Young Strathroy woman takes on family home by herself

TAKING on a house for the first time can be stressful, but having a house fall into your hands suddenly as a young adult after losing your beloved parent is even worse.

This is what happened Kristina Kundrotaite, a Lithuanian-born 22-year-old who moved to Omagh with her family in 2011.

In April of last year, her mother sadly passed away from breast cancer, leaving the then 21-year-old with their family house in Strathroy.

Due to her circumstances, Kristina was flung into the depths of adult life, whilst the majority of those her age worry about finishing university and finding their own place to live is a long stretch away.

Kristina didn’t have the same privilege of finding her feet at her own pace and had to mature much faster than her peers. However, this maturity developed far before her mother’s passing.

“I used to go to my mum’s room and tell her all the gossip and she knew everything.

“From school and work she knew everything that was happening in my life and even though she was sick she would still look after me.” said Kristina fondly in memory of her mother. “At the very start it was really hard because I was surrounded by all of my mum’s stuff, and for the first month or so I kept thinking my mum was going to come home, so I took everything that was hers and locked it in her room.”

Talking about the immediate time after her mother’s death, Kristina said “At the start it was overwhelming, much because I was so used to living with my mum, I used to look after her and cook and clean the house, but I didn’t know the struggle of how hard it was to keep up with bills. By then I was forced to live by myself, so it was a big shock, and I didn’t know how to manage the money to pay the bills and do everything. I think I still haven’t fully learned how to manage my money but all I can do is learn.”

Kristina explained that she had been looking after her mum since she was 16-years-old.

“My mum was partially-blind,” Kristina said. “She had been diagnosed with glaucoma, which is when the eye muscle stops working, and her vision never came back. So, she needed help to walk because she couldn’t see where she was walking. She was also banned from driving.

“But even during that time, I was thinking about friends and fun, but fast-forward until now, and life is more about money, bills, and the house.

“It’s a big contrast.”

Even with her time being filled with work, her earnings still aren’t enough to keep her head above water.

Up until March, Kristina had been working three jobs in retail and hospitality, but due to her hours clashing, she was forced to drop one. Now, the 22-year-old is busy working two part-time jobs.

“At the moment, I have two jobs,” said Kristina “And when I come home, I find myself cleaning or resting, because I’m always tired.

“I worked out that I need over £1,000 to keep on top of bills,” she continued, “But I don’t meet what I need, unfortunately.

“I make just under £1,000 from both jobs, which just about covers bills, never mind the groceries and everything else on top of it.”

Throughout this difficult time, she highly praises her boyfriend and sister, who have aided Kristina since her mother’s passing.

“What keeps me going is help from my family and my boyfriend, and his family,” she said. “I feel like I have to move on, because one can’t really live in the past.

“If you live in the past, you live in a phase where you can’t do anything or talk to anyone. I feel like I’m emotionally stronger, and I am coping, but, admittedly, I don’t know how.

“And even though my boyfriend and my sister have supported me excellently, which I am very grateful for, I still feel like I’m on my own.

“Everything is still really overwhelming,” she said.

Being surrounded by memories of her mum, both physical and mental, has taken a strain on the young adult, and she had planned to move out.

However, with the ‘cost-of-living’ crisis, this has proved impossible thus far.

Currently, the house Kristina’s mother left behind has the cheapest rent in comparison to houses available on the market. She also owns two dogs and two cats, and while these give Kristina comfort and company, more than most landlords will not accept pets in the house.

“I don’t want to stay here, but this is the cheapest place to live in Omagh,” she said. “It is £110 a week here, whereas in town it is £140, and the rates keep going up.

“At the moment this is the cheapest option that I have, so I will do my best to try and make this my own house.”

The memories of the Kundrotaite’s mother are not lost, as Kristina and her sister plan to turn the clothes left over from their mum into sentimental ornaments.

“I have kept a few boxes of her stuff, which include random wee items like her favourite cups, her clothes, and her favourite books,” she said.

“We also want to make little blankets and teddy bears out of her clothes.”

For the foreseeable future, resilient Kristina will remain in the house where she spent her teenage years, as she attempts to keep the memories of her beloved mum alive.