It is Christmastime – and time for my yearly letter. But I am writing you a special, separate letter, also.
I have thought of all of you many times this year. In February or March, I decided to join the Cincinnati International Chorus again for the first 1994 Summer tour. It’s the same group that came to Tallinn in 1991. Our destination this year was Scandinavia – Sweden, Norway, Denmark. I am so close to Estonia, I thought, there must be some way I can get back to Tallinn for a visit. I tried everything I could through the first week in May and finally gave it up as hopeless.
I had to have a traveling companion. I was really afraid to try to do it alone with all of the luggage, etc. It would have been just too heavy for me to manage alone. I tried at least 5 people – even offering to pay part or most of the expenses for 2 of them – (one of those 2 was even Bill Giles who was with me in 1991 and had caused me so much grief and illness for 2 years when I didn’t write you – so you know how badly I wanted to come!) No one was able to work it out. Bill considered the possibility but, true to form, backed out in May. I finally just gave up and put the money into a new living room bay window in the front of my house.
I enjoyed Sweden, loved Norway, and kept thinking of Tallinn and wishing. The rest of the details about the trip will be in my regular Christmas Letter which I will also send you. Perhaps if I could have had your phone number, I would have called. One married couple in our group led me to believe they were not going so I could not go with them – then in Sweden they said they were going to Tallinn – I gave them your name but they tried to call 3 different Marga’s – none the correct one – and they had so much trouble with the phone system and language, they gave up. (I could not remember your address.) At least you know I tried.
Almost everyone in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark speaks English. I was very surprised. It is required for 4 or 6 years in all schools. Are you doing anything like that in Estonia? We have a wonderful magazine in America – “The National Geographic”. It is always written in fairly simple English – and even if you can’t read the English, the pictures are beautiful and tell much of the story. It is like a window to the world. In the October 1994 issue, I read the wonderful article on the “Hanseatic League” pages 36-80.* And on page 78 they spoke of Estonia and Tallinn – (I had seen Bergen, Norway this summer.) I wanted so much to share the article with you. And then I remembered all the books in your house -0 and knew that this is what I had to give you for Christmas. The October issue (enclosed) is your first magazine – and you should receive the November issue some time around the end of December or first of January – and every month thereafter. The magazines are shipped by BOAT so they run about 2 months behind. If you don’t get them by February 1st, or if your address is changed- or anything – please let me know immediately! You can write to me by air mail or you can even call me collect – station to station thorough an operator US Area code ***-***-****. I have tape recorder on the phone so you can leave a message (unfortunately not collect) if I am not home. But maybe the telephone operator can leave a message for me to call you back – with her operator number.
I’m sure life is difficult in Estonia from what little I can hear from different sources. I hope things are not too hard for you and that freedom from Russia is worth it.
Hope to hear from you.
With loving thoughts,
Carolyn Ruth Hunt