Florida Estos

We are pleased to let you know that Ms. Rita Melder, Consul of the Republic of Estonia in New York City, will be performing consular duties in Florida in March 2015. She is taking appointments in Miami on March 17 and 18 and in St. Petersburg on March 20 and 21. This is a wonderful opportunity for ANY Estonian to apply for passports and ID cards and execute the fingerprint process in Florida. Please see the announcement below.

Temporary Consular Mission to Florida in March 2015

The Consul of Estonia in New York will be in Florida in March to perform consular duties. ANY Estonian citizen will be able to apply for a passport or ID-Card, renew a passport or ID-Card, receive previously ordered documents or conduct other consular business. For information about the processes visit http://www.nyc.estemb.org/ or email nyconsulate@mfa.ee.

Consular Visit to Miami, March 17-18, 2015
19 West Flagler Street, Suite 1212 Miami FL 33130
To make an appointment, please send an e-mail to the Honorary Consul at joviro47@hotmail.com

Consular Visit to St. Petersburg, March 20-21, 2015
Honorary Consulate, Upham Administration Building, Eckerd College, 4200 54th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33711
To make an appointment, please send an e-mail to the Honorary Consul at metsla@eckerd.edu.

Please spread this announcement to Estonians you think may be interested.

Lisa A. Mets
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Estonia
Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Estonia
Upham Administration Building
Eckerd College
4200 54th Ave S
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
Telephone: 727.864.8221
Fax: 727.864.1877
Email: metsla@eckerd.edu
Directions: http://www.eckerd.edu/about/directions.php

THE ESTONIAN SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA (KESK FLORIDA EESTI SELTS CELEBRATED THE 97TH ANNIVERSARY OF ESTONIAN INDEPENDENCE

Luncheon Celebration
97th Anniversary of Estonian Independence
Eesti Vabariigi Aastapäev
Saturday, February 21, 2015
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Countryside Country Club
3001 Countryside Blvd
Clearwater, FL 33761
Telephone: (727) 796-2153
Lunch: $35 per person

More than 70 members and friends of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) gathered for its annual luncheon celebration of Estonian Independence Day (Eesti Vabariigi Aastapäev) on Saturday, February 21, 2015, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the Countryside Country Club in Clearwater, Florida. A special musical program was offered and the ever-popular loterii returned.

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For information about the Kesk Florida Eesti Selts, please contact:
Mr. Rein Raja at (727) 866-2614, raja77@verizon.net
or
Ms. Maare Kuuskvere at (941) 795-6835, jaank@verizon.net

The members of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) kicked off the new year with our regular luncheon meeting on Sunday, January 4, 2015, from 2:00-4:00 pm, at The Hangar Restaurant and Flight Lounge, 540 1st St SE, St. Petersburg, Florida; telephone: 727-823-7767. Dessert included a special treat: a birthday cake for Simona Andreas. Simona is a best friend of Eckerd College’s Estonian student Trine Kasemägi. Simona is a first-year student at Wheaton College (Illinois), and it seems she is their first Estonian student ever. Simona escaped Chicago’s cold winter mid-December to mid-January by celebrating her Christmas vacation and birthday with Trine here in St. Petersburg, Florida. Lisa Mets and Erkki Taada and Maare and Jaan Kuuskvere enjoyed hosting Trine and Simona over the extended holiday period with local activities and holiday meals, and Kesk Florida Eesti Selts was especially delighted the two chose to participate in today’s luncheon.

A little over a dozen members of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) gathered together for our annual verivorst-making party at the home of Maare and Jaan Kuuskvere in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday, December 13, 2014. Members brought their own “sisu” made from their own secret recipes while the intestines and blood were provided by our hosts. This year saw a mix of old and new technology when Triin and Edward Karr introduced Edward’s grandfather’s metal sausage maker. All of us remembered seeing that meat grinder/sausage maker in our homes when we were growing up; where are they now?! Though we know others stuff their sausages with the assistance of electric mixers, we’re still making hand-crafted sausages. Yum! Many thanks to the Kuuskveres for hosting us so generously in their home. Here’s to a delicious Christmas celebration for all!

Have you been good this year? Jõuluvana knows who’s been naughty and nice! Nearly 30 members of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) gathered for our annual Christmas celebration on Saturday, December 6, 2014, at the Magnuson Hotel at Marina Cove (6800 Sunshine Skyway Lane, St. Petersburg, FL; telephone: 727-867-1151). Jõuluvana (Santa) and his very musically talented Päkapikk led us in merriment. Members came prepared with songs and poems to earn their gifts. In the end, it turned out everyone was on Santa’s “nice” list and all guests went home with a holiday gift.

This annual Christmas celebration once again was organized by Maare Kuuskvere and Lisa Mets. Key contributors and collaborators were Triin Karr, Rein Raja, Kaie Põhi Latterner and Erkki Taada.

KFES wishes all happy holidays!

Thirty members and friends of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) commemorated the 70th Anniversary of the Baltic Exodus at 2:00 pm, on Sunday, November 16, 2014, in the Sand Room at the Magnuson Hotel-Marina Cove, 6800 Sunshine Skyway Lane, St Petersburg, FL 33711.  Ms. Elin Toona Gottschalk, author of Into Exile: A Life Story of War and Peace, was the invited speaker. Mr. Al Karnavicius, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania, offered greetings on behalf of the Lithuanian community.

Listed by The Economist magazine as one of the best books of 2013, Into Exile is the story of thousands of Baltic refugees who were lucky enough to escape the advancing Russian tanks in September 1944. “It is about what happens when the Russians come into free countries under the guise of ‘liberators.'”-Author

The Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) helds its annual meeting at 1:30 pm, on Sunday, November 16, 2014, in the Sand Room, at the Magnuson Hotel Marina Cove, St. Petersburg, Florida. Nearly 30 members attended the meeting. The assembly elected Mr. Jaan Kuuskvere to conduct the meeting. Materials for the meeting had been emailed to the membership in advance. The Minutes of the 2013-14 Annual Meeting were approved. The Treasurer’s Report for 2013-14 was approved. The proposed budget for 2014-15 was approved. The following were elected 2014-15 officers: Kersti Linask (President), Triin Karr (Vice President), Lisa A. Mets (Vice President), Maare Kuuskvere (Secretary), Rein Raja (Treasurer), and Marju Cabrera (Member-at-Large). The following were elected 2014-15 auditors: Jaan Kuuskvere, Erkki Taada and Tõnu Toomepuu. Annual dues will remain at $15 per person.

Our summer hiatus is over and members and friends of the Estonian Society of Central Florida gathered again on Sunday, October 5, 2014, to kick off a new year of activities by sharing stories of how they spent their summer vacations and to begin planning activities for the 2014-15 season. On this special day, Jüri Toomepuu offered remarks on porikuu (see below). Thank you, Jüri!

Kesk-Florida eestlaste porikuu koosolek

Kesk-Florida eestlaste esimene 2014. aasta koosolek pärast suvepausi toimus eestlastele tuttavas Albert Whitted lennuvälja Hangar restoranis oktoobrikuu esimesel pühapäeval.

Meenutades meie esivanemate traditsioone, selgitas Jüri Toomepuu kohalolijatele, et maarahval ja maausulistel on kätte jõudnud hoopis 12,227-da aasta porikuu. Porikuu oli meie esivanematel rahunemise, vaibumise ja hämardumise aeg. Päikest ja ilmavalgust jääb Eestis järjest vähemaks, seetõttu on porikuu Eestis sügise nägu ja tegu. Mets muutub tasapisi kuldseks ning seejärel läheb raagu ja jääb vaikseks. Lehed varisevad, loodus läheb kulukarva, sajab palju vihma, maa muutub poriseks, tulevad hallad.

Rändlinnud on porikuu lõpuks lennanud soojale maale. Õhtud ja hommikudki on tihtipeale udusse mattunud. Udus ja pimeduses meeldib hingedele Toonela jõgi ületada ja elavate hulgas ringi uidata. Seetõttu kutsutakse porikuud ka hingede ajaks ehk hingede kuuks. Porikuul peeti pidulikult hingede päevi, mil meenutati manalasse lahkunuid.

Meie hõimud, soomlased, kutsuvad seda logakuu. Loga tõlgitult ongi pori.

Vanarahvas Pilistveres arvas, et porikuu laps on hästi kraps ja Räpina rahvas teadis, et kui porikuul veel müristab, siis võib pikka ja sooja sügist loota.

Võib arvata, et porikuu oli inspiratsiooniks ka laulule mida sai tudengipõlves õllelaua ääres õnnetu armastuse lohutuseks lauldud. Laul algas sõnadega: „Tuli sügis, tuli sopp ja pori, ühes sügisega tulid sa, sellest saadik olen ma su ori, nüüd sa läinud, ei sind leina ma!“ Paljudele Floridas oma eluaseme leidnutele ei jää kahjuks muud üle, kui leinata hingedekuul kaduma läinud noorust.

Floridas saavad eestlased aga lohutada ennast sellega, et ilmad on porikuul ideaalsed. Päikesest, nagu Floridas ikka, puudust ei ole, aga see ei kõrveta enam nii palavalt nagu suvekuudel.

For information about the Kesk Florida Eesti Selts, please contact:
Mr. Rein Raja at (727) 866-2614, raja77@verizon.net
or
Ms. Maare Kuuskvere at (941) 795-6835, jaank@verizon.net

The Lithuanian American Club in St. Petersburg, Florida, organized a wonderful luncheon to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Baltic Chain. Invited speakers included Lisa A. Mets, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Estonia; Irene Ezerins, a representative of the local Latvian community; and Algimantas Karnavicius, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania.

Spring ushers in birthdays of a number of members of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts). At its regular monthly meeting on Sunday, April 6, 2014, members punctuated their luncheon meeting with a birthday cake in honor of the celebrants. The luncheon program featured KFES member Jüri Toomepuu, who discussed his book recently released in Estonia: “Eesti lähiajaloo kolm põhiprobleemi, kolmkümmend kolm lahendust”. Congratulations, Jüri!

The Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) is now on summer hiatus. Due to early travel schedules, the May picnic has been canceled. We look forward to gathering together again on Sunday, October 5, 2014. Happy summer and safe travels to all!