President Kersti Kaljulaid Arrives in Antarctica
President Kersti Kaljulaid reached King George Island in Antarctica on January 21 making her the first Estonian head of state to visit the continent. Kaljulaid visited several science stations and participated in events commemorating the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica, or its ice shelf, by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Captain in the Imperial Russian Navy at the time, and a Baltic German native of Saaremaa. The Estonian-led expedition on the 24-metre Dutch-built ketch the “Admiral Bellingshausen” to retrace the explorer’s journey 200 years ago, departed from Tallinn in July 2019 and arrived in Antarctica earlier this month.
Photo Exhibit of Estonian Refugee Camp Children Opens in Washington
The exhibition “The Heart We Left Behind”, featuring recent photographs by Maria Spann of people who fled wartorn Estonia in their youth in 1944, opened at the Mehari Sequar Gallery in Washington on January 15. Swedish-born photographer Maria Spann’s mother fled Estonia at the age of five and the artist currently lives in Brooklyn. The exhibition is part of a work in progress and Spann is looking for more people to photograph with the hope of eventually compiling a book. Anyone interested can get in touch via her website mariaspann.com. The exhibition runs until February 13.
Astronaut of Estonian Heritage Set to Make History in Space
On January 23, the Estonian daily “Postimees” wrote that American test pilot and NASA astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann (42) may very soon be the first woman to land on the moon. She is currently part of the crew training for the flight test of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Aunapu Mann’s paternal grandfather Helmuth Aunapu left Estonia in the 1920s, eventually settling in the U.S.
Hopes for Memorial to Estonians in Germany
In the small German town of Springe, the remains of 61 Estonian refugees who lived there post WW II will soon be reburied. 83-year-old local Eike Rehren is committed to ensuring that a memorial is erected for the Estonians, so the city won’t forget the important chapter in its history of hosting and helping the refugees.
