"Thinking back to 2024, it went by in the blink of an eye," Kalam, the public broadcaster's Washington correspondent, told the "Lõpp hea, kõik hea" program.

When first moving to the States, Kalam traveled a lot and once she got back to Washington, she quickly felt like she was home and could finally sleep in her own bed. "Getting used to things kind of had to be really quick," she said.

Many other things, such as grocery shopping, where not everything is like it is in Europe, also took some getting used to. "Or public transport, and how long it takes to get from one place to another," Kalam described.

If in Estonia, Kalam sometimes had to travel from Tallinn to Tartu for work, now, she sometimes has to travel distances equivalent to going from Tallinn to Vilnius just to start her day. "The insane distances also require acclimatization. I've realized by now that I won't always make it in a single day."

The only thing the correspondent has not gotten used to by now is not being able to move freely at night in major cities. "Because crime rates are higher, I cannot go for a run at 10 p.m., which is what I used to do in Estonia," she said, adding that one has to restrict one's freedom in America to some extent.

"People are surprised when I say I don't own a gun or regularly visit the shooting range. That is something they are not used to, saying that if you own a gun, they'll not dare to invade your home," Kalam said.

She has also had to use more paper in the U.S. in the past year than she did in Estonia during the past decade. "As Estonians, we trust our government and country much more than they do. The Americans do not trust their government enough to share data," Kalam remarked.

According to the ERR correspondent, people in America love to show affiliation. "For instance, if you've graduated from a university, you absolutely must hoist its flag somewhere, have a sticker on your car or a thematic jumper."

People are loyal and proud of where they come from. "That is not something Estonians are known for," she added.

Speaking of her professional successes, Kalam said she has managed to get California Governor Gavin Newsom to speak on camera twice and Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro once.

"For me, 'Aktuaalne kaamera' news, which airs at 9 p.m. in Estonia, happens at 2 p.m., while the earlier evening news programs in Estonia air when it's 11:30 a.m. This means that I have to get up quite early to get my piece in. Usually, life is only starting in the U.S. by the time the Estonian evening news shows air. When I go to bed in America, people are waking up in Estonia and radio news runs my first story."

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