From arriving as a young Latvian mother with little knowledge of the Channel Islands to becoming a familiar face in the island’s hospitality industry and an elected member of the St Peter Port douzaine, Evita has spent two decades finding her place in the local community – and helping others to find theirs.
This summer marked 20 years since her arrival, a milestone that has prompted her to reflect on the life she has built and the home she never expected to find.
‘Sometimes I think it only happened yesterday, and then next thing you know, I’m 48,’ she said.
‘I came only for a season, and that was all I thought it would be.’
Evita arrived in Guernsey in early August 2006, leaving behind her life in Latvia, where she had worked as a primary school teacher in a small village.
She also taught drama and organised school events, a job she remembers with great fondness. But difficult economic circumstances at home led her to look for opportunities to earn money abroad before returning to her family.
Her son, Janis, was just five years old when she first left Latvia.
‘Sometimes in your life you have to make decisions, not knowing what’s in front,’ she said.
Her journey to Guernsey began with a chance friendship at a summer camp in Latvia, where she met fellow teacher Anita, who had recently returned from working in the island.
‘I never had the confidence to ask “What Guernsey? Where Guernsey?” I did not know at the time what Guernsey was,’ she said.
‘When I got home, I took the map out, and I’m scanning around the UK, looking for Guernsey, and I cannot find anything.’
It was her mother who eventually pointed her towards the Channel Islands, and Evita’s intrigue in the mysterious destination grew.
Soon afterwards, her flights were booked, a job had been arranged and accommodation was waiting for her.
Her first role was working with flowers in a greenhouse – a physically demanding change from the classroom, but one she was prepared for, having grown up in the Latvian countryside.
Initially working under an arrangement of nine months in Guernsey and three months back home, Evita returned for another season before beginning to consider other opportunities.
She soon discovered, however, that changing jobs was not as straightforward as she had imagined.
Her employment arrangements restricted her options, and she remembers becoming upset when an agency worker explained the situation.
But the woman’s offer of support stayed with her.
‘She said, “If you don’t find anything, come back and I will help you”,’ she said.
‘I don’t think she would’ve been able to help, but to have that moral support at the time, that there is somebody for you – it gives you hope.’
Having arrived with every intention of returning to Latvia, Evita had initially focused on maintaining her connections at home rather than putting down roots in Guernsey.
But as the seasons passed, her plans began to change, and she gradually came to embrace the idea of building a permanent life away from Latvia.
‘When you arrive somewhere at the beginning, I think to find your tribe is very essential. You cannot be on your own. But it is difficult to do that, to adapt and fit in and make good friends.
‘I’m very proud to say that things have changed since those first days, and now I think I have become the tribe myself. I learnt that your home is in your heart, no matter where you are in the world.’
Her son moved to Guernsey at the age of 13, and Evita spent around 10 to 15 years working in the local hospitality industry, beginning at Christies before going on to work at Coco and the Beach House at Pembroke.
‘I made a lot of friends, a lot of connections during my hospitality time – within the team, but also with the customers,’ she said.
‘A lot of them were very curious about where I’m from, what my story is. Sometimes they say in English, “Hi, how are you?” and you say, “I’m good,” and then you go. That was never my case.
'If you asked me how I am, I stopped there and I told you. So most of my customers knew when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was going on holidays, and all about my family. But I also knew their story. It was that sharing that really made a difference.’
Even now, Evita is touched that former customers continue to ask after her son, who has since grown up, graduated from the University of Sussex and returned to Guernsey to work in finance.
‘I think these people did not realise how their care of me got me through those early homesick times,’ she said.
Having experienced the strength of Guernsey’s community first-hand, Evita wanted to become more involved in supporting it. During the Covid pandemic, when the hospitality industry was disrupted, she reached out to Women in Public Life, hoping simply to meet others and become part of the wider community.
But its chair Shelaine Green and a parish constable encouraged her to stand for a role she knew little about – a St Peter Port douzenier.
‘It was one of those times where I just say yes now and then find out later what it actually is,’ she said.
‘I have a few other projects on at the moment that also started like that. But I like it, it gives me adrenaline, excitement – a sense of “Why not?”’
Evita made local history and headlines when she was elected to the douzaine in 2021, becoming the first Latvian to be elected to public office in Guernsey. She has since completed her first four-year term and stood again.
For someone who had once felt that being born elsewhere might limit the role she could play in island life, her election was a significant personal milestone.
‘I didn’t realise what a huge thing it was for the island, for diversity and inclusion,’ she said.
‘But the fact that I have since inspired other people from other countries to stand has been amazing. The whole experience has been amazing.’
Her achievement also attracted interest from Latvia, and Evita was introduced to a Latvian ambassador on an island visit. But she said recognition had never been her motivation.
‘At the end of the day, I don’t really feel I’ve done something – I’m just being me,’ she said.
‘I always had it in my heart that I want to do good. I want to serve – there is no price tag if I can help. When my son was little he asked me, “Mum, do you think your love will save the world?” I am aware that it can’t, but I will always give as much as I can, and sometimes it works out. I think this is the most beautiful story of mine. We have one of the nicest communities in Guernsey and it’s a privilege to be part of it. And it’s a privilege to create something new.’
Her latest chapter in parish life began in October last year, when she took on the role of floral lead for St Peter Port.
The parish’s floral committee had been inactive for several years before the douzaine decided to re-establish it, and its volunteers have since been bringing fresh life and colour to town.
Their work forms part of Project St Peter Port, the douzaine’s ongoing initiative to enhance the town’s appearance and environment, foster community pride and improve the experience for visitors.
‘I like when things find me,’ said Evita.
‘So I accepted the role without a second thought, because it’s flowers, I thought it’s already a beautiful committee to be part of.’
Despite her early experience working in a greenhouse, she soon discovered there was still plenty to learn and is quick to emphasise that the results are a team effort.
She has enjoyed visiting growers, watching the flowers develop and gaining a greater understanding of the work that goes into maintaining the parish’s displays.
‘We do work hard,’ she said.
‘There are people who grow the flowers, who plant them, water them, and then obviously weeding, tidying, dead-heading – we help with all that.’
And in a fitting reflection of her own journey, Evita has found a way to use her new role to help other Latvians living in Guernsey find their sense of belonging.
After attending a gathering of the Latvian community in the UK, she returned inspired to create more social opportunities for fellow Latvians in the island.
With the floral committee always in need of volunteers, she invited a small group of Latvian women living in Guernsey to help tidy and maintain corners of St Peter Port. The group, which is open to others too, has since met several times.
‘There is not many of us, five or six, and we laugh like crazy,’ she said.
‘We always say we come to work, but actually we come together for a little gossip, we come together for togetherness. We’re all in a very similar boat. We all miss home and are all worried about what’s going on there at the moment – it’s a tough time. But when we come together, we have the best time. We’re here for each other.’
Her Latvian heritage remains an important part of her life. Evita helps organise Latvian church services in the Town Church twice a year and is involved in raising the Latvian flag in Guernsey.
Having grown up in Latvia during the Soviet era, she said maintaining those connections was paramount.
‘I think because I grew up in an occupied country, I grew up in the Soviet Union, and we already fought for our freedom. People before me, my ancestors, were fighting for freedom – and then Latvia is a free country. However, I have made the decision not to live there.’
She admitted that this decision had sometimes brought feelings of guilt, but said she hoped her ancestors would be proud of the life she has built in the Bailiwick.
‘As important it is to keep your roots, it’s also very important to integrate in wherever you are now,’ she said.
‘And I’m very privileged now that whenever I say, “I’m going home”, you’ll never know if I mean Latvia or Guernsey. And sometimes I think I don’t know myself.’
While her home in Guernsey has only a patio rather than a garden, Evita still makes room for a little piece of Latvia.
‘As a Latvian soul, I always need to have my chives and dill,’ she said.
‘How do you eat without them?’
And while one season abroad turned into two decades of island life, Evita has learnt to go with the flow, with no set plans for the next 20 years.
‘I always have an open mind,’ she said.
‘If something will land on me, and it feels good, then I’m going to take it. If nothing lands on me, well I’m happy how it is.’
