‘Now’ Generation of Alberta Estonians

Janet Matiisen

I've said many times that I was born under a lucky star.

My dad, Arne Matiisen, may not have felt the same way when he was a young man. He was born during the glory days before WWII in Tallinn, though his family followed a familiar path of rebuilding their lives in another country. First, in Sweden, and eventually in the Eckville area of Alberta - it was not an easy life. My mom, Carolyn Wilfley Matiisen, has traced her family roots back to the 1800s in America and were true homesteaders in the States, and in Alberta. They prove, in many ways, that opposites attract; they met at U of A and married in Red Deer and I came along some time later.

My parents instilled a sense of curiosity and a desire to explore, discover and see. We moved to Germany and then London, England for my first few years. We travelled all over Europe and other parts of the world before finally settling in Calgary while I was in elementary school. I've been here ever since. My sister, Melanie, arrived when I was almost 10 years old, we have been best friends for about 20 years and counting.

I am a proud native Calgarian, though I cling strongly to my roots in Estonia. One of the highlights of my life was the time I spent in Estonia in 2007 with my dad and my aunt, Eda McClung. Words cannot describe the emotions when I first saw Pikk Hermann and our flag flying above - I was excited and awestruck and overwhelmed with emotion, covered in goose bumps. We explored our roots and discovered so much about our history, met family and friends all over the country . . . I can't believe we did all that in 10 days.

Now, I continue to explore the world, but I do it mostly from my desk. I work at the Calgary Herald, where I am Assistant News Editor/Graphics and Design. When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I make the paper look good, I make them WANT to read it, I'm a visual journalist. It's an exciting way to make a living, you never know what is going to happen on any given day, but you can count on us to tell you about it.

I always crave knowledge and am always curious. I love to explore the world - in journalism and in a more traditional sense, too. In the last few years I've been to Australia, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico and various ports of call in the U.S.A. Some day, I will return to Estonia, a proud ex-pat, showing off the country of my roots to my partner and basking in the glow and history of a resilient and progressive people that will never say die, never quit, never give up their birthright. My lucky star will lead me there.