Why ‘KRISTI X TRAVEL STORIES’ !?
I’ll start with introducing myself. I am Kristi Vikman, from today a 26-year-old Estonian who has had an urge to travel for the last 7 years and more. Or who knows, maybe even longer, but I’ve hid it well for myself and others.
My first flight and therefore a bigger adventure took place in 2011 when I went to do my European Voluntary Service (EVS) to Bulgaria for 11 months. During this time, I discovered most of the Balkan Peninsula, and till now this area is deeply embedded into my heart with its sincerity, hospitality and delicious cuisine. Oh yes, I’m a foodie. You got me.
I returned to the University of Tartu and, after a long time, doubted about my major of education and, after taking time off, I finally received my Bachelor’s diploma. Although it was postponed because my Erasmus + Exchange Student in Cyprus in 2017, I don’t regret it a bit. I feel like these 4 months there changed me a lot – I regained interest in photography and met many very dear people who share similar worldviews and are close to me also today. In general, I have made most of my closest friends while living abroad, so they are scattered all around the world and, while in Estonia, I lately feel relatively alone.
Going back I spent two and a half months travelling around Europe with Erasmus + 30, visited 16 countries and reunited with old friends and met new ones. The project ‘Europe, in the eyes of the Erasmus / L’Europe dans les yeux des Erasmus’ was born in collaboration with the University of Liège and culminated with a small photo exhibition and round-table. Again an amazing opportunity to visit Europe and also see how locals live, as we mostly stayed with our friends from the Erasmus programme in Cyprus.
Few know that, actually, a few years after I started the university, I applied for a student exchange in Spain and was accepted, only to discover that they required a B2 level of Spanish. In 2018, I made it good by going to Alicante for recent graduate’s Erasmus+ internship and spent half a year teaching English in a language school.
At the moment, I am dividing my time between Belgium and Estonia, and do not have a definite plan yet for 2019, but you can be certain that you will hear about it first thing from this blog.
Throughout this journey, which started in 2011, I have tried to discover my surroundings as much as possible, be it in Estonia or abroad. I’ve been thinking about blogging for several times, but it’s always been a matter of hesitation for me. This time I decided not to let it stop me. I want you to find inspiration here for your future destinations, before you go on a trip, you can look at what is worth seeing and experiencing. Along with this travelling topic, I’m also opening up about myself and you will also get to know me better.
Hope to see you back in here soon!
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