The star of Estonian
laste joonis/filmid (kids' animated films)
koera/tüdruk (dog girl) Lotte is not a fan of
PUSAD (tangles), but this is definitely not just a girl thing. If you spray
pusa/palsam or (anti)-tangle conditioner in your hair, then the
kamm (comb) becomes your friend.
In Eesti,
šampoon is followed by
PALSAM (conditioner).
Palsam or balsam in English means a preparation containing resinous, aromatic, oily, plant-based substances – like the herbal
liköör Riga Black Balsam and what used to be called cream rinse for your
juuksed (hair). There is also a balsam-yielding tree, the balsam fir which in Estonian is called a
NULG; the ultimate
jõulu/puu, since it's a master at retaining its
okkad (needles).
No one wants pusad in their hair for
jõulud! You must be
puhas nagu porgand (clean as a carrot)! Do like Lotte does with her own line of sauna/
tooted (products) including
vanni/vaht (bath foam),
duši/geel (shower gel),
pisara/vaba (tear free)
šampoon and of course the
pusa/palsam, which is
mets/marja/lõhnaline – smells like forest berries. Pouring
vanni/vaht in your
vann results in a
mulli/vann (bubble bath), while at a spa you will find another, non-soapy
mulli/vann – a jacuzzi.
FYI – Š is pronounced sh, à la
šokolaad, Lotte comes from the pretty name Charlotte (no silent E-s in Estonian) and when in Eesti, if you ask to go to the
vanni/tuba (literally bath/room), people will think you want to wash up with Lotte's bubbly stuff. In a lot of older homes in Eesti, the
vanni/tuba and WC (from "water closet") are in separate rooms. And to make matters even sillier, it's written WC, but pronounced VC "vee-tsee". AND there's no C in the Estonian alphabet!...
Tualett and
käimla also work, but
kemps is cuter.
Here's to cleaning up well for the holidays!
Püh-püh-pühkima (sweep) for the
püh-püh-pühad (holidays). And don't forget to spray your Lotte-inspired topknot with
juukse/lakk (hairspray, literally hair lacquer/varnish.) Lotte's got her own online
pood you know: lotteshop.eu. She's no
laisk/vorst – slouch aka lazy sausage.
Riina Kindlam, Tallinn
