Miglė, who is currently studying in Kaunas, recently lived in Ireland. The country where she spent fifteen years of her life was a place she liked, but the connections she formed with Lithuania in early childhood always drew her back: “I decided to return to Lithuania because I just feel like this is my home.” Her decision to return coincided with her desire to pursue studies, although she was planning to return anyway. The decision to study was a bigger push, says Miglė, who is now a first-year student.
Preparation for Returning to Lithuania and Lithuanian Language Lessons in Ireland
Since Miglė linked her return to studying, she needed to prepare. She knew that in order to study in Lithuania, she would have to pass a Lithuanian language exam—either in Ireland or Lithuania. The more promising option seemed to be taking the exam in Ireland, where it is organized as a foreign language exam. However, even this required intensive preparation, so Miglė realized that she had to spend the remaining months preparing for it.
It’s worth mentioning that she already had some background, as Lithuanian was spoken in Miglė’s family, and she had attended Lithuanian school for a while. However, her later move to a different place, where she could not attend Lithuanian school, hindered her from continuing to study Lithuanian consistently.
Here, Miglė’s remarkable inner motivation becomes evident. After several years of not studying Lithuanian, she took the initiative to organize Lithuanian language lessons at her Irish school: “I talked to my school principal, and he said that if I gathered a certain group of Lithuanians, a Lithuanian language teacher could come to my school.”
Her efforts paid off, as lessons were organized after gathering enough students. The commitment made to herself and her parents in childhood to never forget Lithuanian and the clear goal of returning to Lithuania served as a source of strength for Miglė.
After passing the Lithuanian language exam and finishing school in Ireland, Miglė couldn’t start studying in Lithuania right away, as the application deadline for Lithuanian universities had already passed. Miglė had to wait a year, and she used this time purposefully. Understanding that she wanted to pursue studies in the medical field, she began preparing: “At that time, I found nursing courses in Ireland and spent the whole year doing that to gain some knowledge, so studying in Lithuania would be easier.”
She could have studied in Ireland, but her desire to return to Lithuania was stronger. However, her parents subtly tried to encourage her to carefully consider such a decision. They sensed that cultural differences between Ireland and Lithuania might cause some unpleasant experiences upon returning to Lithuania.
Attempts to Settle in Lithuania
The beginning in Lithuania wasn’t particularly easy. Yes, Miglė returned to a familiar environment, surrounded by grandparents and other close relatives, and with her parents’ support, but adjusting to the changes in life was not easy: “The first few months were somewhat stressful. I didn’t want to eat or do anything. I felt completely alone.”
However, Miglė eventually created a safe environment for herself in Lithuania, and this was supported by her strong inner motivation and the backing of her loved ones. Slowly, she began to develop a sense of home, which she had longed for in Ireland.
Despite coming to Lithuania from a different cultural and linguistic environment, Miglė didn’t want to stand out. On the contrary, it was important for her to show her fellow students that she was just like them. She didn’t want others to think she was superior and didn’t rush to share her experiences with her classmates. She only spoke about them when asked.
That’s when a shift occurred, allowing her to adapt to the Lithuanian environment. Miglė felt she could share her story because she saw that she had been accepted.
Returning to Lithuania became an opportunity for Miglė to create the precious moments she had longed for but hadn’t had: “When I think about how many holidays I’ve missed, without my family, only with my parents. How many birthdays I’ve missed, it made my heart sad.”
Today, she is preparing to live in Lithuania even after her studies because: “It’s better to be in your own country surrounded by family than alone somewhere else, isolated.”