Estonian college student sells books in Sisters

Fred Murumaa has always been an adventurous sort.

So, when a fellow student approached him at the University of Tartu - in the Baltic nation of Estonia - with a proposition to spend a summer working with a company selling sophisticated school workbooks in the United States, he jumped at the chance.

Murumaa says he has a tendency to "get into things that are over my head and try to find my way out. It sounded like an adventure to me, really."

Murumaa's adventure took him to Illinois for three summers and this summer brought him to Sisters.

Murumaa is a summer intern with The Southwestern Company, a venerable publisher that started in 1868 selling Bibles door-to-door. Murumaa is in Sisters selling a set of highly sophisticated study aids that assist students and parents with concepts in a full range of subjects from third grade through the first year of college.

The company is Christian-base, but it is not affiliated with a church. While the company develops and publishes the books, The Southwestern Company's focus is actually on development of youth through its internship programs. The company's motto is "We Build People. And Those People Are Building A Great Company."

Murumaa's adventure in Sisters has been more character-building than expected.

Last week he was in Tollgate - not realizing that the subdivision does not allow soliciting (many residents don't realize this either).

Since he is marketing to families with children, he asks neighbors for information about where those families might be so that he doesn't waste time or approach someone with no need for his product.

Mostly, that has worked just fine; people are friendly and interested.

But one day last week his legwork landed him in an awkward spot.

Several Tollgate residents contacted the sheriff's office to report a suspicious character with an accent asking questions and knowing way more than he should about neighbors.

Somehow Z-21, the local NBC affiliate, got wind of the story and did a piece on the man out in the neighborhoods of Sisters asking strange questions.

A sheriff's deputy tracked Murumaa down and questioned him at length.

After confirming that Murumaa was exactly who he claimed to be, the deputy explained that criminals sometimes use such activities as a front to case homes for burglaries.

Murumaa, who kept his cool and a sense of humor throughout the contretemps, requested an interview with Z-21 to clear the air, a request which the station granted last Friday.

He spoke to the family at the heart of the misunderstanding and everything has been cleared up.

Murumaa also wanted to clear up one other issue: While some staff from Sisters schools have reviewed his materials, the books Murumaa is selling are not endorsed or recommended by the Sisters School District.

So, with yet another character-building adventure under his belt, Murumaa has gone back to work.

He'll be here all summer, staying with the Bowles family.

Look for him in your neighborhood.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
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