What I understood after a year of working in Estonia

A year ago I moved to Tallinn. I thought it would just be a change of scenery. It turned out to be a complete restructuring.

Place changes people more than it seems

Estonia has a different pace, different expectations, a different way of building relationships. In the first months I kept catching myself looking for the “right” response to a situation — and not finding it.

This is disorienting. But it’s also a rare opportunity to review habits that seemed like “just who I am.”

Many emigrant clients

In my practice I started seeing a lot of people who had moved — from Russia, Ukraine, other countries. And I see a common theme: the feeling of “I no longer know who I am.”

This is normal. Identity is partly held up by context — by language, by the people around you, by familiar rhythms. When the context changes, it takes time to put yourself back together.

What helps

Not “accepting the new country” and not “not forgetting where you come from.” What helps is finding something that remains yourself in any context. A hobby. A way of thinking. Values.

For me that’s — working with my hands and talking with people. That’s why I’m here.