One peculiarity among the people of this country is what I call "workguilt" or work-associated or work-related guilt. This is the idea that we must all be working, working very hard, and slackers/shirkers are scorned by the all-seeing village eye [An Estonian's dream is that he dies while working, says my friend Ain]. // When you are walking down the street in Estonia, and you see someone doing some form of manual labor -- the most respected kind! -- you are obligated to bellow out a buoyant "jõudu!" (which means "strength"), to which the sweaty snow shoveler or wood chopper or brush clearer grunts "tarvis!" ("needed") in a bassy, work-worn, air-gasping voice. // The other day the femme and I were walking down the street here in Viljandi and chanced upon several very industrious neighbors who were building a basilica-sized igloo. So taken with the size of their ambition, we forgot to speak up. No big deal. But a geyserburst of workguilt erupted up up a little farther down the road. // "I should have yelled out 'jõudu'," my femme lamented after we passed the iglooists. "Why don't you go back and say it," I offered. "No," she sulked and shook her head and whimpered on. "The moment has already passed."
Read more about workguilt in my column, "Golden Hands," here. It's part of a new collection that will be published this month by AK called Misjonäripoos, or "The Missionary Position."
33 kommentaari:
In my opinnion "Tervist!" would be best translated as "May the force be with You!" -- this sentence carries all the neccesary philosophy for english speaking Galaxy ... ;)
This jöudu-tarvis makes my heart warm. My father used it, he's dead now already 20 yrs. I did not know that this greeting is still alive, because we left countryside on 60-ies and the entire life we lived in Tallinn.
LOL. You and your femme, etc. Giustino, this is probably the queeniest post you have ever written. Keep up the good work. JÕUDU! :)
It's from reading Kerouac - La nuit est ma femme, plus the Estonian naine.
Rainer, just out of curiosity, what does "queeniest" mean in the context of this blog post? I really would like to know.
Making an important thing out of nothing, isn't that queeny?
Who made an important thing out of what?
I am LOL all over this piece ...!!!
Joudu, Mr. Writer! Not that you need any joudu for that meaningless job that you do or pretend to do ... Muahahahahh.
Epp, By queeny I meant bitchy, diva-like, dimissive style.
Dismissive.
No offence intended, Giustino.
Rainer, the term queen is exclusive to the gay community scene and applies to a middle aged gay man with a bit of a temper. I could call Priimägi an old queen but only if I knew him personally, but I dont and a straight guy couldn't get away with it even if he was his best friend. It's a bit like a n-word. Just a faux pas, I take it.
I actally met quite a few straight Polish guys who use gay lingo for some reason. Dead funny though :)
Rainer pani puusse.
Joudu is such an agrarian, uncalssy thing to say. Unless it is some form of curel mockery.
Disagree?
OK, then imagine the high class aristocrats in the TV show Downton Abbey greeting each other with a phrase like that ...
No? Why not?
There.
MOTT
I read this post earlier today. This evening, my wife and I were leaving the apartment complex of her (our) vanaema and tadi. She greeted the man clearing snow off the walkway with a warm rendition of "joudu".
Your Estonia becomes My Estonia every once in awhile. Thanks for bringing to light the little pieces of what makes my wife's world so special.
LPR, I think iys a bit of an overkill. David Cameron uses common mans creetings and it does not make him less posh. We had very similar country estates to Downtown Abbey, and people working there would have been just as posh and they would have still used "joudu". During the first republic bankers and high officials were wearing top hats, silk gloves and walking sticks, they too would have greeted a working man eiyh "joudu". You coulda add things to it if it makes it more palletable, like "jõudu, Härra Tamm". Sounds pretty posh to me. It's more about confidence while greeting someone, rather than anything else.
Marko, do you actually think you have some kind of monopoly of truth in all things gay? If so, then you resemble Linnar Priimägi quite a lot, who s ineed an Über-queen that fancies himself very special.
LPR, mine puu taha ja häbene.
Ouch, an handbag :). Rainer, I was trying to calm things down a bit, before they rip you to shreds, lol. It's all lighthearted. I'm sorry if I came across as all-knowing "queen". :) God,I'm only 30 and thats the first time I've been called one:). I'll drink to that tonight, cheers!
I suppose on that note I shall stop posting my snidey little comments on Guistinos wall, before it gets best of me. Päikest!
Marko, that was a bitchslap, not a handbag. Get you queer vocabulary s t r a i g h t. Prosit!
Whatever ;)
Same here, WHATEVER.
It's kind of amusing that if you use a French word, you set off gaydar, but if was to use the English "woman," then it's all macho. Try "Femme, bring my my beer," and "Woman, bring me my beer," to compare.
This story made me cry today ...
http://www.epl.ee/news/eesti/taismahus-tuhja-kohtu-tundvate-laste-ja-perede-arv-on-oluliselt-kasvanud.d?id=65670608
I have not been in Estonia since 2007 when I was there last time and then very briefly.
Thus, I do not know what to make of this story. It just made very very sad ...
You guys on the front lines, what is going on?
Yes, I read about that. Heartbreaking. And I do respect the effort that these Norwegian missionaries and their Estonian counterparts are showing.
But I'd rather have them going to theit own business leaders in Norway, bible in the hand, and ask them - why are you not paying liveable wages to their Estonian employees, so that the Estonians could help themselves? There's so much Scandinavian business in Estonia, taking the mickey - all the profits pour back to their moyherland but all the problems are left behind. Actually we could do with a Scandinavia wide media campaign, to encourage their businesses to take some form of social responsibility, as our government remains blind to all this.
That's my view on the matter.
Marko, for this you have to blame the government. They set the minimum wage at 320 euro, partly to lure foreign investment. You can´t blame the businesses that take advantage of this opportunity, they do exactly what the government wants them to do.
Estonia is a democracy, so in theory a majority of Estonians support such a low minimum wage. You should start with changing their way of thinking. :)
Indeed :)
But it is partly to do with weak trade unions. Government consults two bodies while setting the rate for minimum wage - trade unions and the employers union. The latter is very powerful and has many lawmakers within the organization, in a sense a lot of MPs are also big employers while only couple trade unionists are in parliament.
I think we should get rid of minimum wage, set a number for living wage and makr the government to find money to make up the difference (profits from Eesti Energia could fit the bill nicely, or introduce corporate tax code - so that you dont suffocate small business). A win-win opyion, that seems to be working rather well in Germany.
Temesta, what would you say if I submit to you that contrary to what you offered, Estonia is actually NOT a democracy.
My brother who moved back to Estonia some 5 years ago (and has since left good and settled for Italy indeed) reported back to me that what is going on in Estonia is some sort of weird "sobramehe kapitalism". Some kinda clique thing. Hard to explain, but so easy to see.
I asked him lately how quickly did he realize that he had made a mistake moving back to Estonia, his answer: after 3 months.
I forwarded him the article, he said this is the painful truth. This is Estonia. Reality. Not bluff and BS.
LPR, Don't you have any other blog to troll with your off-topic ramblings and sanctimonious bellyaching? Face it - tou're an embittered väliseesti 'tweener, who arrived in Estonia in triumph and thought he would have it all, being a superior being. But you got zilch, didn't you?
If Estonia is really such a hell on Earth as you portray it to be, what the fuck are you still doing there? And if you are not there, why keep bitching about it?
Have you come up with a single constructive suggestion or a viable idea as to improve things? No. Your only purpose here is to spew out bitternes, cynicism and nihilism. Get a life before you die of your own poison.
Wow, wow ... somebody flew off the handle.
Hehee. :-)
Rainer, read this ...
http://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/arvamus/katrin-lust-eesti-on-seest-siiruviiruline-pealt-kullakarvaline.d?id=65696028
IN YOUR FACE BUDDY!
And now come and do your dance in front of me, you MFr!
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