The family marked the milestone with a gathering of about 150 relatives and friends, who shared memories from their early years after moving from Canada.

"Our mom was in charge of the Facebook event," recalled Joshua James Viinalass, a real estate broker with Arco Vara.

"She accidentally sent the invite to everyone," added his brother, musician Daniel Levi. "And everyone responded that they're coming."

Like in many diaspora Estonian families, the Viinalass brothers' grandfather was a World War II-era refugee, who first fled to Germany in 1944 before reaching and later naturalizing as a citizen in Canada.

Their father, Linden Viinalass, was born and raised in Canada, where his children were also born and spent the first few years of their lives. After their grandfather's death in the 1990s, however, their father came across an ad in a Canadian Estonian diaspora newspaper seeking English teachers in Estonia.

"He immediately knew that [opportunity] was meant for him — like it spoke to him almost supernaturally," Daniel Levi said.

The plan was simple: move to Estonia for a year and then return to Canada. Thirty years later, the family is still here and thriving.

Adjusting as kids

Joshua James and Daniel Levi were just 3 and 8 years old when their family moved to Tartu, and some of their earliest memories are of life in and around the Soviet-era prefab apartment buildings in Annelinn.

Joshua James said he picked up Estonian simply playing with other kids on the playground and in kindergarten.

Daniel Levi recalled his father giving a neighbor's child a soccer ball, which prompted an unexpected gift to the Viinalass family in turn.

"The family was so touched that they gifted us a drinking horn brought all the way from Georgia in return," he said, adding that the horn is still proudly displayed at their parents' home.

The musician acknowledged that the move from Canada to Estonia took some getting used to for all of them, but added that the younger you are, the easier it can be to adjust.

"Speaking of adjusting, just today I was talking to someone about what our favorite parts of kindergarten had been," said Joshua James. "I remember I couldn't understand a word at first, but when meals were served, that was the best part of the day."

Both brothers praised Estonian food, agreeing that one of their favorite Estonian dishes is still hakklihakaste — a simple creamed ground meat often served with potatoes and popular both in Estonia and the diaspora.

Years after a previous appearance on ETV's "Ringvaade," however, Daniel Levi admitted he still can't bring himself to eat sült, or meat aspic.

'Three men sitting in a sauna'

Asked whether Estonia lives up to its digital image, the Viiinalass brothers pointed out that the contrast is evident when they talk to friends in the U.S. who still have to deposit physical paychecks in person at the bank, or grapple with filing tax returns that in Estonia take literally just a few clicks to do.

They also agreed Estonians seem to be warming up to things like hugging, although the perception that Estonians are typically reserved and need their personal space persists.

"Estonians like their fresh air and pure nature, and I think that sense of personal space goes beyond just that question of hugging," said Daniel Levi.

"I think it's very healthy," Joshua James countered, prompting his brother to quip that it's clear he was raised in Estonia. "That little bit of personal space is really welcome sometimes."

The real estate broker described his post-workout sauna at the gym earlier that day, calling it a perfectly Estonian example.

"Three men sitting in a sauna: no one says a word, no one makes eye contact, no one says 'Tere,' nothing," Joshua James said. "No, when I handed the water bucket over to one of the other guys in the sauna, he said, 'Aitäh.'"

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