Marjukka found a new home and job in Tartu: “It’s hard not to like Tartu!”
Text Susanna Poikela Photos Heidi Iivari, Marjukka Laitinen, Tartu Finnish School photo archive
Marjukka Laitinen recommends trying the atmospheric ice rink built in front of Tartu’s Town Hall.
The Christmas tree on Tartu’s Town Hall Square sparkles in the December dusk. Skaters circle the Kissing Students on the ice rink. It is an eye-catching sculpture in front of the grand Town Hall. Marjukka Laitinen is enjoying a Christmassy Tartu. She has been a resident of Tartu for a year and a half now.
“Town Hall Square, with its lights and magnificent Christmas trees, enchants passers-by. Hurry and stress melt away on their own when you allow yourself to pause for a moment, enjoy a cup of mulled wine, and consider whether to hire skates and go skating on the rink set up on Town Hall Square,” says Marjukka Laitinen.
But how did Marjukka end up in Tartu?
“I spent 35 years in Helsinki as a primary school teacher, a preparatory class teacher, and an S2 teacher. I thought I would retire from the capital, but fate decided otherwise. I still remember that Women’s Day in 2024 when I received an email from Heidi Iivari, the chair of the Finnish School of Tartu Association. I was asked whether I would come to teach Finnish language and literature. I thought about it for half a second and said yes!”
That marked the beginning of Marjukka’s new career at the Finnish School of Tartu that same autumn. She has long been interested in Estonia, its language, history, and culture.
“My city in Estonia was always Haapsalu. I bought a second home there in 2017, and thought I would settle there as a pensioner. Tartu was more unfamiliar, but it has gradually become my new home city.”
The Finnish School of Tartu is small and community-oriented
There has been a Finnish school in Tartu for 25 years. It works in close cooperation with the Tartu International School, and everyday life is shared together. There is no need for a school bell, as the bells of the nearby church mark the hours and half-hours. There are around 80 pupils in the schools altogether, and 30 children in the kindergarten. There are more than twenty nationalities represented.
“It was easy to blend into the teaching staff. Colleagues welcomed me warmly and also supported me with the language. Here Wilma is called Stuudium, and assessment is done using several grading scales. The small, cosy school operates in a community spirit. I especially look on warmly at how pupils of different ages work together on excursions and theme days,” Marjukka describes her working life.
Marjukka does not see major differences in everyday school life. Weekly staff meetings allow time to reflect on pupils’ learning and overall wellbeing. The building is full of experienced people who have worked at the school for a long time, and issues can be addressed quickly.
“Here I have time for the pupils,” Marjukka sums up.
So what do Marjukka’s pupils recommend to visitors to Tartu?
“Tartu is a cosy Christmas city. The experts—my pupils—recommend that Christmas visitors go to cafés and theatres, and wander along the peaceful streets up to Toomemägi Park.”
The pupils of the Finnish School of Tartu celebrate all the same Finnish holidays at school as pupils in Finland do. For example, Finnish Independence Day was celebrated on 6 December. The celebration has long traditions in Tartu. If you missed it this year, you can still join in next year.
“On Finnish Independence Day, the bells of Tartu’s Town Hall traditionally play Jean Sibelius’s “Finlandia”. After that, greetings are exchanged, the letkajenkka is danced, and mulled wine is enjoyed. The pupils of the Finnish school have an important role in the celebrations. Among other things, they bake Finland-shaped gingerbread for the Tartu International School, which operates in the same building, and organise Finland-themed games and quizzes. For years, various Finnish organisations in Tartu have arranged not only a gathering on Town Hall Square but also an Independence Day celebration with concerts and distinguished speakers. Pupils from our school have also performed at these celebrations,” Marjukka describes the day’s events.
Marjukka Laitinen is a satisfied woman and teacher: “I am a comforting example of how a woman in her sixties can be given the opportunity, even at the twilight of her career, to do something different and learn something new. In short: it’s hard not to like Tartu.”
To learn more about this and similar topicsChristmas Christmas in Tartu Culture Finnish School of Tartu Finns in Tartu person Tartu
