It’s been almost 6 months since you started to work at Kalli-Kalli Lastehoid. How have you adapted and how do you get along with the children?
Already 6 months? Time goes so fast! I really feel part of Kalli-Kalli Lastehoid and all the other teachers, parents and children make it so easy to adapt working here, the environment is perfect and the philosophy of trying new things that you set in the kindergarten makes it even easier. At the beginning I was a bit skeptical but I could have never imagine to be so comfortable and happy working here, and from the very beginning I was accepted by most of the children, what sometimes is difficult, especially when you are a foreigner that can’t understand what they say.
Did you ever doubted in coming to teach small children to some small outskirts city called Saue?
When I was told that Kalli-Kalli is in Saue, 30 minutes by train from Tallinn (it takes me almost one hour to reach from home to here) I doubted it, yes. Also the fact that I’ve never taught little children before, not even in Spain, and that I had to wake up really early. However, I like to try new things and see how far I can go, so I thought myself that it’s good if I at least try it, test oneself and try to do your best. I can say now proudly that it was probably the best choice I’ve made here in Estonia and I can’t be happier about it.
How you have managed with language barrier – you don’t speak estonian, children don’t speak spanish?
That has been probably one of the most important concerns I have had during my staying here. When I started working here I didn’t have any background on my job, so I’ve been learning by experiencing and trying different things. At the beginning I started just speaking in Spanish, every time, at every moment. I was doing well, but I could see that the understanding with children was zero. They were accepting me, and they even already started learning some words in Spanish with some games and by constant repetition of words in concrete situations, but I realize there was no connection with children, that I couldn’t make them understand that they should not do that thing, or that they should come here or there. They could deceive me just with the fact that they didn’t understand what I was saying, and even in some moments, I saw myself not being able to understand what they were saying. As an example, one of the first weeks, one child came to me and I saw him worried but I couldn’t understand what he was asking to me. I did my best to understand him trying different expressive gestures with the hope that it would work out, and suddenly I saw he was peeing in his pants. I’m really sorry about that parent who had to clean those pee pants that day, it was my fault, but in that exact moment I realized I had to learn at least some Estonian for them to understand me. I can see the progress now, children are more close to me, they respect me much more, we can understand together with almost no problem, and I can now even directly ask how things are said in Spanish and explain a bit myself. I think it was a necessary step to learn Estonian, because in the other way communication between us would be zero, and before the language learning there’s life needs, and I need them to learn things that doesn’t have anything to do with language, but that are probably much more important.
Do you think children have learned some spanish during your time at Kalli-Kalli?
Yes. It’s not an easy question to answer because the smallest ones don’t even speak in Estonian so much and it gets really difficult to teach them another language. There are also some children who are more likely to learn than others, and of course not everyone has learned the same amount. As you understand, I can’t make children learn sentences or phrases, they are too little for that, and first they should speak their language fluidly and with no problems, but I’ve been concentrating them in assimilating some words. Sometimes I achieve them to learn, other times not. Also, I realized, when playing some games, or when trying them to get things, even if at the beginning they don’t learn, suddenly, after some weeks they can tell you a word that you’ve been trying them to learn before. It’s amazing how easily children get things, and I believe that repeating words, playing same games, singing songs, they can get something and get use to it. They also sometimes don’t learn exactly the meaning of a word, but they associate. For example, if I want them to learn the color “red” (rojo), they sometimes learn it’s a color, but they don’t really get which color is it, and it turns that they call “red” (rojo) to every color. That kind of things upset me a bit, but you have to deal with it and try next time again, maybe in some other way. I just want to believe that at least, in my staying here, even if they probably would not remember these few words when they get older if they don’t keep practicing, that this first contact with Spanish at this young age would make them more sympathetic to learn it afterwards in the future.
How do you feel the children parents and local staff relate to foreign speaking teacher?
I think it’s been amazing how well they received me and treated me. I haven’t had so much contact with parents, but with those few ones I had, they were really friendly and welcoming with me. About other teachers, I just can say BRAVO! I really have to thank all of them because they have been amazingly helpful to me and astonishing nice. They are the best in their work, and I’m really glad that all these children I love and appreciate now at Kalli-Kalli are in these teachers hands. Pirko, Kareen, Ene and Ene, Linda and Margot. You are amazing, thank you all!
Your studies in Baltic Film and Media College will end this spring and you return back home. What is it what you value most of this experience of being a teacher in Kalli-Kalli Lastehoid?
I finish my studies here in Estonia, and also another phase of my life. I’m sad that it ends because the experience has been amazing and I’ve been really comfortable and happy in here despite the winter, but every nice moment in life must have a beginning and sometimes unfortunately, an end. However, I believe that that’s what makes it so beautiful, that everything we love and like, that we are enjoying, at some moment reaches an end. We appreciate life because we die, but the most important thing is that you keep all those experiences in your heart, growing us as human beings. I can’t be happier about my experience in Kalli-Kalli, sharing all those wonderful and amazing moments with you. I would never forget this phase of my life, and it’s going to be impossible to forget you all. Having the opportunity to be and work with all your children has made me have a new perspective in life, and the experience is really worth taking. I just can be thankful to all the parents for that and to Pirko and Arthur for giving me this opportunity and believe in me as you have done.
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