Food market: everything tidy, no dirt, but vegetables and fruits are still inferior in taste to Ukrainian ones.
Conclusion. Beginning of the article: LIVING EUROPEAN-STYLE: Estonia (Part 1)
"Don't grumble dismissively when you hear the words 'state hospital,' warns 41-year-old Nadezhda Stepanyuk, who moved to her husband in Tallinn from Odessa six years ago. 'The service there is top-notch. Sometimes surprising things happen. Once I went for an ultrasound without a referral from my primary care doctor (I just didn't know I needed one). The doctor herself recommended I call the district clinic I'm assigned to and ask them to send a referral by fax. Everything was done in three minutes. It was very convenient because my clinic is far from the ultrasound center and running back and forth for papers was hard for me, and I didn't want to pay 90 euros for the test without a referral.'"
PENSION
The pension of Estonians depends not only on time worked but also on the number of children. 'My 65-year-old mother, who officially worked in Estonia for 10 years and has one child, receives 92 euros, while my 90-year-old grandmother, who worked in the country from age 17 and had 5 children, receives 800 euros,' says Valentina Kasemaa from Pärnu.
OWN BUSINESS
Anyone who wants to become a businessman but is currently registered at the employment office and does not have the full amount to start their own business should draw up a business plan and give it to the administrator at the employment office. He will forward it to the so-called unemployment fund, whose specialists will decide whether the project is worth attention. If they find the business profitable, the future businessman will receive exactly 4,474 euros from the state. They don't have to repay it, but they will have to account for every cent. If it turns out the money was wasted, the failed businessman will be fined and forced to return everything to the treasury.
If you have the money to start your own business, you need to go to the special Business Register website using your ID card and fill out a form. Within a few days, the Business Register will review the application, check if the applicant has any issues (debts, criminal record) and send permission to start the business by email. After that, you need to go to the bank, pay a tax of 146 euros, open a company account and deposit about 2,500 euros of share capital. And then you can work, not forgetting to pay taxes. On profit, for example, it is 24%.
Today in Estonia it is popular to restore abandoned castles. If you fancy such an object, you need to buy it and report it to EAS – the Entrepreneurship Development Foundation. If the foundation considers the business promising, it will allocate funds for its development (the amount is determined by the foundation itself). At the same time, you will have to carefully control expenses and be sure to preserve the historical value of the monument.
SHOPPING
The main places where Estonians shop are stores and markets. In stores, as in Ukraine, you can buy everything, but locals like to go to markets for meat, dairy products and seasonal vegetables and fruits. They are, by the way, very beautiful: without stalls splattered with who knows what, with neat rows and tiny themed shops. You won't find spontaneous markets near the metro with food and Chinese jeans in Estonia.
'SOVOK' IN THE MINDS
Although Estonia has long held the status of 'abroad', there are still areas of life from which the 'Sovok' has not been eradicated. For example, Estonian parents complain about the rigidity of teachers in general education schools. Outwardly, everything is civilized at school: children from September 1 until the summer exams wear indoor shoes, there are no familiar registers, diaries and paper schedules on the walls – everything is electronic. Textbooks and education are free – only about 20 euros a year has to be spent on workbooks.
The school psychologist works with both adults and children, there are no painful extortions for Ukrainians, communication with parents by email – it would seem, here it is, the 21st century. But moms and dads complain: technological advancement does not mean that progress has touched teachers' beliefs. 'As in Soviet times, female teachers want to be respected against common sense. They do not like cheerful students, they force students to come to school half an hour before the bell to line them up in front of the classroom. Moreover, half of their demands they cannot justify – they just want power,' says Tallinn resident Eda Tüür, mother of 15-year-old Stas.
WHAT EU MEMBERSHIP BROUGHT
Andres Kriiva, businessman, Pirita: 'Borders opened and the opportunity to travel appeared – both for new experiences and for higher wages, for example, to Sweden, England and even Australia.'
Vera Tiesto, tourism manager, Tallinn: 'There are a lot of tourists, especially Finns who come to Estonia for cheap alcohol. They are attracted by the castles, as well as cozy cafes everywhere. True, the pleasure is not cheap: for example, for two hot dishes, two desserts, tea, coffee and several glasses of wine you will have to pay about €50.'
Rein Raud, manager of a road construction company, Tallinn: 'Programs emerged that develop Estonia. For example, with EU money they restored a lot of small ports, and also develop the construction business.'
Piret Rõõmus, mathematics teacher, Saaremaa Island: 'For me, the EU is a guarantee that we will not return to the USSR. If, God forbid, that happens, we will leave immediately.'
Aivo Hopp, owner of a chain of mini-hotels, Tallinn: 'I constantly try to develop my business, but in the EU I don't consider it promising: trade unions put pressure with demands for high salaries for representatives of any profession.'
Janika Kaljuvee.
Based on materials from Segodnya.ua