'I grew up in Holland, but when I was 12, my grandparents medical health began to decline. My mother and I decided to go to Brazil. We had just arrived in Brazil when it turned out that my mother was pregnant, so my mother went back. I stayed here, to finish high school. On the day I turned 18, I was in Brazil. I was living here with my grandmother; my grandfather had already passed away. I was not in the celebrating mood because my grandmother was seriously ill. Two months after my birthday, my grandmother also passed away. I was alone in Brazil.
Going back to the Netherlands now that I am 18 didn't turn out to be so easy. When I was four, my mother and I received a residence permit from the IND. What we didn't know then is that after a year we should have applied for a Dutch passport for me, so that I would have a Dutch identity. We were never made aware of this. Now the IND no longer allows me to come to the Netherlands. The IND gave me the response that I don't need my parents anymore, and that I can take care of myself in Brazil. I have been living in Holland for two years now, but I can't do anything, and I'm not allowed to do anything. It is especially strange that if I had come to the Netherlands when I was still 17, I probably would have had a residence permit right away.'