Blogathon, Day 22: Small Step For Mankind, Giant Leap For An Expatriate

Few days ago I was sitting at a cafe writing. It's a small place in the centre of Tallinn with huge windows facing one of the most important ceremonial squares of Estonia.

It's not a fancy cafe, a cup of coffee (not served in paper cups) costs like one dollar, wifi works (as it does everywhere in the country) and I have a good place to work in peace and look at people coming and going. A salty slice of rye bread with herring and egg wakes me up.

It was an early morning, I was at the cafe all by myself, the waitress was doing her chores in the kitchen.

Suddenly she came to me and asked if I was going to stay at the cafe for 15 minutes or so. I said yes.

The waitress apologized and said that she needed to leave me alone for a second and lock the cafeteria door. She had to go outside to get some things.

Sure, fine for me, I said.

And there I sat, alone at the cafe with locked doors. It was a funny moment. In the very centre of the capital of this little country you can trust your client so much that you leave her alone in the cafe. I felt amused and honored.

I told this story to our Estonian babysitter. She started to laugh. She said that I've reached the point when I'm considered as part of the team. "Oh Silja, now you have lived long enough in Estonia", he said.

An expatriate usually always feels her/himself an outsider. In that sense I think this was a very good thing indeed.

Blogathon, Day 10: Why An Expatriate Needs A Blog?

I've been an expatriate for four years. I've been blogging all that time and would recommend it to every fellow expatriate.

Let me tell you why (even though I hate lists).

- Obviously, it is a great way to stay in touch with your dear ones in your country of origin. Sure, you should write letters, too, but nowadays it seems to be easier said than done. With a blog you reach basically all your family and friends with a one single post.

- Moving to another county is a huge change and a great adventure. Don't forget it. I always, always try to remind myself and others to write diary. Whether it is five pages every day or a sentence a week - write down what's happened in your everyday life. A blog is a kind of a diary even though you wouldn't reveal your deepest thoughts. It's great to read old posts about things and feelings that you had already forgotten.

- With a blog, it's easy to help other people who are moving to the same country or visiting it. For example, I've made a page where I write down places and things I like and recommend to see in my home town Tallinn. I know many of my friends have found this useful when they've been planning their visit. I've also got many, many mails from people who are moving to Estonia and have needed advice.

- A blog helps you to network with other expatriates in your new home country. It's great to know that you are not alone in the same kind of situation. For example, when I was moving to Silicon Valley I started to look for blogs written by Finnish expatriates who live in the Valley. I found one by a lady who had just moved to the area and was living in the neighbor town. Later, we met and got friends. The power of blogging can sometimes be just awesome!

- It's always interesting to read other expatriates' experiences. Following a blog written by an Italian who's moved to Canada can be good fun. Totally different countries than in my own case, but oh so similar feelings.

Blogathon, Day 9: Expatriate And Social Media - What's Practical For You?

Sometime around year 1910 my great-grandmother moved from Finland to Canada. My mother has told me that my great-granny was supposed to travel there on Titanic but she didn't get tickets. Lucky her, lucky me. 

By the Great Lakes she met another Finn and got married. Unfortunately they soon got to hear that her father-in-law was sick and the young couple needed to hurry back home to Northern Europe. Too late. My great-great-grandfather had already died. No way the message of his death could have reached them early enough.

1995 I moved to Norway. I wrote a lots of letters. Yes, those things you send in an envelope with a stamp on. I called my parents via land line approximately once in two weeks. I asked my parents to mail me newspapers so I would know better what's happening in my home country. My dear friend sent me c-cassettes so I could listen to some Finnish music. 

2012 I have internet and cell phones. I use Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. I blog. I Skype. I don't write much letters. I haven't used a land line phone for ages, not even in California. I listen to music via Rdio. My little son is pretty knowledgeable with an iPad. 

Being an expatriate sure has changed within a century. Sometimes I feel I don't live abroad at all. Estonia is next to Finland (well, there's the Gulf of Finland between), the language is pretty similar and most important of all - I have all the imaginable technical bells and whistles to stay in touch with my dear ones both in Finland and in other countries. 

For me as an expatriate the best combination seems to be to use Facebook and my blogs. In addition to the one you are reading right now, I have another blog where I try to keep my family members and friends updated what's happening in my expatriate life. But there's nothing very personal there, just some general observations. 

Facebook gets me a bit closer to my family and friends. Really private stuff I'll save for skyping and e-mails. 

Twitter I use as a more professional tool. None of my family members use it and only a couple of good friends tweet. I also have Google+ and Pinterest accounts but I don't use them at all. So none of these wouldn't work for staying in touch with the closest ones. 

It would be interesting to hear what kind of tools of social media are important for other expatriates. How many of you still write letters? I wish many!