FOR 16-YEAR-old Irena Voitovichi Easter Sunday is going to be extra special, as she will be spending it with her mother, finally reunited following seven months apart.
“I still can’t believe she’s here. She can’t believe she’s here,” Irena said of her 33-year-old mother, Svetlana, who had been deported to Moldova last September and only returned this week.
“This is going to be the best Easter. Our first holiday together in a long time.”
The pair missed out on Christmas and each others’ birthdays this year, Irena said.
They plan to celebrate tomorrow by attending Church and then going out for a meal, Svetlana added.
A picture of happiness when they met with the Cyprus Mail to recount their reunion, the mother and daughter are living proof that dreams can come true if you hang on to them long enough.
“I never gave up. I nearly broke many times and cried, but I didn’t give up until the last minute. I believe my story will be an example to people not to stop fighting [for what they believe in]… I fought very hard and believed I was right to fight for it. At the end of the day I’m here with my kid and I’m very happy,” Svetlana said.
Against all the odds, the duo was reunited on Tuesday night after immigration authorities made good on their promise to allow Svetlana back into the country.
The 33-year-old had been deported last September after her naturalisation application was turned down, despite legally residing on the island for the past eight years.
Irena immediately went into hiding to avoid a similar fate.
In December, sympathetic to the pair’s story, Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis stepped in and removed Svetlana from the island’s blacklist, granting Irena permission to remain in Cyprus and return to school.
Despite the happy ending, the past seven months have marked both mother and daughter.
For Irena, it meant growing up overnight, as she was forced to fend for herself. Relying on close friends for financial and psychological support, she kept one step ahead of the authorities by moving from one house to another every few weeks. She even disguised her appearance by dying her hair black.
Svetlana, on the other hand, experienced countless sleepless nights worrying about her only child and how she was coping alone, wondering when she would be able to see her and hold her once again.
“I kept wondering how she is, if she’s grown up, if she’s changed,” Svetlana said.
“I think she’s more grown up and looks more mature. She’s also taller… This experience has made her an adult very quickly. In some ways, that’s good, because she’s learned how to be responsible about things and I’ve found she’s calmer. On the other, it’s bad because all parents want their children to remain children for as long as possible.”
Irena on the other hand said her mum was just “my mum” and that she could see no change.
On the plane over, Svetlana said her heart was pounding as though it was going to jump right out.
“The flight was only two hours and it felt like 10. I kept looking at the watch, but the time was passing by so slowly. I just wanted it to be over so that I could see her again,” the 33-year-old said.
When she did finally see Irena, Svetlana said she had been overwrought with emotion and cried openly as she held her daughter close. Within minutes Irena was also crying.
Despite Svetlana’s exhaustion, neither wanted to go to bed and stayed up talking till 5am.
“We talked about everything. We had so many stories to tell each other to catch up. I showed her photos and she showed me videos that my relatives had made for me. We were talking, laughing, crying,” Irena said.
The 16-year-old said that although she had initially been nervous about how she would feel about her mother’s return, she had been “nervous for no reason”.
“Everything is back on track. Now that she’s back, we’ve got the family thing going. We both wake up in the morning with big smiles on our faces and have a happy family breakfast like in the adverts… It’s really exciting to have her back,” she said.
Throughout the interview, the teenager clutched her mother’s hand, sometimes kissing her on the cheek. Both appeared shell shocked, as if they couldn’t quite believe the worst was past them and that they were finally together again.
Having lost their apartment and belongings following the deportation, both mother and daughter are currently staying in a hotel until they get back on their feet. Svetlana said she still had some savings and was already looking for a new flat to rent. After that she planned to sort out her residency papers and then look for a job.
“I don’t know what job yet. With all that has been going on I haven’t given it much thought,” she said.
In spite of not wishing their experience on their worst enemy, both said it had been worth it in the end.
Svetlana said it meant her daughter now had a chance to finish her education in a country they both called home, and Irena said it gave them a chance at a better life.
Referring to their experience, Irena said she believed it had made them appreciate each other more and that they no longer fought about trivialities.
Svetlana added: “Our relationship will definitely change and I think we will be much closer… I’m just glad to be back with my kid. That’s all I wanted.”
