American in Estonia
Winthrop Fulbright scholar spends year in Europe
Prof. Timothy Boylan teaches political science at Winthrop University.
Audio of the interview (running time: 1 hour 5 minutes):
[audio:BoylanInterview.mp3]
Fulbright scholar
Since 1946, the FulBright program annually selects outstanding university faculty for the opportunity to teach in foreign countries. Winthrop political science professor Timothy Boylan was awarded this prestigious distinction last year.
Dr. Boylan left Rock Hill in August 2004 to teach in Europe. He didn’t return for a full year.
The Fulbright program, founded by a 1940s Arkansas senator of the same name, is sponsored by the Department of State. The program was established to increase common understanding between the United States and other countries.
Fulbright scholars choose a country where they will teach. Boylan, who has taught at Winthrop for 10 years, chose Estonia.
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Estonia is located in northeastern Europe.
Estonia??
Most Americans would be flummoxed if asked to point to Estonia on a map. Since Estonia has only existed in its current incarnation for 14 years, the confusion is understandable.
Estonia is a former Soviet satellite nation in northeastern Europe with a little under 1.3 million citizens. It’s slightly larger than Ohio and its latitude is close to that of Anchorage, Ala.
It’s a wild country: forests cover over half the land, there are literally thousands of lakes.
“I really wanted to be in one of the European Union countries,” Boylan said.
Estonia became a member of the European Union (EU) the spring before Boylan arrived.
The culture is quiet.
“If you go into a supermarket, no one’s talking,” Boylan said. “We went to a 300-person piano concert and no one was chatting 20 minutes before it began.”
Boylan attributes the hushed culture to tradition and “residue from Soviet domination.”
When they’re not quiet, Estonians love choral music and strongman competitions.
“They love to sing,” Boylan said.
Boylan and his wife enjoyed the “wonderful voices” of an annual a cappella choral competition.
“They also really love the strongman competitions,” Boylan said.
Boylan said even though Estonians are “not big people, every now and then you’ll see these enormous guys carrying barrels on their backs.”
Prof. Boylan spent a year in Europe on a Fulbright scholarship.
Planning
Boylan and his wife planned the European trip – his first ever sabbatical - for a year in advance.
Boylan received advice from his friend, a professor of legal studies at Harford Community College in Maryland and fellow Fulbright scholar, David Smith. Smith taught in Estonia on a Fulbright scholarship in the fall of 2003. Smith “strongly encouraged” Boylan to teach in the spring.
Because Estonia is so far north, the winter sun doesn’t rise until 10 a.m. and quickly goes down around 3 p.m. In June, the summer sun comes up at 3 a.m. and doesn’t go down till midnight.
Smith said, “Take the spring semester, it’ll be dark and cold but each day will get better.”
Boylan took his advice and signed on for a spring semester in Estonia and scheduled his jaunt across Europe for the fall.
In Estonia, universities do not have the ability to get textbooks for Boylan’s classes. The Fulbright commission strongly advises that professors bring their own textbooks.
Before Boylan left, some Winthrop students donated their political science books for use in Estonia instead of selling them back to the campus bookstore. Winthrop also allowed Boylan to make 3,000 photocopies of educational materials.
Teaching
In Estonia, Boylan taught at the University of Tartu Boylan, which has 16,000 students and was founded 144 years before America, in 1632. He taught American and Latin American political science courses in English.
The national language of Estonia is Estonian, an ancient language associated with Finnish and Hungarian. However, students understood Boylan’s English and were proficient enough to type college-quality term papers. Boylan learned to say greetings and short phrases but calls mastery of the language “impossible.”
Estonian students differ from Americans.
“They do not ask questions but sit quietly and take notes,” Boylan said. “They are diligent about exams, staying until the last minute.”
However, Estonians have different ideas about attendance. Most students do not go to class regularly.
One of his best students disappeared for five weeks without notice. She returned without explanation, telling Boylan she had been in Israel.
Food
“Food’s a challenge,” Boylan said about the cuisine. “It’s a lot of potatoes, pork and cabbage.”
There are no supermarkets in Estonia. With no car, Boylan and his wife would backpack around five or six different stores to gather groceries.
“It was very cold and we’d go to these places, fill our backpacks and trudge back to our apartment,” Boylan said.
Still, the pork and eggs were “remarkably good, the yolks were huge and bright orange.”
The EU Constitution
When not in Estonia, Boylan spent the rest of the year traveling around Europe studying the ratification process of the European Constitution.
The European Constitution is a 70,000 word document – 10 times the American’s size – intending to create an international treaty for the EU.
He trekked across 25 countries, interviewing over 25 people from law schools, universities, governments and businesses.
Citizens of eastern European countries were more receptive to the constitution than their western counterparts, Boylan found.
In May, France and Holland rejected the constitution, shelving it for an unspecified period because the measure required unanimous approval.
“I think something was lost for the eastern European countries,” Boylan said about the rejection. “Some countries would’ve been much happier with this constitution.”
Boylan has already published a paper based on his experience. Another paper, to be published in the Journal of Political Science and an April presentation are in the works.
Winthrop
Back in Rock Hill, Boylan’s Winthrop students are happy for his return.
“I love his class. He’s one of the best professors I’ve ever had,” said 20-year-old junior and political science major Dan Sheehan. “He’s intelligent, humorous and takes every opportunity to interact with students.”
Others agree.
“He’s very genuine,” said integrated marketing communication major Krystal Conwell, a 24-year-old senior. “He’s always got good things to say about people.”
“He makes political science exciting,” said Ruthie McCrae, a 21-year-old junior and mass communication major.
Prof. Boylan will teach three political science classes at Winthrop next spring.
Recommendation?
Would Prof. Boylan endorse a trip to Estonia?
“Actually yes,” Boylan said. “In fact, travel advisories are saying [the capital of Estonia] is far more interesting and beautiful than Helsinki and Finland.”
Even though Americans are few, Boylan said there’s a large English-speaking population.
Be prepared to walk to places because gas costs $6 per gallon. That’s pre-Katrina pricing.
“You’ve got to be real careful,” Boylan said. “Look for the smallest possible car with the best possible mileage.”
Americans should feel comfortable in Estonia. Boylan found most Europeans are very opposed to U.S. actions in Iraq but learned they like American people.
“If someone speaks English, chances are pretty good they’ve been to the U.S.,” Boylan said. “They have an ability to talk assertively but don’t personalize discussions.”
Boylan misses Estonia.
“I still feel like I’ve got one foot over there,” Boylan said. “The trip affected me quite a bit, in a good way. It’s one of those defining events in my life.”
Is he going back?
“Oh yeah, definitely in the next year or two.”
