Around 10:30pm on November 27th, George W. Bush landed in Tallinn airport marking the first US presidential visit in Estonian history. I was honored to play a small part in this monumental event along with hundreds of Estonian and Americans from embassies all over the world. Seeing all the work and planning that goes into such a visit was an extremely interesting experience.

My appointed role as deterined by the US Embassy of Estonia was that of press escort. This prestigious (ha ha) job required me to wear a cool Estonian soccer scarf, ride the bus with the international press, answer their questions, and sit around the White House Press Filing Center in case "anyone needed anything".

The Press arrived on the 27th before noon. The 777 chartered press plane that touched down was the first US commercial airliner in Estonia and the 2nd largest plane ever to land in the airport. Sitting on the press buses watching the plane come down was an exciting moment. It was cool to learn that the press always have 7 buses pick them up on the runway, they don't have to deal with customs, and their luggage is automatically removed from the plane and taken straight to the hotel. Ahhh, I only wish I could travel with such ease!

Since Bush did not arrive until 10:30pm, the press basically had a free day. My friends and I, while hanging out in the filing center area, befriended a hilarious CBS camera guy who showed us the shooting area on the 14th floor where the reporters did their live shots. We got to pretend we were famous reporters and take pictures with the Old Town skyline at our backs. Also, a friendly guy in the TV pool room explained the setup and process of pooling shots of the president. Basically, we hung out at the hotel all day, talked to the press, and bummed off their catered food. It was good fun.

The 28th was a bit more exciting. After the events of the day, another escort, Merit, and I loaded up our bus to go to the airport. Sitting in the front two seats were Jim Axelrod and Bill Plante, White House Correspondents for CBS. We chatted with them for the entire bus ride and while waiting to approach the runway. The reporters had a lot of questions about Estonia and were also interested to know how a girl from Manhattan, KS ended up so far from home.

From our vantage point on the bus near the runway, we could see Air Force One take off and quickly disappear into the dense Baltic clouds. Then is was time for the press to leave as well. The escorts stood by the plane as the press climbed aboard. It was at this point that I saw David Gregory from only a few feet away. I snapped a few quick photos. Many people had made comments about the coolness of our "official press escort scarves". One desperate man while waiting to board the plane asked about mine. I decided to strike and deal and sold the precious item for a mere 20USD. But, boy was that guy happy!

After all official duties were over, there was a "Wheels Up" Party at the Radisson hotel with food and wine. That was when I realized how many people really did play a part in the visit...hotel staff, police force, phone companies, Estonian Foreign Ministry...the list goes on and on.

But, for me, playing a small role in this historical event, though I didn't actually SEE Bush, was a big deal. This visit symbolized for me the path of Westernization that Estonia is barreling down at full speed. But, have no fear. The Estonians are quite experienced at maintaining their unique identity and culture. But, I sure am glad to see them get more and more international attention.