Although the Karyakin family in Happy Adventure has been in Canada for years, the father, Sergei, and his two children, Maxim and Maria, weren’t official citizens.
It was tough for Mr. Karyakin to land a job and for his children, things like class trips were a big no-no because they never had passports.
Now, however, after Mr. Karyakin and Maxim received their citizenship at a ceremony in Cupids on Canada Day, things have changed. Maria received her citizenship last year.
“I could have written the exam last year, but I couldn’t because I was in school, so my daughter (Maria) did it and became a citizen,” said Mr. Karyakin. “My son (Maxim) and me did it this year. When we were going through the ceremony, we weren’t nervous, but it was a sense of, ‘Finally. We’re going to be citizens.’”
For his wife, Vicky, who’s originally from St. John’s, knowing Mr. Karyakin and his two children are now official Canadian citizens carries a huge sense of relief.
“For me, relief. It’s been a long, expensive, tedious process involving huge amounts of photocopies and forms. For people who think it’s easy to immigrate to Canada and become a Canadian citizen, it’s not,” she said. “For me, it was a great sense of accomplishment and relief, and happiness for them. They have a citizenship, and I know how much of a drag it is to be without it. People take it for granted.”
As a caring, concerned wife, Mrs. Karyakin couldn’t help but think of the what-if factor. If something tragic had to occur overseas, what would Mr. Karyakin and his children do without proper passports?
“There’s always a worry about what if something happens to one of his parents and he can’t travel? He had a permanent residence card so Canada would let him back in, but not everyone will let him into their country,” said Mrs. Karyakin.
However, that stress has been lifted from her shoulders now that the three Karyakins are officially Canadian. In fact, it’s been the first time since the era of the Iron Curtain that Mr. Karyakin was an official citizen of a country.
“I didn’t have a citizenship since the Soviet Union broke apart.” - Sergei Karyakin
“Ok, let’s break it down like this. I didn’t have a citizenship since the Soviet Union broke apart,” he said. “The Latvian government never gave me one, and I didn’t want a Tajikistan citizenship, so it’s been a while. This is huge for me.”
Mr. Karyakin was born in Tajikistan, and later moved to Sakhalin, an island north of Japan. From there, the ethnically Russian father of two moved to Jurmala, Latvia, where his two children were born. That’s where he met his future wife.
“My new wife,” said Mr. Karyakin, when asked what brought him to Canada.
“You were interested in Canada before you met me, chimed in Mrs. Karyakin.
The family lived in St. John’s for a few years before moving to Happy Adventure, where they live in a home on Loop Road that overlooks the ocean. For Mr. Karyakin, it’s paradise.
“I love it here…it’s such a nice spot. It’s so beautiful, and so quiet, especially in the winter time,” he said. “People look at life in different ways. I ended up doing what I like to do…but everybody has a different way of looking at life. I just love it here, but I can’t explain exactly what it is I love about it.”
Mr. Karyakin is currently enrolled at Marine Institute and is working on recertifying himself as a mate on a ship. As he works toward improving his way of life in Canada, the family will enjoy their time in Happy Adventure, knowing they’re now an official Canadian family.
“We like the good life that you can afford here. It’s a great spot if you like fishing, hunting, blueberry picking, and gardening,” said Mrs. Karyakin.
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