VANCOUVER - These were the first Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad that I have been to since Los Angeles hosted the West Coast Estonian Days in 1989. So a lot has changed and nothing at the same time has changed. What has changed is people have gotten older, more families with kids attended, and more English spoken.
Youngsters in folk costume prior to the Rahvatantsupidu at LEP: From left to right- Erika Ullman (Montana - 8 yrs old), Karl (6 yrs old ) and sister Ingrid (5 yrs) Ruum from Vancouver, Alina Tork (Vancouver, 5 yrs of age), Anna Liisa Sepp (6 yrs.) from Portland and Annika Tork (7 yrs old). Photo: Liisa Ullman
Many non-Estonians attended either because their spouse or girl/boyfriend are Estonian. It was great to see these people so active - dancing rahvatants, helping to organize events and just hanging out at the various daily and late-night events. I myself am married to an American-German who is very supportive of my Estonian culture. Unfortunately, Jeff had to stay back in Montana for this trip, but he will be definitely attending the next LEP, 2007 in Los Angeles.
Most of the people attending were the over-60 crowd. Many had traveled from the East Coast of Canada and the U.S., Texas, California and a few from Australia and Estonia. There were lots of events and gatherings to attend, starting with the Academic Lunch on Monday afternoon, to sorority/fraternity, church, school alumni, veterans meetings - and even a gathering of people who once lived together in Germany after World War II. I didn't keep track of a lot of stuff, but I saw that people were always going to attend some event.
We had a great group of people in the 35 to 50 crowd with kids. Among the best organized events were the ones aimed at the children. Every morning, Lillian Olljum-Goold organized fun things for the kids to do - ages ranging from 2 years old to 15 years old). There were games, crafts, leatherwork with Kalev Ruberg, and a beach party on the shore of Harrison Lake. A highlight for the teenagers was the "Sasquatch Hike". This area of BC is known for unexplainable "Big Foot" sightings and I heard there was a sighting while on the hike! Lillian was great and the kids had so much fun, plus got to know each other, thus hopefully making an "Estonian Connection" for future friendship and Esto Days. This was a great time for parents to also take part, or go for a leisurely morning coffee with friends.
The first 2 days of LEP were action-packed with socializing and many events to attend. After the Academic Lunch was the Avaaktus which ran short and sweet. A few short speeches, a couple of songs sung by E STuudio Chamber Choir from Estonia, then off to the Sõpruspidu. What a great evening with a fantastic buffet, some Esto singing entertainment and rahvatants, then "Meie Mees"! They were wonderful and the crowd never sat down! Meie Mees also played on Tuesday night and the crowd really enjoyed their music. Excellent, high-energy beat which happens to have hilarious Estonian lyrics -WOW! On both nights I was there to the end and then off to the SALAKÕRTS for more socializing until the wee hours of the morning. On Wednesday my feet, my body and my jaws hurt!
Some things that didn't change were the high performance level of concerts, art exhibitions and standard Estonian events that are always included in any Esto gathering, like gymnastics, theatre, folkdance, church service. My daughter, Erika, now 8 years old, got to participate in the folkdance show on Thursday and for me and my mother Milvi Puusepp that was a highlight beyond the stars!
Back in Montana I dug out my rahvariided a week before we left for Vancouver to see what shape they were in. (I hadn't looked at them for 5 years). Well, Erika fit into my kidsize set of Kihnu clothes, so we thought it would be fun for her to wear them sometime during LEP. When we got here we were asked by Pr. Sepp from Portland if Erika could dance with the kids group since they had an odd number of kids. Erika practised with the group everyday and picked up the couple of dances quickly. The performance was wonderful and the kids stole the show! I was a proud Mama with tears flowing, thinking that this is what life is about. You pass on your culture and heritage to your kids to give them a sense of identity and uniqueness.
Growing up in Toronto during the 70's was fantastic because we so had many estos in one place that cared about passing on the culture after WWII to the first generation born in Canada. I look back at old pictures and have wonderful, lasting memories.
The location chosen for LEP was very nice. All the events were close together in the same hotel. The town of Harrison is small, so you could park your car for the entire festival and walk everywhere. Harrison is known for the Hot Springs, but also for their yearly Sand Castle building competitions. The scenery there is gorgeous with the beautiful lake and surrounded by green snow-capped mountains. There's a good selection of restaurants if you want to escape from the hotel. All in all it was a great choice for LEP.
The weather was typical British Columbia weather throughout the week - a little sunshine and a little rain. Luckily, the main events were all held in doors. The Rahvapidu on Friday was the last event where people said their good-byes and took final pictures. It was pouring rain outside, but we were all having a merry time indoors getting our last folkdance and singing done over an excellent buffet of hamburgers/hotdogs, salads and desserts.
