How American Diversity Leads to American Innovation

On any given day, I walk into an R-Kiosk or supermarket and see lots of familiar sights, from Coca Cola, to blue jeans, to Apple Products, etc. Many of our nation’s landmark innovations have found themselves traveling around the world to be loved and enjoyed. 

But I never gave it much thought until yesterday, when I spoke to a full high school classroom at Juri Gymnasium, located just outside of Tallinn. This week was their English language week, so I hope I provided a worthy specimen of a native English speaker! And my topic for the day was how the diversity of America has led to major innovations. 

For instance, did you know that blue jeans were co-designed by Latvian Jacob Youphes? Or that Google Inc. was founded by Russian-born Sergey Brin? Or that The White House, arguably the most well-known American building, was designed by Irishman James Hoban? After I finished, a surprisingly lively discussion followed, spreading across various topics. In fact, I ended up giving the students an impromptu (and PowerPoint-less) presentation on studying at universities in the U.S. Students were also curious about why I’m in Estonia, where I’ve been in Estonia and if I like the food (yes). 

I liked this particular visit because of the intimate atmosphere of the classroom.  It was also the most engaged I have seen Estonian students with a guest speaker. That’s a trend that I hope to keep rolling on during my future school visits. Until next time!

Post by PAS Intern Kirsten Anderson

Nothing Stops The Pärnu Ice Festival!

Happy early spring!

The unseasonably warm weather we've had certainly didn't deter local ice sculptors in Pärnu!

On Saturday, several U.S. Embassy Tallinn staff members and I were among several international delegations to travel to the southern coastal city of Pärnu to participate in the annual Pärnu Ice Festival. 

The annual festival brings as many as 20,000 visitors to what is considered the summer capital of Estonia! And despite this year's warm weather, the crowds and delegations were treated to an imaginative array of creations by everyone from professional artists to local school children. Some were up to a story high! 

The theme of this year's festival was "Ice Music," so we all got to enjoy dancing, singing, food, ice skating, sauna, sledding and other forms of good fun! Inside a giant igloo, school children performed a puppet show amid fish frozen in ice blocks.

And despite the recent above freezing temperaturs in Pärnu, the sculptures stubbornly refused to melt as they were enjoyed by all in attendance. Hopefully next year, that won’t be of any concern! 

Story by PAS Intern Kirsten Anderson
Photos by Cultural Assistant Tiiu Vitsut

Study In the U.S.!

It’s college application season! 

So Tuesday, I spoke to three levels of high school students in Kuusalu about opportunities for international students to study at U.S. universites. 

In a packed auditorium, students from sophomore to senior levels learned about how to find funding for school, picking the right school, the American college atmosphere and what they need to apply.  I also briefly discussed the Fulbright program, Estonia’s American corners, and the benefits of studying at U.S. universities. 

As a proud University of Utah Ute, I included my school’s promotion video.

 

With another brief presentation, I introduced the students and their teachers to the State Department’s Trace Effects English-language computer game. After that came questions from the audience. Since Estonian students are notoriously shy about speaking up, I was given a written list of questions to answer. Most wanted to know how I had made my way to Estonia or what I thought about Estonia (which is an awesome country by the way). After the presentations, my colleagues and I had a lovely discussion about education with the school administrator over tea and coffee.

Personally, going to local schools and giving these presentations, particularly about American colleges, to Estonian students is one of my favorite parts of my internship. As a current college student, that is a great fit for me because it is fresh in my memory. I’ll be doing a few more of these events soon and am looking forward to it!

Post by PAS Intern Kirsten Anderson