Back to Her Roots: What Brought Barbora from New Zealand to Vilnius – and Made Her Stay

When Barbora Sharrock first stepped off the plane in Lithuania in March 2023, it wasn‘t her first time in the country – but it was the first time she came not as a visitor but as a returning citizen. Born in Lithuania but raised in New Zealand, she had long carried her Lithuanian identity across continents despite the distance and language barriers. Now a student in the International Cybersecurity and Cyber Intelligence Master’s programme at Vilnius University, Barbora sees her future in Lithuania.

“I had always introduced myself as a Lithuanian. Often, I would get the question. ‘Oh, Barbora? That's an interesting name — where are you from?’ Explaining how to spell my name and how to find Lithuania on a map were practically memorised speeches,” she says. “Though New Zealand is very multicultural, not many people had met someone from Lithuania before, so I was often introducing myself and the country at the same time.”

Lithuanian law once prevented her from holding dual citizenship, stripping her of it as an infant. Reforms in 2015, however, allowed her to reclaim it while still in high school. Although she was legally Lithuanian again, maintaining a cultural connection required continuous effort. Growing up in a modest diaspora of just around 200 people across New Zealand, Barbora recalls long-haul flights every few years to visit relatives in Vilnius and attend Lithuanian community events in New Zealand.

“My mother was a key member of the Lithuanian community, so our family often helped organise the Independence Day celebrations or welcome delegations of travelling sports teams, traditional musicians, and Foreign Ministry officials,” she recalls. “That really helped my connection to Lithuania feel more real and less abstract.”

Language – A Sore Point

Despite her efforts to represent Lithuania abroad, Barbora admits she didn’t grow up in a bilingual household. She did some basic one-on-one learning with her mother, but her progress in the Lithuanian language was limited —her brother and father didn't learn the language, making regular practice difficult.

“It was hard to stay motivated, and my proficiency has ebbed and flowed a lot,” she says.

Thus, she did make attempts – weekend language lessons and intensive summer courses during New Zealand university breaks. Still, without regular use, she would often forget what she'd learned and end up repeating the same level a year or two later.

“Naturally, when I live in Lithuania, there's much more opportunity to keep up my practice. It's a bit of a sore point for me — I feel like a 'fake' Lithuanian if I can't fluently speak it,” she admits. “It's hard to balance demanding university studies and personal language learning at the same time, but it’s a long-term goal of mine to eventually reach B2, maybe even C1 Lithuanian.”

A Journey Home – and Forward

“Returning to Lithuania has actually been quite fashionable recently,” Barbora observes. “There’s been a lot of re-immigration over the last five years.” Meanwhile, New Zealand is experiencing its own wave of emigration – part of the country’s long tradition of “circular migration”, often referred to as the OE or overseas experience.

Still, Barbora isn’t sure she’ll be among those who return to the island. As she recalls, her parents had long hoped to move the family back. “I remember the housing plans and going on a tour of a Vilnius international school when I was about 10,” she says. “But then the 2008 financial crisis happened, and the move was cancelled.”

Years later, while studying Computer Science and training to become a software developer, she began to imagine a different way to realise that long-deferred move. The international mobility and the rise of the “Digital Nomads” lifestyle concept made the idea of living in Lithuania a real possibility. However, there was one obstacle: her student loan. In New Zealand, government-issued loans are interest-free as long as the borrower remains in the country but begins accruing the interest once they leave.

“Originally, this was going to take a long time — about 8 to 11 years as part of regular wage deductions. However, my parents were very eager for me to move sooner, so they helped me financially and supported me while I looked for a new job in Lithuania,” she explains.

Barbora also benefited from programmes designed to support returning members of the Lithuanian diaspora. She had an internship and some cultural orientation through “BringTogetherLT”, and later joined the government initiative “Kurk Lietuvai”, which led to her first job at “Invest Lithuania”. She also made use of integration services through the “MiCenter” and “International House Vilnius”.

Even so, the transition hasn’t been without complexity. “I still feel a bit in between being a foreigner and a local — but considering I've lived in the country for quite a short period of time, I think I've done very well,” she says. “I'm at the point where I'm even showing long-term residents new things about Vilnius, and I feel like I can help other newcomers, too.”

Living in Lithuania: Surprises and Simplicity

What Barbora appreciates most about daily life in Lithuania is the sense of connection – both physically and socially. “I haven't needed to use a car, which I find expensive, unhealthy for yourself and the planet, and bulky to manage,” she says. “In Vilnius, I found it possible to get pretty quickly across the city with bikes. Alternatively, I just walked a lot. And, of course, the abundance of public transport routes with a generous student discount and live tracking is a major plus.”

Despite Vilnius being a third the size of Auckland, she finds it culturally rich and socially vibrant. “There's no sense of 'small town boredom',” she says. “There are all the trendy spots to go to that you'd need — a multitude of coworking spaces, bouldering gyms, brunch spots, start-up accelerators, concert venues, libraries, and still always within 30 minutes of the regular bus to a forested area with moss and wild berries, maybe even with a swimmable lake.”

She also sees cultural parallels. “In New Zealand, there's a lot of respect for our natural environment, pride in ‘punching above our weight’ when it comes to national achievements, and jokes about ‘2 degrees of separation’ between individuals. It feels really similar here, and like the country is at a scale where you can really contribute and make a positive impact.”

One unexpected cultural difference? Coffee culture, excludes Barbora. “In New Zealand, coffee is very much a morning drink. Typical opening hours for a cafe are roughly 6 am to 3 pm. Here, it can be quite hard to find an independent cafe open before 10 am sometimes, but plenty are still operating up until 7 pm or even later. Luckily, I'm not that much of a morning person, so this suits me better.”

Cybersecurity: A Future-Focused Path

Barbora this semester is at Vilnius University, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in International Cybersecurity and Cyber intelligence through the Arqus Alliance — a programme that lets her combine her technical background with interest in public policy, tech skills and international collaboration.

“I feel that Cybersecurity wouldn't exist in an ideal world. Unfortunately, there are bad actors in the digital landscape which aren't going away any time soon. On one hand, it's great to feel like the effort I'm putting into learning is going towards solving problems which help the wider community, not just profit margins,” she explains. “However, it's also a bit sad that the need for Cybersecurity is more critical than ever, especially with the increased use of hybrid warfare tactics such as hacking public infrastructure, hospitals digital systems, or even targeting a state's democratic decision-making through disinformation campaigns.”

She believes Lithuania’s strategic location and digital leadership give it a sophisticated cybersecurity landscape compared to New Zealand.

“I feel like Lithuania has a much more mature security landscape due to having Russia as an unfriendly neighbour, which is a common source of advanced persistent cyber threats,” she says. “Being part of the EU as well means that there is the need to follow Directives which push cybersecurity policy not only at the National scale. There's also the very well-known Nord Security based in Lithuania, which makes the cybersecurity landscape more visible here.”

Sees the Future in Lithuania

Having gained experience in Cybersecurity research, Barbora aims to work at a multinational corporation focused on public-private partnerships or international collaborations after completing her Master’s program. She is particularly interested in the legal and political aspects surrounding cybersecurity and Blue Team operations.

Although Barbora may visit New Zealand again as a tourist, she sees her future in Lithuania. “I already have several job leads in Vilnius, and I'm hoping to stay here long-term,” she says. “I feel that my quality of life in Lithuania has improved; I can't imagine moving back for an extended period. I am more active, I live in a nicer apartment for a smaller portion of my income, my commute is shorter, my career prospects look promising, I have a new circle of inspiring friends, and I can further develop my cultural connections here. I feel very positive about being here!”

For other international students considering Lithuania, Barbora has a clear message: don’t be intimidated. “Courses are in English. Vilnius is very bi-lingual, so language-related issues are not as big as you might fear — though, of course, if you plan to stay longer than a semester, it's very important to put some effort into learning the local language. Often, your university will provide you with support in learning the language, and there are some pretty fun Summer Schools which usually have scholarships available that you can apply for.”