How did it start?
It all started when my boyfriend got a job offer in Estonia, a freezing cold but beautiful country more than 10,000 km away from Colombia, my home country. It was a mixture of emotions for both of us, on one hand the overwhelming feeling of a great and exciting opportunity for him, but on the other hand a sad feeling when I thought about the separation and the fact of having a long distance-relationship.
Ever since I was a little girl, I kept dreaming of living in Europe, but as I began to grow up, that desire faded due to the lack of self-trust and also the worried about money, how I was going to be able to save money and travel to Europe in a country where jobs like mine are not well paid? A new job in another country so far away seemed almost impossible, especially during a pandemic and the hype about remote jobs.
Finding a job
My adventure to find a job in Europe lasted five months. I am a social communicator and journalist, and in my five years of experience I have worked as a community manager and marketing specialist in several companies. I have to say that my first concern was the language, because Estonian is really difficult, but then I found out that most people in Tallinn speak English fluently, so I searched local job portals in Estonia and applied for marketing positions. It's common knowledge that looking for a new job can be stressful and that you can often give up on your search quickly. I think the secret is being consistent and trying one day at a time, with patience as your best friend.
The big opportunity came when I saw a Fintech’s Market advertisement, they were looking for a Digital Marketing Specialist. I read the job description and immediately applied, the previous days I wasn't thinking about it so much, because with other applications and interviews I was really excited but then nothing happened. A few days later, I received an email inviting me to an interview. I felt very comfortable during the interview and after a few hours a new email arrived in my inbox with the next step of the process: a marketing test. I was so happy and could not believe what was happening. After a few days, a new email came and this time with the best news ever: Fintech Market offered me the position of Digital Marketing Specialist in their company. It was 4am when I saw it and I thought it was all a dream. I was overjoyed when I finally recovered from the incredible news and started preparing for the big change in my life.
A new home
I traveled across the ocean in four different planes for more than two days to begin a new challenge in my professional and personal life. Changing continents was a major culture shock, especially in terms of weather, as I arrived in the coldest month of the year. I lived in a city where the sun shines every day and the "cold" seasons consist only of rain, but not cold temperatures, and now I came here to experience -0 degrees. And for the first time ever I saw the snow falling, dressed with many layers of clothes, touched the cold water of the Baltic Sea and heard the ravens for the first time in my life.
Here in Tallinn, I've been enjoying the fascinating views and the well-preserved medieval structures. It's a really nice city for long walks, delicious food and a relaxing environment. For me, it's the perfect mix between having the benefits of a capital city and the fact that it's a small place where you can live a quiet life near the sea.
Starting a new position
Fintech Market has given me the chance of a lifetime to have a whole new adventure, a new set of experiences and meet new, kind and amazing people. Here I have improved my skills, learned about the Fintech industry and got to know a new kind of working environment, a very different one than in Colombia. Here people care about the person behind the role, the offices are so quiet that you can really focus on your tasks and there is no "big boss" figure or role like in Colombia, here we are all treated equally and also there are no board game nights in my country.
The first thing that comes to mind when I talk about the differences between the work cultures in Colombia and Estonia is the value that companies give to your time and work: Here in Estonia, work is really valuable and they often think about your overall and mental health.
These two months have really been challenging, but I'm looking forward to the new things that will come my way in the near future. I'm ready to achieve new successes as part of the marketing team and continue to enjoy this beautiful country.
