A new chapter
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
For the second year in a row, Peter Kaine traveled 4,000 miles from home to share his love for learning with families in the United States.
Kaine, a college student from Estonia, arrived in North Dakota just over four weeks ago to sell books for Southwest Advantage over the summer. He was given a destination and some connections, but the rest of the experience was up to him.
“That’s the crazy part of the program,” Kaine said. “They just say, ‘Go to this town, good luck.’”
Kaine said he didn’t have a place to stay when he first arrived in the U.S., and spent a few nights in a motel in Dickinson before finding a host family.
“You usually have some leads to follow, but it can take a while before you find someone to take you in,” Kaine said.
Kaine said supervisors check in with him and the other Estonians in the United States, and that he registers his address whenever it changes, like when he left Dickinson in June and found a new host family in Bismarck. He now spends his days traveling to small towns in central North Dakota visiting with families and selling books for those learning their ABCs or prepping for the ACT. He became licensed to sell in Washburn in June and has been visiting families and the Washburn Public Library to share the books ever since.
