Estonian President Alar Karis: home chores await after term ends

Estonian President Alar Karis, speaking at a reception in the Rose Garden, said the family home has essentially turned into a summer cottage the couple rarely manages to visit. He noted that once his presidential term concludes, a long list of household chores awaits him.

The president's wife, Sirje Karis, told Estonian broadcaster ETV that the past five years have been an interesting period that brought her much new knowledge and the chance to meet many remarkable people, both in Estonia and abroad. She added, however, that she won't be able to give up all her duties entirely — some will remain.

Home turned into a cottage

"The house has become a summer cottage — you arrive and see cobwebs have appeared again, because no one lives there. We'll see how we manage to arrange life between Tallinn and Tartu going forward. The center of gravity will then shift more toward southern Estonia," Karis said.

Sirje Karis said she doesn't paint ceilings or floors herself, but still does much of the work when she has the chance to be at home — she has her own garden and greenhouse, which she enjoys tending.

The president noted that while one may want to do everything themselves, stepping into a hardware store can be overwhelming given the sheer range of choice. He said they've reached the point of leaving tasks they don't know how to do to professionals.

Foreign visits ahead

Over the next five weeks, Karis will only be able to spend a few days in Estonia. In a couple of days he departs for Ukraine, followed by Latvia and Italy, with later visits planned to the Nordic countries, Germany and New York.