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A Glimpse into Young Estos’ Work and Volunteer Travels

Dec 15, 2012 Estonian Life No. 50 2012

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." – Jawaharial Nehru
Volunteering or working abroad can be exhilarating and rewarding, fostering memories that will last a lifetime. As I mentioned in my previous post, prior to working with children on cruise ships, I was an au pair (nanny) in Ireland. My best friend Katie and I were planning on fulfilling our dreams of backpacking through Europe after graduating university. Using aupair-world.net, Katie had been a nanny for two little girls in Cork, Ireland the summer after her first year of university. Long story short, we ended up taking care of the girls, then three and six years of age, for a month before our backpacking adventure. Needless to say, we didn't get paid very much splitting an au pair salary but we made enough to cover some of our weekend bus trips around Ireland. During the week, we enjoyed dancing to Disney Channel soundtracks, jumping on the trampoline, role-playing with dolls, helping with homework, cooking and baking with the girls, braiding their hair, singing songs and so much more.
Kaarin - Farewell Ireland! Flying to London to begin backpacking
We even taught them how to say “Aitäh” and “Ma armastan sind” (Thank-you and I love you in Estonian) which was endearing in their Irish accents. We still miss the girls and the scenic green landscape. Katie and I then travelled for a month through Europe by land, air and water. We were fortunate enough to stay in Florence, Italy with fellow young Estonian Mari Wichman while she was living there teaching English. There are countless other interesting cases of young Estonians working or volunteering around the world. Below are a few examples that may inspire your next journey and hopefully provide useful information to get the ball rolling.

  • MARK ALTOSAAR is living and working in the computer and electronics industry in Hong Kong.

  • ANNIKE ANDRE-BARRETT worked for eight months as a Project Officer and Researcher at the Centre for Social Research (worked on a project aimed against sex selective abortions to achieve gender equality) in New Delhi, India. She was accepted through AIESEC's international internships in the “development” category. Check out aiesec.ca/students/internships/ for more information. You can read more about her experience here.

  • EMILY MERET BURGIS (a secondary school teacher) taught through a York Region District School Board teach-abroad program put on by the government of Korea for a summer in Gijang Gun, South Korea.

  • LEIKKI HESS worked with children for nine months onboard a Carnival cruise ship in the Caribbean.

  • TIINA HIIS worked as a mother's helper in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. She was also a nanny in Toronto and accompanied the family on their vacation to St. Lucia.

  • KATRIINA ISBERG worked as an actress filming a “Haven” television episode for a couple of weeks in Nova Scotia. (She was on episode 305: “Double Jeopardy” where she played “a hauntingly beautiful woman” who “shows criminals her version of cruel and unusual punishment.”)

  • NICHOLAS VOOGJÄRV JONES taught English for two years in Hokkaido, Japan. Check out jetprogramme.org for more information.

  • LEHTI KEELMANN volunteered at the library of the National Gallery of Estonia (KUMU) while also attending the Estonian Language Summer School at the University of Tartu in 2006. She conducted a summer research trip in 2011 to Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the History of Art at the University of Michigan with a specialization in late medieval and early modern northern European art with a particular interest in art production during the time of the Hanseatic League in the eastern Baltic. Lehti is presently conducting dissertation research abroad at the Hamburg State Archives, the Tallinn City Archives, and the Niguliste Museum while on fellowship for this academic year. She also attended conferences in Stockholm and Greifswald in September 2012.

  • VELLO KEELMANN is working as an analyst at Trigon Capital (an investment management firm) in Tallinn, Estonia after graduating from University College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom. (There are also many other young Estonians from North America currently working or studying in Estonia!)

  • CELESTE LONGHURST spent a summer in Svalbard, Norwegian Arctic participating in a climate change training session organized by the British Council with training by the United Nations Environment Programme's arctic branch. You can read more about her time there here.

  • KAILI LUPP, my sister, volunteered at an orphanage, “lastekodu,” for a couple of months in Viiratsi, Viljandimaa, Estonia. You can read more about her experience here.

  • KRISTINA LUPP worked as a chef in Florence, Italy. In Adelaide, Australia, she studied Gastronomy at the University of Adelaide and worked as an imports coordinator for an Italian fine food and wine company. Currently, Kristina lives in Tallinn, Estonia where she works as a food/travel writer and researcher, and runs the Tallinn Supper Club. You can read more on her story here.

  • TIIU SILDVA worked as an intern in Social Determinants of Health and Health Promotion at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Originally from Toronto, Tiiu has been living in Australia for the past ten years.

  • KAJA WICHMAN worked as a cherry picker for a month in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Check out coralbeach.ca/employment for more information.


As in my experience, and many of the examples listed above, many volunteer and paid positions abroad can involve teaching or working with children. If you're not ready to venture away from home just yet, gain valuable experience with children in your own Esto community by working or volunteering at one of the Estonian-language summer camps, heritage schools, kindergarten, guides or scouts. What an incredible way to give back to our community and simultaneously gain experience that can help you prepare for your upcoming journey!

Are you a young Estonian planning a work or volunteer undertaking abroad? Share your plans with us in the comment section below. If you have any questions about any of the examples or would like any advice, feel free to email me at kaarin.lupp@gmail.com.

Kaarin Lupp

 

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Photo gallery – Photos: Private collection

 

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