Anakaren Cadena Calvillo: From Mexico City to Tallinn, Estonia

When Anakaren Cadena Calvillo and her now-husband sat down to figure out their next chapter, they decided it wouldn’t be in either of their home countries (Mexico or Brazil). What came next was less of a plan and more an adventure – one that landed them in Tallinn, Estonia.

First impressions

Anakaren grew up in Mexico, but she had dreamed of building a life in Europe. Her husband, a Brazilian – had lived in Europe before and was enthusiastic about the idea. They started exploring their options together: weighing cities across Europe before Tallinn rose to the top.

“Fortunately, we both got accepted to Tallinn University,” she says. “I had applied to International Relations and HR and decided to go for it.”

It sounds simple, but there were a lot of logistics to figure out, especially with this being her first move abroad. She remembers finding a Work in Estonia Relocation Guide PDF that covered everything from grocery shopping to public transport. “It was great just having all that information before we even began to travel.”

They arrived in August 2019. On day one, they dropped their bags at the hotel and walked straight to Old Town. “It was the first place we went,” she says. “August 17th, 2019. We had just arrived and left everything at the hotel. I remember it being just so beautiful.”

When they landed, they had each other and six months of savings. That was it. “We only knew each other. He arrived the same day, but from Brazil. We only had each other to really rely on.”

Learning to live in Estonia, together

Her husband found his first footing with Bolt, Estonia’s homegrown ride-hailing unicorn, before moving into a customer support role there — a fitting entry point in a country where many global tech companies get their start. Anakaren went through Estonia’s residency process herself and found it remarkably smooth compared to what her Brazilian husband had gone through in Mexico.

“He had to get a permit there and it was extremely difficult. Once approved, it would still take months for him to receive the actual document,” she says. “In Estonia it was much easier.”

She has since renewed her residency permit twice, both times using Work in Estonia’s residency permit consultation service. “They have always been super supportive and able to answer all my questions.”

She has since landed a role at Konecranes, a Finnish company that manufactures cranes. “I will always feel grateful to them for opening their doors to me,” she says. “It was my Estonian beginning.”

The quieter office, the deeper trust

Her work in people experience, learning and development has been shaped by what Estonia taught her about professional culture.

“Something that always struck me, at least in the three companies I’ve worked for here, is that HR is quite quiet,” she says. “In Mexico, HR was always making the most noise on the floor. We would try to connect constantly. People would ask us to not make so much noise.” She smiles. “In Estonia it’s different.”

But it’s not just about volume. The difference, she’s come to understand, runs deeper. “The way to show you can be trusted here is by demonstrating that your job and position matter to you – that you do your best, you complete your projects, you ask for help when you need it. That’s how people begin to trust you.”

In Mexico, she explains, relationships come first. That doesn’t mean people don’t deliver – quite the opposite, she’s quick to add. “People are super hardworking. But we rely a lot on referrals and the connections we’ve made throughout our careers. How you show up in past relationships impacts your future.” In Estonia, she’s observed, it tends to work the other way around: you demonstrate what you’re capable of first, and relationships follow.

Falling in love with a country

Then came Covid. Arriving just before the pandemic, Anakaren and her husband watched Estonia navigate the crisis from the inside – and compared notes with family back in Mexico and Brazil, where the toll was devastating.

“It was impressive how the government handled the situation,” she says. “Coming from Mexico and Brazil, where so many people were so terribly impacted… it made us both look at Estonia differently.”

During those two years of their master’s, something shifted. “We fell in love with Estonia. The infrastructure, the transportation, the safety, the educational systems. Life in general, really.”

She had come to study. She ended up staying.

Digital, and proud of it

Estonians will readily tell you their country is a digital nation – and Anakaren agrees it’s not just a slogan.

“I love that everything is available,” she says. “Not just banking – even the government health portal amazes me. I can access my entire medical history, and any of my doctors can too.” She lists the things she now does online without thinking: registering an address, paying taxes, public transport registration, applying for residency permit renewals. “It would make life easier for so many people if other countries introduced the same infrastructure and services. It really is something Estonians should be proud of.”

Kids on trams, and other surprises

Ask Anakaren what surprised her most about Estonia, and she doesn’t hesitate.

“My first culture shock was seeing children of about six or seven years old taking public transport on their own,” she says. “I felt I needed to make sure the kid was safe and knew what they were doing.” Over time she kept noticing more and more children doing the same, until someone explained that Estonian schools actively encourage it – teaching kids to be independent and aware of their surroundings from an early age. “This doesn’t happen in my country. At least not with kids that young.”

And the nature. She hadn’t expected to fall quite so hard for it. “The calmness and the love for nature. I enjoy all the green areas – mainly in spring, summer, and autumn. I think I am in love with the colours of autumn.”

On saunas and lakes

She had never experienced saunas the Estonian way before moving here. Her introduction was gentle enough: a trip out of Tallinn in winter, a friend who calmly stepped outside and lay down in the snow after the sauna. “I genuinely thought she must be crazy,” Anakaren says.

Three years later, she was the one running out of a sauna and jumping into a cold lake near Viljandi. “It was summer, so not completely freezing – but still, the lake was cold for me. And still… it’s a very nice experience. You get used to it.”

She’s also developed strong feelings about Estonian baked potatoes. “I love them. I gained weight just because of them. Every time I go to a restaurant and there are baked potatoes on the menu, I will always order them.”

The Estonian friends who crept up on her

Making local friends took time. She’s honest about that. She remembers the exact moment, in her second semester at Tallinn University, when an Estonian classmate named Mari hugged her goodbye after class. “I came home super happy and told my husband an Estonian had hugged me.”

She remembers being invited to a sauna by a colleague at her first company – and being so touched by the gesture that she was still talking about it days later, even though she ultimately didn’t go. “I was just so happy to have been considered.”

Now, some of those colleagues have become among her closest people. “I talk to them constantly. We go for walks. I’ve visited one in Pärnu and met her grandmother and aunt. I’ve met other colleagues’ families. It’s just amazing that I’ve been able to meet these beautiful people.”

What Estonia gave her

Before Estonia, Anakaren was entirely comfortable surrounded by people, by noise, by constant company. Coming here was an adjustment. “I had real trouble when I arrived. The quiet was overwhelming.”

Now, when she travels back to busier cities – or returns to Mexico – the adjustment runs the other direction. “I have so much trouble with the crowds, the noise. I really appreciate my time alone now.” She thinks about that for a moment. “That’s not something I had before coming here.”

She still has things on her Estonian bucket list. At the top: “Laulupidu”, the national song festival held every five years. “I think it’s amazing and I would love to see it and be part of it. I know it can be quite difficult to get tickets.”

And she has her two dogs – Shaq, who arrived via an Estonian rescue organisation from Russia in 2021, and Maya, who her parents brought from Mexico in December 2022. “They are our sunshines,” she says. “And they help us make Estonian acquaintances on our walks.”

She came here to study. She stayed for the trams that run on time, the saunas, the digitisation, the autumn colours, the baked potatoes, and the friends she eventually found. Asked what she’d tell someone considering the same move, she doesn’t overthink it.

“Information is available. Everything is easy to find. Just come with an open mind – and maybe find that PDF first.”

Curious about continuing your career in Estonia? Check out the full Work in Estonia Relocation Guide PDF and checklist to prepare for your own move.