Siin me oleme: Back home

Estonians are very interested in returning to their homeland – for example, in the last five years, people returning to Estonia have outnumbered those emigrating from here by more than 1,500. Siin me oleme (Here We Are)[L1] , a show airing on ETV on Monday evenings, is trying to find out what makes Estonians return to their homeland.

Kadri and Magnus settled in the village of Kiissa near Avinurme almost three years ago. Before returning home, they lived in Sweden for many years – she was finishing her doctoral studies at the Karolinska Institute and he worked in the field of construction. While Kadri can work remotely, Magnus had to give up the decent salary he was earning in Sweden and now works as a rescuer. They decided to return when Kadri became pregnant with their first child.

‘It is a kind of a primal instinct for Estonians to come back to Estonia. You do it for your family,’ says Magnus.

‘When you find out that you will have a baby, you automatically start thinking about where you would like to live and where you would like to raise your child – that is how we first started considering it,’ adds Kadri.

Merike, who lived in Germany for 27 years, also returned to Estonia because she started missing her homeland. This spring, she made the final decision to move back to Estonia with her Italian husband and child.

‘When it hits me that I am actually here, I feel amazing. It brings me inner peace,’ says Merike. ‘In Germany, everyone is always nervous. That is not in my nature. I did not want to become like everyone else there.’

The parents of 24-year-old Feliks were war refugees who arrived in Toronto and Boston after long adventures. His parents lived in Chicago all their lives and until last year, so did Feliks. He has now been in Estonia for a year.

‘Growing up, I felt more Estonian because we used to visit our Estonian friends a lot. We visited the Chicago Estonian House. I was always surrounded by Estonian culture,’ says Feliks.

Sometimes, people go abroad simply to discover the world. Eliine Paulette travelled the world for nine years and arrived home just a few weeks ago.

‘Home is home. Nothing can beat it,’ says Eliine Paulette, explaining why she decided to come back home.

 [L1]Kliendile: siin ja edaspidi - kui ametlik ingliskeelne nimi on olemas/leitav, on kasutatud seda; kui mitte, siis on tõlge toodud sulgudes.