Dear Vanemuine Ballet

Hello! Qui ta sul lahaeb? Hesti? (OK, I know that was not spelled corectly.) Happy... ummm... October! (And Canadian Thanks-giving.) Tonight I'm going out with the Ballet group to have an Italien dinner, (to celebrate thanksgiving? maybe, but it's not very traditional.)

On Monday I have my premier of Victor / Victoria. Wish me well for that. I'm very curious about Outbound. Was it well received by the public? (Maybe something like how Fluxus was? I remember feeling uncertain, and without a real point, dancing Fluxus. But the Audience was usually impressed by it.) I wish you good success with it though. Have you done Fluxus in Tallinn yet? I'd like to know how it went there. Oh! and how about Fidler-on-the-Roof? (I don't know what you call it in Estonian.) Is it as dull as people were expecting it to be? Or is some of it fun?

I don't know what I can write about my life here. Mostly, my life is just going to the theater. All the time. We have 4 half days free each week, so it's something like 2 free afternoons, and one whole free day. But mostly, I've just been making my flat nice, and cooking so far. One day, I went for a walk, up the Mount behind the city (about 380 M. high. Not too big. :-) That gave a nice view of the city, and the towns around it. I've also been enjoying the multi-cultural foods. There are a lot of shops for Russians, Koreans and Arabs here.

I am sharing in a flat with a German architecture student, and half-Arab interier-design student. (Who knows a lot of good recipies, with lots of spices. Yummmmmmm....) There are two universities here, but not general ones, like in Tartu. One is just for Architecture, and the other is just for Music. The good thing about this, is that there's a lot of young people living here, and many are from foreign countries. The bad thing, is that the only English books in the libraries, are about Architecture (or Music.) There's no liturature here.

It's going to be OK though. (I just keep telling myself that. Over and over again. Every night, with my house-mate's Architecture magazines.) In a couple weeks, (after I get my October salary,) I'm going to buy a second-hand computer. Then, I know a place I can download a HUGE amount of books (in English.) The copyright laws mean that the're all old books, but there's a lot of good things to read which are more than 50 years old. (At last! I'll get to read Pushkin!) So... That's what I'm going to do with my salary.

What else?

It's a bit annoying, the way all the films have German voices taped over, so that I can't understand anything in Kinos. I have a few friends with DVD players though, so I can rent any of the new movies coming out, and watch them.

I've done a bit of touring, to little places like Bad-Salzuflen, Bad-Meinberg, and Hameln. Later this Month, I'll be going to Bad-Oeynhausen and to Itzehoe. None of these places are realy important though. It's kind of like saying "I've danced in the theater of Viljandi!" or "I've danced in Põltsamaa!" (I Have too. With Fouette, back in 2001.) I like to see the countryside though. And the audiences are usually good in these little towns.

Well... I can't realy think of anything else to write. If there's any specific questions, then, well... WRITE to me! (oh, yes! Please! give me something else to read besides Architecture Magazines! :-)

I remember you often.

Keep warm, and well,

Matthew Sly