I should get locked in my apartment more often...

I must have been a saint or a rebbe in a former life. That is the only way I can understand the luck I have had with this JDC gig. Or maybe this is the universe’s way of apologizing for locking me in my apartment last week. The only thing I can say with certainty is, things are looking up. Oh, and thank you JDC powers that be.
No, JDC did not pay me to write that. But you’ll all understand where I am coming from as I break down my past weekend:
I spent the whole weekend in Estonia.
At a spa.
Surrounded by amazing Jews and Jewish speakers.
With free food and wine.
And it was free (for me at least).
Oh, and I got to swim three days in a row (which, if you know me, is enough of a selling point anyway).
Now, I’ll explain. Last Monday, immediately after discovering that my power kicks were not strong enough to free me from my apartment and just before I found help to get me out, my boss called to inform me that I would be attending Yachad, the Estonian Jewish Conference. I was far too frazzled to think about what that meant or to understand the Russian he was trying to use, but it turns out the conference was just the solace I needed.
And so, when Friday came, I got in the car to travel the mere 2.5 hours it takes to get to the beach town of another country. Yes, it is in fact faster for me to get to the beach in another country than it is for me to get to the beach from my home in America … I like Europe. A lot.
The conference was at a hotel/spa in Parnu, a town filled with a beach, pretty houses, Soviet style blocks, and apple trees.

When I arrived, I was reunited with the fellow in Estonia, Jonah Adams. I think we were both pleased to have another English speaker again. He introduced me to the Estonian madrichim (teenage leaders) and we practiced our Russian over lunch.

By the time we got back from lunch, the rest of Estonia seemed to have arrived and the hotel was hopping. I was still a little overwhelmed by it all so I relaxed and prepared for Shabbat by going swimming (shocker). After I was refreshed and clean it was time for Kabbalat Shabbat. All of the families gathered for Shabbat songs, dinner, and a mime (still not sure about that part, but you got used to being confused when everything is in Russian). I also met some of the famous speakers who were in attendance, including the Israeli deputy ambassador to Helsinki, the Estonian American Ambassador (who had to cancel his lectures due to the American government shutdowns. Go figure), some Russian actress, and the Ken Jennings of Estonia. I was in for an interesting weekend.

I got my beauty rest and woke up to a wonderful European style  breakfast, the only lecture in English from the Israeli deputy ambassador, and a cooking lecture with the Ken Jennings of Estonia. Not so surprisingly, the Israeli deputy ambassador talked about Israel. The cooking lecture was a whole other story. All I know is you can open hardboiled eggs with your forehead, you can drank olive oil out of the bottle, and you can put fish and apples in the blender. It was confusing and I don’t think I’ll be using any of the recipes but it was my ideal way to practice Russian.
With my mind still reeling from the strange Estonian concoctions, I took a mental break by swimming and cheering on the runners of the charity “marathon,” (which was really a 3 km jog).

Then came lunch and Jonah and my chance to help with the conference. We led an activity for kids about the most recent Torah portions: creation and Noah’s Ark. It was a great way for us to play with the kids, work with the madrichim, and practice counting to 7 in Russian. We started by coloring in a wheel with the 7 days of creation.

Next, we taught about Noah’s ark with one of the best improv games, host at a party. One kid “hosted” a party, to which everyone in attendance was an animal. The host was in charge of guessing the different animals as they winnied, woofed, and crawled around her.

To wrap up, we ended the way any event with kids should end, with konfietes (candy). The kids sorted M&M’s into a rainbow while holding their hands behind their backs. They were happy, their noses were blue, and they had more sugar than they needed.

And, thanks to the Madrichim translating Jonah and my muddled Russian into something intelligible, I think the kids even learned something.
After a nice walk around town, dinner, havdallah, and a concert, came my personal highlight of the weekend: 6 regions of wine, food, and dance, in 60 minutes.

One of the best chefs in Tallinn presented canapés and wine from South Africa, Argentina, California, Spain, and Italy. We ate, drank, and danced our way around the world.

With each wine came a new dance, and with each glass came a little more absurdity. By the end, there were people doing tribal cheers for South Africa and the Cotton Eyed Joe for America. It was a perfect way for me to celebrate with the Jews of Estonia.

My weekend only got better, as I woke up for another swim before heading back to Riga. I was sad to go but always happy to be back in Riga. Especially because when I got back, I ran into some of the Jewish teens, who were nice enough to teach me pool. And I must say, very, very patient. It was a good weekend to prepare me for another good week.