By day, Ana Falcon guides university students through the high-tech ethics of generative AI and virtual reality. But as the sun sets, she swaps the lecture hall for the spotlight of a basement comedy club, transforming the quirks of Estonian life and her own cultural clashes into sharp, side-splitting punchlines.
Originally from Mexico, Ana is a screenwriter, stand-up comedian, and lecturer at Tallinn University who has lived in Estonia for almost ten years. What began as a choice of where to complete her master’s degree gradually became a life that now includes an academic career, a doctorate, an Estonian husband and a comedy community.
The Right to Work, the Will to Stay
Ana’s Estonian story began in 2016 through Kino Eyes, an Erasmus Mundus programme focusing on European cinema. As a trained screenwriter, she was looking for an international master’s programme. Kino Eyes was divided between Portugal, Scotland and Estonia.
Ana and her best friend applied together. He was accepted, while Ana was initially placed on the waiting list. “I had a full year to see his experience, and part of that experience included living here in Estonia,” Ana recalls.
“When I applied again and got selected for the programme, I had to choose a country in which I wanted to finish the MA.” One practical detail helped her make the decision.
“What convinced me was something my friend said: when you come here as a student to Estonia, you also have the right to work. You can work from day one.”
This was important to Ana because she had previously studied in a country where her student visa did not allow her to work.
After completing her master’s degree, Ana stayed in Estonia and later began doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Around the same time, she met her future husband, who is Estonian. By the time she completed her doctorate in 2023, Estonia had become firmly connected to both her personal and professional life.
The Hannah Montana Effect
Today, Ana works as a lecturer at Tallinn University, combining two fields that have interested her throughout her career: technology and the arts.
She teaches students how to use generative AI and virtual reality in creative fields. Rather than fearing new technology, Ana believes people should learn how to use it carefully.
“I’m trying to teach people not to be afraid of artificial intelligence, but to use it when it is needed, in a very ethical and human-first way,” she explains. “I would much rather learn it than be afraid of it—that’s how I see technology.”
Alongside teaching, Ana performs stand-up comedy. Sometimes her students also come to see her shows, creating what she calls the “Hannah Montana effect”.
“I have to be super serious in the classroom, and then I want you to have a good time at the show,” she says. “I used to have a teacher like this in Mexico, and I still find him very inspiring because he taught me that I shouldn’t be ashamed of doing these two different things. You can have the best of both worlds, and it’s fine.”
Finding a Community Through Comedy
Ana found stand-up comedy during a difficult stage of her doctoral studies. Her supervisor, Madli Pesti, noticed that she was struggling emotionally and encouraged her to find a hobby unrelated to film or virtual reality.
“That is something I also appreciate about Estonians: they talk to you directly,” Ana says. “My supervisor felt the need to tell me that I was depressed. I had not noticed it myself, but when she said it out loud, I realised that it was true. Then she challenged me to find a hobby that had nothing to do with my studies.”
Finding the right activity was not immediate. Ana tried several things, including a knitting group and a reading group. Then she came across a Facebook post looking for female comedians for a new troupe. She had briefly performed comedy in Mexico before moving to Estonia and decided to give it another try.
“That’s the one that stuck,” she says. “It gave me something to look forward to, even during the winter. It requires time and commitment, but it worked. It really, really gives me motivation.”
Ana has now been performing with Pussy Jam Comedy for almost four years. She describes the group’s audience as supportive, open and diverse, including many women, members of the queer community and people who relate to the feeling of being a “fish out of water”.
She has also found unexpected support among Estonians living abroad. When she performed for a month at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, more Estonians than Mexicans came to see her show.
“Estonians abroad are super supportive,” she says. “Every time I perform abroad, at least one Estonian goes. They are part of my support audience now.”
“You Look Normal”: Observing Estonian Culture
Ana’s first comedy show, The Number One Mexican in Estonia, grew out of her experiences of adapting to a new country. One of the greatest surprises was how safe Estonia felt.
“It is shocking to see seven-year-olds walking alone in the middle of the city,” she says. “We’re talking about winter, when it’s dark, and they’re still on their own. Coming from Mexico, where until I was 18 I was driven and taken everywhere and was never alone, it was an entirely different experience. Here you are safe. Here you can relax.”
That sense of security becomes especially noticeable when Ana visits Mexico with her Estonian husband.
“I have to ask him to be very mindful of his stuff because this is not Estonia,” she says. “Here it is so safe that you lose the sense of being afraid of the world.”
Estonian communication styles and compliments have also provided material for her comedy.
“One of the jokes I make is that during my shows, when there are Estonian couples in the audience, I ask the man to compliment his date,” Ana says. “A lot of times they say my favourite compliment, which works in Estonian but not in English: ‘You look normal.’”
In Ana’s experience, the phrase can genuinely work as a compliment in Estonia. Elsewhere, it may have a rather different effect.
“It’s always very funny because it’s true—it’s a compliment here,” Ana says. “But anywhere else, if you tell somebody, ‘You look normal,’ they might have a different opinion.”
Stop Scrolling and Go Outside
Ana found much of the practical information she needed through her university, friends and websites such as Settle in Estonia and Work in Estonia. She nevertheless believes that online information can take newcomers only so far.
“Even though you can find a lot of information online, at some point you have to go outside,” she says. “If you stay and just check the forums, you’re going to get depressed because everybody will be complaining, and the algorithm is designed to keep you scrolling.”
When Ana looked for information about hobby groups, she repeatedly encountered negative experiences and complaints. Eventually, she decided to try the groups herself and found that the reality was different.
“At some point, you simply have to go out and see for yourself,” she says. “It’s like going to the gym: you can read about workouts all you want, but at some point you have to do the work yourself.”
The same principle applies to learning Estonian. Ana has completed Estonian language courses up to B1 level and hopes to return to regular practice after having put it on hold during an especially demanding period of her doctoral studies. Although she does not yet feel comfortable speaking, she asks her Estonian friends and fellow comedians not to change languages solely because of her.
“I tell them, ‘If everyone is Estonian here, you can speak Estonian. I cannot speak it, but I will reply in English.’ It works like that.”
Ana does not think adapting to Estonia means that everything must happen immediately. Her own life here has developed step by step: through studies, work, relationships, language learning and eventually comedy.
Looking back on the life she has built here, Ana speaks about Estonia with both affection and gratitude.
“As someone who moved to Estonia almost ten years ago, I can say that it is a very good place to live and a very safe place to create a story—your own story,” she says. “That is something I will always be thankful for.”
The Settle in Estonia Programme is a free educational programme provided by the Estonian state which is intended to help the foreigners who have arrived in Estonia to adapt and become accustomed to local life more easily. We offer courses for people who have come to live or study in Estonia and have lived here for less than 5 years. For example, war refugees to whom Estonia offers international or temporary protection, as well as people who have come to Estonia to work or do business here or relocate with their family member. The adaptation program The Settle in Estonia Programme is free for participants. We offer language training and other courses to help you cope with everyday life in Estonia. Read more and register: https://integratsioon.ee/en/kohanemine. The adaptation programme is co-funded by the European Union and the state budget.