Anne-Liis Ise, who has lived most of her life in the United States, first obtained an Estonian passport at the age of 84. According to Anne-Liisi she has always been an Estonian at heart and now she can fly to the next song festival with an Estonian document.
Anne-Liis Ise was born in Estonia in 1939, but five years later she fled to Germany with her family. After a while we moved to the United States, where she Anne-Liis still lives today.
“My husband once said that an immigrant assimilates over time, but a refugee remains a refugee for life. I think he was right because I grew up here. I am an American citizen. I love this country. It has given me a lot. I am grateful for everything. But in my heart I am Estonian and I will stay Estonian, as this song says,” Ise said.
According to Anne-Liisi, in the last quarter of her life she therefore decided to apply for an Estonian passport for the first time. He was also pushed when his family members joined the Baltimore-Washington Estonian Mixed Choir a year ago.
“This choir sang at the song festival and they will go now, I think, next time, and then my children will go there under the singing arch, and I thought now is the time to take the passport and go back as an Estonian , a true Estonian,” Ise said.
On the same day as Anne-Liis, her daughter received an Estonian passport in Washington, and one of her grandchildren applied in New York. According to Anne-Liis, obtaining Estonian documents is especially important for the younger generations, because then they have contact with their other homeland and always have somewhere to go
2023-12-26 19:21:00
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