English woman living in Estonia: my first sauna visit shocked me

Shona Soitu, a woman originally from the United Kingdom, moved to Estonia two years ago and now shares her experience of life in the Baltic country on social media. She spoke about her life on Ringvaade, a programme on Estonian public broadcasting.

Moving for love

Soitu and her future husband Kert met on holiday in Mexico: they were staying at the same hotel and bumped into each other by the pool. Before relocating she had visited Estonia several times and knew that companies such as Skype and Bolt were founded here. She fell for Tallinn and for the countryside too, including bog hikes, the calm and the sense of safety. When the couple had to decide between living in England or Estonia, she suggested trying Estonia.

Videos on social media

Soitu's posts about Estonia and Estonians have attracted tens of thousands of followers. It started by chance: she wanted to share on TikTok what she had learned in an Estonian lesson, namely how to introduce herself and say where she is from. The video quickly gained popularity, and she decided to keep documenting her journey.

Differences and getting used to them

Britons like small talk even with strangers, but in the workplace kitchen in Estonia this caused bewilderment. Soitu became more reserved and now considers herself fairly restrained, guarding her time and energy. She likes nature and loves the sauna, and says she has already become fully "Estonianised".

She remembers her first sauna visit in detail: it was in Rapla at her husband's parents' home, and the beating with a birch whisk stood out most. A couple of months ago the couple held a large wedding party, which brought plenty of surprises for the guests from England, including the abduction of the bride, when the groom had to complete tasks.

Language and the future

She has not yet got used to how much pork is eaten in Estonia, nor to blood sausage. At home the couple mix Estonian and English. Soitu wants to raise children in Estonia and believes that out of respect for the country one should learn Estonian at least at a beginner level, but she intends to learn it properly.