Japanese ballet artist and Turkish entrepreneur settle in Estonia — ERR News

Japanese ballet artist Nanae Maruyama and Turkish researcher and entrepreneur Ahmet Köse, who came to Estonia for different reasons, later decided to make the country their home. ERR News reports on their experience of living in Estonia.

A career in Tallinn ballet

Maruyama studied in Germany, worked in France, and later got a job at the Estonian National Ballet in Tallinn. Twenty years later, she works with the company as a ballet répétiteur.

Before moving, Maruyama knew little about Estonia: she only knew that the country was located next to Russia, as well as the names of Latvia and Lithuania. She did not formally study Estonian, instead learning the language in everyday life by listening to it and practising every day.

She continues to observe Japanese holidays according to the traditions of her country. At the same time, Maruyama celebrates Estonia’s Independence Day with Estonians and has also grown fond of black bread and sprats.

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A technology company

Köse previously lived in the United States and Hungary. An American professor advised him to consider Estonia for work in innovation. That same year, Köse received a scholarship to study for a master’s degree at Tallinn University of Technology, TalTech, and later earned a doctoral degree there.

He now runs a technology company operating in 24 countries. Köse’s wife is Estonian, and their children are native speakers of Estonian. He himself began learning Estonian while pursuing his master’s degree, although at the time he did not know whether he would remain in the country for long.

The entrepreneur also said that he appreciates Estonia’s weather, the change of four seasons, space and tranquillity. He was born in Istanbul, where, according to him, 20 million people now live, so in Estonia he particularly values the opportunity to live in a calmer environment. He also considers traffic in Tallinn not overly complicated compared with other capitals.