Walking the Bog: When Estonian Nature Becomes Our Teacher
There's something special about being guided into nature by those who truly know it. Our bog walk at Paaskula bog in Tallinn became more than just a pleasant afternoon outdoors – it was an invitation into the Estonian soul.
This time, our Estonian members took the lead. Ave and Helle carefully chose the trail, considering that this would be a family day where IEWS members could bring their loved ones along.
They prepared something we didn't expect: printed quizzes about the herbs and berries we'd encounter, complete with their benefits and traditional uses.
Learning doesn't always happen in classrooms, and on this day, the bog itself became our teacher.
As we made our way along the wooden boardwalks, the landscape opened up before us – that distinctive Estonian terrain that seems to exist between earth and water, solid and liquid. We walked over marshy pits, our steps tentative at first, then more confident as we found our rhythm.
One of the most beautiful moments came when we reached a particularly difficult section of the path. Without a word, hands reached out to help carry a baby stroller over the challenging terrain. That simple act of collective care – Indian and Estonian hands working together to help a family navigate the trail – captured everything IEWS stands for.
Midway through our walk, we stopped for snacks and chai. Because of course we did – no IEWS gathering is complete without chai! But this break was about more than refreshments. Our Estonian friends shared stories about the bogs, their significance in Estonian history and folklore. We learned the songs people traditionally sing when visiting bogs, melodies that have echoed across these landscapes for generations.
For many of our Indian members, bogs were an entirely new concept. This unique ecosystem, so central to Estonian identity and landscape, doesn't exist in quite the same way in India. To walk through it, to understand why Estonians cherish these spaces, to learn which plants have healing properties and which berries are safe to pick – it was a different kind of cultural integration, one rooted in the land itself.
The air felt different out there. Cleaner. Quieter. More spacious. It was refreshing in every sense of the word – not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. In the bog, there's no rush, no noise, just the simple practice of being present with nature and with each other.
As we walked back toward the parking area, children running ahead while adults chatted about everything and nothing, it struck us how much we'd learned. Not just about herbs and berries, but about what it means to be Estonian – this deep connection to nature, this respect for the land, this tradition of finding peace in places that are neither quite earth nor quite water.
The bog taught us that understanding a culture means understanding its relationship with the land. And sometimes, the best way to build sõprus is to simply walk together through the places that shaped the people you're learning to know.
