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Father met me at the train station, took my suite case and told me to go to Tallinn Teachers’ Training Institute immediately with my examination card from Leningrad. I was supposed to take the exam in Estonian. I was asked to write a dictation in Estonian and then the next day – an oral Estonian exam. The rest of the exams were carried over from Leningrad examination card. First I was as enrolled as an eternal student, and in a week I became a full-time student.
I came across anti-Semitism twice in my life. Once a girl called me a kike. It happened in the fourth grade.The second time was in my institute. I studied with Estonians, and in my department the subjects were taught in Estonian. There were hardly any Russians. In the fall we were in a kolkhoz [25], and at that time all students were supposed to help farmers for one month, and that was an obligatory assignment from the university. One Estonian student made some comments on my nationality. I was very upset. I was always very funny and energetic and my Estonian fellow students noticed that something was going on with me. They asked me what it was and I told them. I do not know if they said anything to that student. On New Year’s when we gave presents to each other, she got two bars of laundry soap. It was not me who did it, and I had no idea who it was.
I came across anti-Semitism twice in my life. Once a girl called me a kike. It happened in the fourth grade.The second time was in my institute. I studied with Estonians, and in my department the subjects were taught in Estonian. There were hardly any Russians. In the fall we were in a kolkhoz [25], and at that time all students were supposed to help farmers for one month, and that was an obligatory assignment from the university. One Estonian student made some comments on my nationality. I was very upset. I was always very funny and energetic and my Estonian fellow students noticed that something was going on with me. They asked me what it was and I told them. I do not know if they said anything to that student. On New Year’s when we gave presents to each other, she got two bars of laundry soap. It was not me who did it, and I had no idea who it was.
Period
Location
Talinn
Estonia
Interview
Julianna Sharik