jumps up on your friend. How do you stop that? “Ära hüppa!” (“don’t jump!”) may be the first phrase you’ll need up your sleeve. Particularly if you have an energetic little puppy. The hard letter Ä and emphasized letter Ms will get their atten tion. If you have a dog and aren’t using Estonian with them al ready, and you find that they aren’t engaging with your voice, try out these other phrases: “Ei saa!” (“you can’t have [it]!”): This is for when you’re cooking in the kitchen or eating at the dining room table. When your dog is asking for some food, or shrewdly anticipating morsels dropping like heavenly gifts from above, tell them “ei saa!” Better yet, elongate it into “eiiiii saaaaa!” so they know it’s something they’re not allowed to have. That’ll at least work until they think you’ve forgotten and come back again five minutes later. In instances where it’s not clear what a dog wants, and they keep pestering you, ask them “mis sa tahad?” (“what do you want?”). There are a (Continued on page 10)
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Photo used with permission from the University of Tartu
Peeter Einola receives his University of Tartu Star of Appreciation award from rector Dr. Toomas Asser Vincent Teetsov TARTU, ESTONIA – On Thursday April 7th, 2022, after two years of delay due to the pandemic, Peeter Einola was finally able to receive his Star of Appre ciation award from the University of Tartu’s Rector, Dr. Toomas Asser. The award, created in 2019, is intended for “... individuals who have rendered great ser vices to the university.” In Einola’s case, it is recognition for the work he has done in materializing the Väliseesti Külalisprofessori Stipendium (Visiting Professor from the Estonian Diaspora Scholarship) and also his “long term commitment to representing the University of Tartu Foundation in Canada, and supporting the University of Tartu,” as he clarified. Back in October 2020, when the University of Tartu initially gave him the Star of Appre ciation, he conveyed his grati tude to them, detailing his per sonal motivations for supporting the university. He described his Estonian upbringing in Canada, and how “the importance of education in order to progress in life, but at the same time to know and appreciate my national and cultural background” was stressed as a young man. As such, Einola firmly believes that “higher education and the skills and discoveries gained from it are decisive for the future of Estonia and Estonians.” Having seen the outstanding contributions of Estonian aca demics around the world, and as the 100th year as the national university was approaching, the
late Volli Kalm, former Rector of the University of Tartu, pro posed the idea of the scholar ship. Peeter Einola took the lead in securing funding part ners. Finally, on December 1st, 2018, the scholarship was first announced. As a pilot project, it has already brought two talented researchers of Estonian descent to share their knowledge in Estonia. Scholarship applications are assessed by a committee, estab lished by the rector. Selection is determined by the applicant’s proposal for participating in the university’s teaching and re search, giving public lectures, and popularizing their research field in Estonia and at the University of Tartu. Currently, the visiting profes sor position is filled by cultural psychologist Dr. Jaan Valsiner, who has both taught courses and delivered public lectures that are available on the Tartu Ülikooli Televisioon platform for general viewing (https:// www.uttv.ee/naita?id=33080). The first two years of the scholarship, and the third one coming up, have been funded by the University of Tartu Fund, the Chair of Estonian Studies Foundation in Canada, and The Estonian Students Fund in the United States. Einola’s key task for the coming months will be to find additional funding for the future. The university has been very supportive of the scholarship, which provides fur ther motivation to establish the resources for the scholarship to be awarded on a continuous basis with a sustainable source of funding. Look for further details for contributing to this effort to be provided soon.
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