Most of my time in Estonia was spent with a group of very friendly (and really smart) Russian software engineers, and I was given a few beautiful introductions to Russian culture.  On the day of this photograph, I was on a walking tour of the Old Town, learning about the history of the city, and visiting with native Estonian merchants selling woolen goods (hats, sweaters, scarves) and amber souvenirs; they were justifiably proud of their traditions and centuries-honed craftsmanship.  I was most curious (and saddened) to learn of the social tensions between these two beautiful peoples.  I have a tourist’s point of view and understanding of the issues, which I’m sure is simplistic.  However, they each gave so much to this tourist; they have much to give to each other as well.

 

The next day, in a local church service, I saw multiple ethnicities gathered together, with hymns sung simultaneously in multiple languages, and spoken words offered a sentence at a time, with translations immediately following.  Despite the cultural and language differences, there was a unity in that diverse group; they all belonged to the same church and worshipped the same God.  Seeing the unity in that church gave me hope that, with the diversities playing out in a larger scale in the city and the country, these Russians and native Estonians could find a similarly inspiring reason to achieve greater harmony with each other.