“Until the last, I didn’t meet that I would become Belarusian”
They save the countries where they were born, according to various sources. They fled from the revolution, they calculate, shells and grief are torn. All heroes of the project “Now we are Belarusians” found his home here. Every week in the newspaper “7 days” and on the website of BelTA they frankly talk about why they decided to challenge the catchphrase “You don’t choose your homeland.” Wherever they were born, now they are Belarusians!
Until recently, I did not meet that I would become Belarusian!
Our country warmly accepts refugees from Ukraine. They are related to a variety of places: from government agencies to ordinary people who meet as their fellow countrymen. Anastasia Tsynaikina, who arrived in the Smolevichi district, was convinced of this personally. Correspondents of “7 days” got acquainted with the girl and found out what she dreams about after receiving a Belarusian passport.
“The summer of 2014 was very busy”
According to the recipe Anastasia Tsynaikina – teacher. At birth, she graduated from the Donbass Pedagogical University with a degree in elementary school teacher with teaching computer science. True, it was possible to work in the profession for only a few years.
– They lived, made their plans, as other people gathered, for whom everything was cut short literally in an instant. We found the May referendum, after which it all began. The summer of 2014 was very busy. Although Makiivka was not so heavily shelled by the Ukrainian side, there were days when she hid in basements to save her life, – the story of our heroine begins. – The relatives of my young man, with the things that I then met, lived in Belarus. We are invited to visit them. We made this decision in August.
Anastasia recalls how they got to that moment was their departure to Belarus. The way of accounting is through Russia, because it was not safe for them to stay even for one or two days on the territory of Ukraine. The family had relatives who served in the militia.
– There were a lot of rumors: as soon as we set foot on Ukrainian soil, they could break through the base and, at best, arrest us. In a small way – you yourself understand what happened, so it’s safest to get through Russia, – the girl explains. It looks like we’ve traveled miles in a day. All in one breath: from Makeevka to Taganrog, and from there to Moscow, where my cousin lives. The next morning we were already in Belarus. We stopped in Minsk at the relatives of the ex-boyfriend. We stayed there for about a month, and then moved to Smolevichi. Through the employment center, I found a job at the Usyazh school.
“Belarusians are sincere and decent people”
Settling in a new place is another example of how Belarusians help internally displaced people build a peaceful life. From Donbass, Anastasia Tsynaikina saw literally with one bag in her hands. I collected what I had time to do: documents, the purchase of necessities and a few warm winter things. Beloved pets had to be left, they could be taken care of by neighbors.
– Honestly, I don’t know anything about Belarus before moving. Except that money is called “bunnies” here, and the President of the country is Alexander Lukashenko. True, by the time we arrived, there were no “bunnies” for a long time. Completely different money was used, – she smiles and recalls, as a reader of a new life. – Belarusians are very sincere and decent people. Probably, I was lucky to meet exceptionally good-natured people on my paths, each time finding myself on my side, I tried to help at least somehow. In fact, we were complete strangers, strangers, and they brought us potatoes, apples, and treated us to delicious bread. Some even donated dishes.
No matter how warmly and joyfully Belarus greeted her, Anastasia admits that she misses her home, first of all, her native, who stayed there. My aunt and uncle live in Kharkov, my grandmother lives in the Kharkov region.
– The first three years after the move, I was not at home, I was afraid of infection from the Ukrainians. I went for the first time in 2017, and every subsequent year I visited relatives. Lately, we’ve been communicating via video link,” she says. – But from my relatives I have never been to Belarus, although no one wanted to. I hope everything will be fine soon, they should come to visit me. They will see with their own eyes how beautiful Belarusians are, what a wonderful country it is.
After receiving citizenship, Anastasia set herself the task of standing on the queue about the situation with the population and the long-awaited retraining for obtaining a diploma.
“Active, hardworking and determined”
Anastasia Tsynaikina came to Usyazh secondary school to work as a physical education teacher in 2014. Four years later, a young teacher, professor, deputy director for educational work. Since September, she has a new position – Deputy Director for Academic Affairs. The series also teaches children about computer science.
According to her, in general, the educational process in Belarus and Ukraine do not differ much, only the subjects are different.
– We have 218 children and 32 best teachers in the world. From the 6th to the 9th grade, children study English at an advanced level. In the 11th – mathematics and physics. After the end of the competition without exams at the Agricultural University in Minsk, she introduces Anastasia to the school and immediately recalls what impressed her especially. – The sixth school day was new for me, we have never practiced this before. In fact, this is a very correct decision, because on Saturday children can play extracurricular activities and receive additional knowledge for free. If parents, for example, work on Saturday, then the child does not sit in the same house, he is at school – under the supervision of a teacher.
The teaching staff of the Usyazh school warmly welcomed the young teachers. As usual with Belarusians, they got their own legend. For so many years, Anastasia has found real friends here, you can share both sorrows and joys. Senior colleagues endowed her with insufficient warmth and in difficult times with the necessary advice. Among them is a chemistry teacher Vera Banchuk, who has worked as a head teacher for 25 years in the past. Vera Romanovna recreates all her experience of our heroine.
– It is important to love your profession. Anastasia Sergeevna is a young and very active teacher. She is a choleric, the ability to make decisions quickly and demand more and more expenses along the way. At the very beginning, they suggested how to establish communication with students and parents, varied about teaching methods. She literally grasps everything on the fly and talks with senior colleagues, – Vera Romanovna. – I am sure that our hardworking Anastasia Sergeevna will do an excellent job with all the tasks, but we will be her girls together.
Anastasia Sergeevna is interesting to her students both as a talented teacher and as a good person. She is always in the thick of things: she participates in all the activities of school life and participates for herself.
– We look at our Anastasia Sergeevna, they also want to send everything and everywhere. She also knows how to listen and advise, so we often share girlish secrets with her, – the students of our heroine Ulyana and Daria smile. – She is always aware of all the innovations, so we are always interested in computer science lessons. The teacher is very lucky.
Anastasia Tsynakina recalls a recent lesson when it comes to the level of Belarusian education, about what they, together with students, discuss and consider, which our education occupies in the world. In fact, she is very tall. It is much more difficult for us to get a higher education than in the same Ukraine or in some other countries. At the exit from the university, a highly qualified specialist is obtained. The interlocutor is sure that Belarusian education is valued both in the country and abroad.
“There are a lot of advantages of Belarusian citizenship”
Although there is not much free time in Anastasia, she was nevertheless thrown out to combine work at school and traveling around Belarus. She has already visited the Sula History Park, appreciated the originality of the Dudutki Museum, and was greatly impressed by the magnificence of the Nesvizh and Mir castles. It is recognized that I would like to see as many beauties of our country as possible and learn their history: visit Grodno and Brest, as well as take a tour of various castles. She really wanted to get Belarusian citizenship.
– Until recently, I did not meet that I would become Belarusian! In the summer of the regulated security service, they say, the possibility of obtaining citizenship has decreased. I collected the documents, but did not pass the criterion that I had not lived in Belarus for a full 7 years. After the decree, I was informed that I would still receive a passport, – Anastasia smiles. – I watched on television the meeting of the President of Belarus with the media, where he spoke about such a possibility. But I do not even think that I will be among these people. Now I can safely say: I am a citizen of Belarus!
On September 1, Anastasia had a double holiday. After choosing the line, she was handed the coveted “blue little book” – a passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus. The interlocutor admits that although several months have passed, this event happened with great joy.
– There are actually a lot of advantages. Firstly, now I do not need to collect and submit their documents for the development of solid solutions every year in order to work at the school. Thanks to civil law, finally, the long-awaited retraining at the university and obtaining a diploma, she says. – The main thing – I will stand on the waiting list for housing. What could be better than your own home?!
The project was created at the expense of targeted collection for the production of energy resources.
Marina VALAKH,
photo – Vitaliy PIVOVARCHIK,
newspaper “7 days”.-0-