The war recalled the Lithuanian origin: Olha, who arrived with 9 children, no longer feels nostalgic for Ukraine

We meet Olha at the Rukla nursing home.

The woman has been working here for a while, as she says, part-time, which suits her, because seven children are still minors, both in kindergarten and just starting school.

Moved through the program

When asked what her family history is and how the Ukrainians found themselves in Lithuania, Jonava, Olha smiles:

“You know, there was probably a program according to which those with Lithuanian roots could move to Lithuania, whose father or mother could have been Lithuanian.

We lived in the Donetsk region, the war started there, then we saw such a widespread line on television that those with Lithuanian roots could return to their homeland. We thought that maybe this was an opportunity, the war would not end … We made foreign passports, we called the embassy and we gave ourselves the green light. “

Olha does not hide that such a quick decision made her happy, although Lithuania itself was a bit intimidated; after all, he lives in Ukraine all the time.

“Dad always praised Lithuania. He is Lithuanian and had to leave his homeland when he was only six years old. When I came here, all men were like my father to me, very similar,” laughs Olha. – Even after meeting my husband, I told him – I am a foreigner!

It is true that when he asked me if I knew a word in Lithuanian, I had to admit that I did not. But I always said that one day I would go there, to my homeland. And that’s how it all happened. “

Even after meeting my husband, I told him: I am a foreigner! It is true that when he asked me if I knew a word in Lithuanian, I had to admit that I did not.

The woman says that in the family they talked that if they did not fit in in Lithuania, the children would not like Lithuania, they would suffer from homesickness, then they would return.

As a result, they did not sell their house in Ukraine for another two years, but during that time, as Olha says, they realized that there was no nostalgia, Lithuania accepted them.

Finding a job is not difficult

Olha’s husband works as a butcher, he began studying these professions as soon as he arrived and he does not hide that he could not believe that not only would he study for free, but that he would also be paid for a trip to the training center.

“This is what, paradise on earth,” he told his wife.

He went to study while his family lived in the Rukla Refugee Center, where they waited for documents for two months.

“So our nine children were minors, I was in a decree. They gave us two social apartments in Rukla.

Now the two children are adults, they are working, we have a grandson. And the second child will soon marry, so life goes on. The man has been working in Kaunas, in the same store, for five years. I started working here. In Lithuania there is work, you just need a will ”, Olha often says.

Olha, who has been raising children at home for many years, claims that she enjoys working.

In Lithuania, she also received a driver’s license, according to her son, when he was 18 years old, he went to study, and she and she together.

The woman does not hide waiting for the children to grow up, then promises to find a full-time job.

Now the two children are adults, they are working, we have a grandson. And the second child will soon marry, so life goes on.

“But anyway, everything is going well, little by little – there is a roof over your head, there is food, you have to get dressed. And the peace of mind is that, maybe only in the last two years, the quarantine worries me a little, Although I’m trying to keep the fears in my heart, because when a person is afraid, it only gets worse.

I think we are ordinary people, we do not negotiate much. I do not interfere in politics, it is something so delicate. The man reads, reads, he is “sick” for Lithuania, Ukraine, he knows everything, he explains to me how Vladimir Putin annoys everyone.

I don’t want war, diseases. However, I think everything will be fine ”, Olha is not optimistic.

Adapting was easier than expected

The adaptation was not as complicated as the family would have hoped:

“The children got used to it very quickly. I immediately let the little ones go to kindergarten, the youngest was only a few months old. But it’s been five years, looking at him, the younger he was then, the easier it could be. Of course, before moving, we called the Refugee Center, asked where we would live, under what conditions.

And when we arrived, everything was simple. We brought the essentials, it was true, there were only ten suitcases in the whole house. And now we have acquired a lot.

It was simply impossible to live there because of the war. If it had expired in half a year or a year, it might as well have waited. But when I saw that the big banks were retiring, people were selling huge houses for kopecks and leaving, I realized that it was not safe to stay there. “

When we arrived, everything was simple. We brought the essentials, it was true, there were only ten suitcases in the whole house.

Olha says that several friends of the family moved to Poland and received refugee status there, they lived there for some time. But she didn’t want that herself.

“I already have Lithuanian citizenship, I managed to obtain it faster because I am of Lithuanian origin, the same for children. And here the man will have to wait, as I say with a joke, we will see what you will do if you go back to Ukraine and ride with a jigsaw ”, Olha laughs.

Unfortunately, she says that her husband likes her very much in Lithuania. At work he is valued and encouraged, he has already learned the Lithuanian language.

“Olia, you must love Lithuania”

“I said to myself: Olia, you must love Lithuania. And if you love the country, its people, don’t try to change them, then everything will work out. I also communicate a lot with Russian-speaking Lithuanians who have lived here for many years. , in Jonava, elsewhere, and with Lithuanians who speak both Lithuanian and Russian.

It encourages me to learn the Lithuanian language, – the woman quotes, acknowledging that her favorite phrase is “everything will be fine”. – We have many friends, because if you are open, you and others will be like that.

We have heard that Lithuanians don’t like Russians, but we are half Ukrainians, half Lithuanians. But it does not depend on nationality, if a person is positive, he tries hard. We live in Jonava now, but when I come to Rukla, everyone already knows me, so it’s easy for me. “

In Jonava, the family received social housing and waited in line to improve their living conditions.

His daughter lives in this city and is already married, has a son and waits for a second.

The second son, who has also come of age, works in Kaunas and bakes pizza in one of the pizzerias.

“All the children immediately started attending a Lithuanian school. At first I complained that it was difficult, but I was repeating when I was raising a baby at the time: we brought you, learn. Very soon they made their way.

We have lost a daughter and a son, they speak Lithuanian after first grade, when they want to hide something. But if I know a word, I get hooked on whispering, ”said the woman.

The other two children, also the youngest ones, immediately passed here to the tenth grade, it was difficult for them.

But the teachers in the first half seemed more forgiving, they were allowed to get used to it. So they graduated and then acquired the chefs’ specialties. And another daughter also chose the specialty of chef, although the family is already joking: maybe someone could become a masseur or even a dentist.

The older ones, according to Olha, studied a little less, but here with the little ones there are no such problems anymore, they bring good grades, letters of praise.

Another son became a first grader this year, the six-year-old is still not in school.

Nostalgijos nejaučia

When asked about nostalgia for Ukraine, Olha says that at first there was a longing for her parents: she wanted to visit.

This is the case every year, but after staying longer in Ukraine, Olha says she notices very marked differences.

“Somehow I got used to it during those five years, so I thought: if I came back, it wouldn’t be easy. They live their lives and I may have been left behind. Or they are mine. It’s much cleaner here, I loved the Lithuanians. In Ukraine, things are a little different, ”says the woman.

The family lived in the city of Krematorsko in the Donetsk region, which has now become a central city, so the situation has improved somewhat.

In the past, roads were also lacking, as Olha says, a jeep was needed to cover some distances.

And the salaries are different: in Lithuania, according to one woman, it is much easier to earn.

However, parents are not persuaded to move out of Ukraine.

Olha says her mother loves Ukraine, she likes it there and her father is used to it too.

In addition, according to the woman, both in Lithuania and Ukraine, her parents have large families: three children and 20 grandchildren.