YFU also offers possibilities for internships. Recently YFU
Estonia was lucky to have Abby from the US (studying in Germany) as an intern.
If you feel tempted to do an internship as well read about Abby's experience.
In 2009-2010 I spent my YFU year in Germany, and up
until the day I wrote to Heili to ask about an internship, Estonia had honestly
never really even been on my radar. During summer 2014 I decided that I had to
do an internship before I graduated from college, and I knew through one of the
YFU Germany volunteers that YFU offers a lot of internship opportunities. So, I
turned to Google and YFU Estonia seemed like the perfect option for me-
internship experience and a host family all over again. Sign me up! Now, on my
last day at the office, I’m sitting here at my desk (which has the best view of
the office, by the way,) wondering if Artur is going to come out to say goodbye
and trying to think of the best way to put the last six weeks into words.
At the beginning I was really nervous! I remember
walking from the airplane to meet Heili at baggage claim and thinking to
myself, „What am I doing here? What did I get myself into? “I had the same
feeling all over again when we got to the office at Kevade 4a-1, an
address I will never forget again after having to correct all of the address
labels for the mailing campaigns! But if there is one thing I’ve learned
between my exchange year and my exchangeship (Can I just make a word up like
that? Exchangeship, I think it
works.), it’s that the things that make us the most uncomfortable at the
beginning are probably going to be the most fun. I smiled to myself all the
time when I saw this hanging in the office: because it’s really true, and I
think anyone who goes abroad can probably confirm it.
My host families were amazing. I’m the youngest of
three siblings and the only girl at home, so having 2 younger siblings and
having a sister here in Estonia were new experiences for me. It took a while,
but now that I’m about to leave I can say that I think I would have made an
excellent older sister. I remember the first time I got really annoyed at my
host brother, and I ended up getting really mad at him. Just as I was about to
lose it, I had that moment of realization that I was mad at my brother… like
any normal sibling would be, and in my anger kind of faded away because I
really felt like a member of the family. Estonia is also supposed to be one of
the least religious countries in Europe, but I’m really glad that I got placed
with an Orthodox family because going to church with them was unlike anything
I’ve ever experienced before. The Orthodox Church is Tallinn is absolutely
breathtaking. On the outside it kind of looks like a palace, and on the inside
everything is so ornate- gold everywhere, countless candles, and the alter was
spectacular. The service itself was like a movie- it seemed like everyone was
just singing and humming the whole time, but not in the Gospel Church way like
I’m used to from home, it was older somehow, like from another century. Very
spiritual, but kind of in a sad way.
My family in Tartu was also
amazing. We were so similar and it felt like home the moment I stepped through
the door and my host mom hugged me for the first time. And Tartu! Oh Tartu, how
I love you. I got to walk on a frozen lake one day, then the next I snapped a
picture of my bike on a perfectly warm,
sunny day, and it seemed like the perfect metaphor for an exchange- how things
seem to change so suddenly from one day to the next.
I suppose I should actually
get to the internship part of my exchange ship. Long story short, it was
fantastic and everybody should intern at YFU Eesti. In the Tallinn office where
I spent 4 of my 6 weeks I immediately felt so at home. I shared my desk with Eva
& Agnes, and they are so much fun. I don’t think a single day went by where
we didn’t laugh. And the meowing. Oh meow. I hope our cat-strapper dreams
become reality one day. Meow. I can’t just single them out though and leave it
at that. Both offices are full of amazing women with whom I’m so glad to have had
the opportunity to work over the past 6 weeks. Whether it was:
·
Something
with one of the Microsoft Office programs,
·
social
media work
·
Web-editing,
·
welcome letter-writing,
·
quiz
designing,
·
mail
campaigning
·
attending
student fairs and talking about my experiences with YFU
and on and on and on- I learned something new every
single day. Some of the things were really basic, like to how make address
labels; some things, like how to launch an entire new brand and use it on
social media weren’t so easy and obvious. What I’m most grateful for though is
that everyone had a lot of patience with me- because, let’s be honest guys, my
office skills are mediocre at best. Isn’t that the point of an exchangeship
though? I feel so much more confident now going back to my job in Germany
because I learned so much here.
One of my favorite things about working in the office
is that the atmosphere is so wonderful. I don’t think anyone lost their temper,
or was even in a (visibly) bad mood for the entire 6 weeks that I was here.
Anyone can ask any question at any time and everyone is just open and honest
with each other. The volunteers and exchange students come into the office
almost daily, which just adds to the fun atmosphere. Who wouldn’t want that
kind of workplace?
And just while we’re on the topic of volunteers: If you see this, Mark, I’m sorry our
first meeting was so awkward… I’ve thought about it pretty much every day since
it happened and I was hoping you would come back into the office so that I
could show you that I’m a nice, normal, and only slightly (as opposed to
severely) socially awkward person. Really in general one of my biggest
regrets is that I didn’t reach out to the volunteers more- I’ve heard they’re a
lot of fun. Sorry guys… like I said, socially awkward.
So, here is what I fell in love with while I was here
and that I’ll miss when I’m gone (admittedly, most of it is food..)
·
porridge
·
black
bread
·
KOHUKE!
Seriously, how does the rest of the
world live without this?!
·
the
seaside
·
the
language.
That last one is probably my
most favorite. Estonian is fabulously difficult, which makes me want to learn
it even more. I don’t know if I spoke a single word of Estonian while I was in
the office, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t learn any. After 6 weeks I can
have basic conversations with my host family, and I can understand fairly well
as long as people don’t speak too quickly. The AHA moment came when we visited
Vanaema. Out of nowhere I understood conversations in Estonian and out of
nowhere I was responding to her questions/statements as if I had been here for
a few months, not just a few weeks. I’ll never forget the way my host siblings
looked at me when they realized that I can actually understand what they’re
saying way more often than they think I can. They stopped talking about me
right in front of my face after that too, which was an added bonus because it
was really starting to make me mad. I can’t wait to continue learning Estonian
after I’m gone. I’m really determined because it’s just so beautiful. Like so
many other things here.
I really could go on and on because the past 6 weeks
have been so wonderful. I’m excited to go home, but I’m going to miss working
here so much. Nothing about working here felt like a job, it was fun and I
would do it again in an instant.
Nägemist Eesti,
It’s been great!
Abby, USA, Feb. 27- April 10.