One of the first pieces of advice I got from
Piia upon arriving in Estonia was not to sleep around with the
boyz in the hood. This is a pretty reasonable suggestion considering our neighborhood is infested with sketchy Russians who I'm sure have been waiting for the chance to rub off their Communism on a good wholesome All-American girl like myself.
Hands off boys, I only have eyes for capitalism!But OK really,
Piia's concerns are serious. 1.3 percent of the Estonian population is estimated to have HIV. That's the highest in all of Europe and pretty intense considering there are only 1.3 million people in all of Estonia
. They're like an endangered species! And well, I don't know how the rest of the country works, but in my hood these crazy Russian junkies hang outside in the parking lot sharing needles like its their job. It's actually a very curious and scary thing to watch, but I can't stop. It's like an ongoing drama series outside my window. I've tried to take some photos for you but they're not too fancy. I'm a little concerned that if Boris the Addict or any of his cracked out friends see me through the window they might come running at me with a hammer and sickle...
Boris
So let me tell you the story of this seemingly innocent Russian boy lounging on his tree stump.
The first thing you should know is that he was carried there. That stick doubles as both a cane and a car smasher. His friend had just abandoned him at the stump after shooting up and would return soon with fruit and ice cream. Druggie picnic! Here's a cute photo of with the both of them:
Dimitri and Boris
The sweetest thing about these 2 is that the Dimitri eventually begins to get a little antsy and starts hopping around all over the place so Boris sits him down and gives him a massage to calm his nerves. Sexy!
And so the picnic continued. The syringes came out a few more times, along with some curious strips of bedsheet and random objects from a gym bag but no one seemed alarmed. Children played close by and old women trotted past with their baskets and it was just like any another day in the trailer park. I, too, am getting pretty used to it...
Just as long as those commies stay on the other side of my window.