No Crowds, No Small Talk, No Regrets: Studying in Estonia

This blog post comes from Caleb, our Spring 2025 student. During his semester abroad, Caleb interned at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS), Estonia’s leading think tank focused on foreign policy, security, and defense. ICDS plays a central role in regional strategy and policy discussions, bringing together experts from across Europe.

Here’s Caleb’s story!

Needless to say, Estonia is not the most common destination for studying abroad. Before leaving, it was fun telling people where I was going to study, only to get some kind of shocked reaction back: "Wow! Estonia! Where is that? Is that in Asia?" Despite its unusual destination, unique food, and general lack of crowds, studying abroad in Estonia has been one of the best decisions I have made for personal and professional development.

Before coming to Estonia, multiple people warned me that "some Estonians can come across as cold or unfriendly." Genuinely, I have found the complete opposite. One of the most gratifying parts of my experience abroad has been the incredibly friendly people. Small talk doesn’t really exist here, so locals usually won’t interact with you unless you explicitly ask them for something. However, if you do find yourself asking a local for something, they’re always very helpful and considerate. The lack of small talk, in my opinion, is lovely.

I grew up in Los Angeles and New York, so living in a city with only around 400,000 people is certainly a new experience. There is something incredibly special about walking down the stunning streets of Old Town without fields of tourists everywhere you go. There is a certain charming silence to the city that I have grown to adore.

A huge bonus of studying in Estonia, specifically through the CIEE program, is the opportunity to have an internship. If you are passionate about international affairs, like me, then Tallinn is an especially topical location to study abroad. As someone with Ukrainian ancestry, I’ve focused much of my undergraduate experience studying Ukraine. Estonia is one of the most pro-Ukraine countries on earth, so I wanted to do some kind of research or advocacy for Ukraine while I was here. Because of connections through CIEE, I got an interview at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS), Estonia's premier international relations think-tank.

My interview was with the ICDS head of studies, Tomas Jermalavičius, an expert on all things Ukraine. The interview, about qualifications and a possible work schedule, lasted around fifteen minutes. We spent the rest of the hour-long discussion talking about the current news cycle. Leaving the interview, I felt like I’d found the perfect place to intern and was incredibly excited about the opportunity.

My internship started about three weeks after the initial interview, and my first day surpassed all of my expectations. I started my day by walking into the beautiful, modern office and meeting with Tomas. He explained to me which projects he was working on and needed help with, how I’ll have the opportunity to do some independent research, and other duties I would have around the office.

The ICDS office environment was incredibly welcoming. I major in International Affairs and Russian, and I love both majors, but at TLU, I am only taking courses in the humanities. After my meeting with Tomas on my first day, I sat down and started chatting with another intern at the office; it was like a breath of fresh air. I did not realize how much I missed discussing international affairs with someone who was just as passionate about it as I was. This trend continued throughout the entire day.

As my first day went on, I met a multitude of incredibly intelligent, educated, and friendly researchers who were genuinely interested in learning about me. By the end of my first day, I realized that I was the only American in the office. Almost four months later, I realize how incredibly valuable that has been. I have had such a unique opportunity to learn from people all around Europe about how they approach research, politics, and discussions differently.

Along with two projects for Tomas on Ukraine, I have spent a good amount of time helping work on the Lennart Meri Conference in May. My primary assignment is writing and editing the bios for the speakers coming to the annual ICDS security conference. Surprisingly, this has been one of my favorite aspects of my internship. While writing the bios, I have had to research almost every speaker attending this year’s conference, which has been super interesting. Among a huge list of others are three European presidents, eight current/former ministers of foreign affairs, the EU Commission Vice President, the US Ambassador to NATO, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, and a plethora of analysts, researchers, and government officials. You can see a list of the speakers at this year’s conference here. I also have the opportunity to work at the conference and interact with these incredible speakers.

Another bonus of working at the ICDS has been the opportunity to get formally published. Whenever I had time in between working on Tomas’s projects and writing bios for the LMC, I worked on an independent article on the future of the Russian-Iranian relationship. After a lot of editing, the article got published by the ICDS. Additionally, the ICDS decided to translate my article into Estonian and publish it in their foreign policy and security magazine, Diplomaatia.

Although I usually only work at the ICDS once a week, the work environment is lovely. Along with almost weekly staff happy birthday emails, step competitions, and a never-ending supply of international snacks brought back when fellows go abroad, there is just a general air of camaraderie that I have rarely experienced at other offices. Put simply, it seems like everyone likes each other.

Outside of the ICDS, CIEE has been a wonderful experience. One aspect of this program I was not clear about until I got here is how customizable your independence is. CIEE provides weekly “free” excursions and activities, which are completely optional. I have never felt pressured to attend events; you could skip every event the whole semester if you wanted to. On the flip side, there is something quite nice about touring the country and having a general support system while here. They have also encouraged me to travel around Europe independently while I’m here.

There are plenty of extracurricular opportunities outside the ICDS and CIEE in Tallinn and around Europe. For example, to practice my Russian language, I have consistently gone and helped weave camouflage nets with Ukrainian refugees to be sent to the front lines. I’ve also gone to the European Ice Skating Championship, a plethora of museums, the beach (it’s finally warming up), traveled to over ten countries, a football game, the Ice Hockey World Championships, and much more! There is no shortage of new things to do or see.

Another amazing opportunity I am thrilled about is that I attended the 2025 NATO Youth Summit in Budva, Montenegro. To participate in the summit, people aged 18-35 had to submit an answer (in one of many formats) to a “challenge question” about the future of NATO. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend this year’s summit. This opportunity was not through CIEE or the ICDS, but a perk of studying international affairs and living in Europe.

Although my overall experience has been fantastic, some parts of living, studying, and working in a foreign country are naturally hard. Firstly, as someone who grew up in the southern Californian heat, the weather here is cold. I have never appreciated the sun more in my life. Secondly, the classes at Tallinn University are really different than what I am used to in the United States. For example, not one of my TLU classes has had a syllabus, and to put it simply, the scheduling is bizarre. For example, in one of my classes, I got an entirely new professor for the last month of the semester, and I have one class that’s 1 ½ hours three times a week, and another class that’s just once a week and also 1 ½ hours. Occasionally, the classes can feel very unorganized and confusing, which can be frustrating. If you decide to come, then it’s important to keep in mind that studying at TLU is a tiny part of the overall program, and the rest of the opportunities you’ll experience far outweigh anything you’ll learn in a classroom.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, Tallinn is definitely not the usual destination for studying abroad. However, I genuinely think this location is magical if you’re passionate about international affairs, especially in Eastern European studies. I also could not recommend getting an internship enough. My experiences at the ICDS have been invaluable and have really helped shape my overall experience in Tallinn. I am so grateful I chose to study abroad here!

Caleb Briskman, Spring, 2025

CIEE Program: Russian Language + European Studies

Georgetown University