Amelia

Amelia* wanted to make a fresh start in a new country, hoping for better opportunities and a place where she could settle and call home. She is happy living in Mid Ulster but does return to Latvia occasionally to visit her family and grandmother.

Amelia’s grandmother played a very important part in her early life and indeed still does so, as an adult. She showed her love and kindness. She taught her to knit and make traditional crafts as well as inspiring her interest in nature and growing flowers and vegetables. These traditions have truly shaped Amelia’s life and helped her focus when life has been challenging and difficult, traditions she continues to practice in new her country.

Family connection and fostering a sense of belonging and community are something Amelia holds close to her heart. She has 2 children and they give her a great sense of pride in what have achieved. Thankfully she hasn’t experienced racism or abuse here in Mid Ulster and this is the place she now calls home. Through enrolling in classes at First Steps Women’s Centre, Amelia has been able to make friends from all over the world. These connections and community help her emotional well-being. She doesn’t underestimate the difficulties migrant women face when they come to a new country but having a centre where she can learn English and develop new skills is very valuable and confidence building. As a single mother with young children life in a new country can often feel very isolating especially in the early days.

She does her best to keep her language alive within her small family network but admits it is hard to do so as increasingly her children speak English the majority of the time. But her mother tongue and this connection to her history is part of her culture she wants to retain especially with family connections still in Latvia.

Amelia is a very gifted woman with my talents and skills. She loves art and gets lost in thought when she is creating. Art is her therapy.

*not her real name