Viinalass family says small moments made Estonia meaningful

Daniel Levi Viinalass told ERR’s Ringvaade that his family recently marked 30 years since moving to Estonia, saying small everyday moments made the country meaningful to them.

Viinalass said he still sometimes experiences culture shock. The family celebrated the anniversary with relatives and friends, and nearly 150 people attended after his mother accidentally sent the invitation to everyone on Facebook.

Viinalass was eight when the family moved to Estonia. He said their connection to the country came through his father, who grew up in Canada. After his grandfather died, his father found a newspaper intended for Estonians living abroad. Although most of it was in Estonian, he noticed an English-language advertisement inviting people to come to Estonia to teach English.

“My father immediately understood that this was meant for him. It spoke to him in an extraordinary way,” Daniel Levi Viinalass recalled.

His father had promised the family they would stay in Estonia for one year and then return.

His brother Joshua James Viinalass, who was three when they moved, said his first memory of Estonia was Annelinn, a district of panel apartment buildings.

Daniel Levi recalled playing between the apartment buildings in Annelinn. His father gave a football to a boy who lived nearby, and the boy’s family later gave them a horn brought from Georgia. The horn remains in a place of honour at their parents’ home.

“Through very small things, those relationships became so meaningful,” he said.

Joshua James learned Estonian by speaking with other children at the playground. “I started communicating with my hands and feet, and later began speaking,” he said.

Daniel Levi said Estonian food was very good, but added that he still cannot eat sült, a traditional jellied meat dish. The brothers said their favourite Estonian food is minced meat gravy.