Three days ago was my last working day at Elcoteq. Starting from the moment I left the factory I could start counting the days I have left in Estonia. Is time to close all the chapters of my life here to start a new one in Vienna.
It was interesting to leave Elcoteq after a year and 5 months working there. I could really feel the affection of my colleagues, which gave me as a good bye present a scarf and gloves with the national colors of Estonia: blue, black and white (see the picture). I know with many of them I will probably not talk again, but several friendships will last for sure.
But it was nice not only to receive messages from my workmates, but also from my suppliers. With many of them there was a very nice relationship, Niamh, Irina, Marina, Peter... for sure we will keep in contact.
Working at Elcoteq was very interesting for several reasons: Elcoteq is a company very (I mean VERY) big, it has many structured processes to learn from. For those who don’t know, in Elcoteq they produce electronic communication devices, meaning mobile phones, consoles, antennas, etc. In Tallinn there are about four thousand people working!
Other reason for making this time at Elcoteq so interesting is that the company reflects a lot the Estonian society. In Estonia there are not only Estonians, there are also Russian-Estonians, or Russians born in Estonia. In general these two groups don’t get along very well. Estonians are in one side and Russians in another, but I’m generalizing :-). But the way how Estonian society behaves is a topic for another posting.
In Elcoteq there are more Russians than Estonians, and as in the society, these two groups don’t get mixed. At the canteen you can see the Estonians in groups of two or three, while the Russian people sit in bigger groups, make jokes and laugh a lot. It is so interesting to see differently when they are born and raised in the same country.
Anyway, this is Elcoteq, a micro-world full of challenges, friends, technology and thousand things to learn.
