Exchange student finally goes home
A Belarusian teenager who touched off an international dispute when she refused to return home from a summer program is now back in Belarus.
Tanya Kazyra, 16, had stayed with the Zapata family in Petaluma every summer for nine years as part of an exchange program for children from regions affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
But when it came time to fly back after this year’s visit, she refused. She told officials that her father was abusive and her life in Belarus was grim.
The move caused a rift in diplomatic circles, prompting her native country to halt its exchange and adoption programs with the United States.
The girl boarded a plane to return home Saturday. Cecelia Calhoun, an official with the Children of Chernobyl U.S. Alliance, said Monday that the teen was persuaded to change her mind after talking to a priest. Calhoun said the girl has been allowed to live with her grandmother in Belarus.
The governments of the United States and Belarus are now in discussions about restarting the exchange and adoption programs, Calhoun said.
A phone call to the Belarusian embassy in Washington went unanswered Monday.
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