Angelina’s Unique Journey: Redefining Life and Work as a Barista
Angelina’s Unique Journey: Redefining Life and Work as a Barista
Angelina has been unable to walk since birth, but this has not stopped her from dancing, traveling, socializing with friends, going to discotheques, and most importantly, working. The coffee she serves not only energizes but also provides a sense of care, warmth, and the right to be oneself. Angelina has long since granted herself this right. Together with A1, we continue to share the stories of baristas from “Inclusive Cafes.”
Living Life Her Own Way
“I live not like others, but in my own way,” Angelina states. This “in my own way” permeates everything she does. Angelina is a barista at a coffee shop on Kuibyshev Street, 69. However, she differs from the typical image of a classical barista: calm, even quiet, she not only avoids filling the silence with chatter but also refrains from uttering a single unnecessary word. Yet, she smiles so sincerely and makes coffee with such love and care that you want to return to her again and again. Because it seems (or is it real?) that along with a cup of coffee from Angelina’s hands, you receive a drop of warmth and love.
Similarly, Angelina gives interviews “in her own way.” She answers questions almost monosyllabically but substantively and meaningfully. She does not express any bright emotions, but every event in her life is painted with rich colors—different hues but always bright.
“I first decided to ‘live my own way’ at nine years old when I realized that I would not get out of the wheelchair. I kept trying to stand up, but it didn’t work. Then, several more times, I wanted to change: to become more sociable, more open. But I don’t know how. And I decided that I would do everything the same as others, but in my own way.”
“Everything is Not So Bad”: About School
Angelina became independent early. At six years old, she went to a specialized boarding school in Ivenets. She only returned to Minsk for holidays.
“At first, I was scared, but then it was normal; I got used to it. A person adapts to everything, and so did I. If something is needed, then I adapt. It’s necessary, so it’s necessary.”
Angelina remembers school with a smile. She made friends there, experienced her first crush, started dancing, and went on various excursions with her classmates. She enjoyed studying; her average grade was 7.3. But the main lessons she took away from there were not related to school subjects.
“There were many children with different diseases. And I realized that there are not only healthy but also unhealthy people. And it’s okay. So, everything is not so bad for me. And they always told us: ‘You need to become a person, not sit at home, but study and work further.’ I took this attitude to heart.”
“Everything is Not So Scary”: About College
With her diploma in hand and this attitude in mind, Angelina returned home. And immediately took her documents to the correspondence department of one of the Minsk colleges—she decided to become a lawyer. She chose her profession with her mother, relying solely on logic: studying close to home, and then she could work in an office or remotely from home.
But the first day of study turned her worldview upside down. Angelina was used to classes of 3-4 people, where everyone knew each other and moved around in wheelchairs. Here, she was the only one in a wheelchair, and the large audiences and crowds simply scared her.
“I was in shock that there were so many people and everything was so different; I was very nervous on the first day. But in the middle of the session, I got used to it; it’s normal. It’s necessary, so it’s necessary.”
She had to get to classes. There was no elevator in the building, and not a single class was on the first floor during all the years of study. She had to overcome fear and embarrassment and ask her classmates for help.
“At first, I thought about how to approach and what words to use to ask. And then it was not scary, and the guys remembered themselves. Four of them would carry me—sometimes to the second floor, sometimes to the sixth—where our computer class was. It was not difficult for them.”
Angelina studied well and learned a lot. But again, the main lesson she took from this stage of life was not related to studying.
“There I realized that everything is not so scary. The world is not so scary.”
“I Can Do Everything Myself”: About Work
Angelina always knew clearly that she would work; she did not even entertain the thought that it could be otherwise. And the work found her itself. True, not where Angelina was looking for it.
Once, already after graduating from college, she and her mother decided to go to the lake to relax. But they were a few minutes late for the bus. While waiting for the next one, a young man approached them and invited them to drink coffee in an inclusive cafe that had just opened. It was Vasily Pavlikov, the director of “Inclusive Cafes.”
“I was thinking, ‘I need to find a job, I need to find a job.’ I asked if they needed employees. They said they did. And they took me,” the girl briefly recounts.
Angelina quickly got used to the work. She says that only the first days were difficult to remember the entire sequence of actions when brewing coffee. Now she loves making coffee. Despite her modesty, she easily finds a common language with customers.
“And all the customers are good.” The most difficult thing at work turned out to be something else—getting to it. Angelina travels to work by bus. Not all of them can accommodate a wheelchair, so sometimes she has to skip and wait for the next one or ask people for help.
“You need to quickly figure out: who to ask, how to ask, and explain how to properly lift the wheelchair so that I don’t accidentally fall out of it.” Overcoming all these difficulties opened up another important knowledge for Angelina.
“I realized that I can still do everything myself. I am worth something.”
“You Immediately Become Such an Important Person”: About Hobbies
For five years now, four times a week, Angelina has been going to the other end of the city for Latin dance classes. When she talks about this hobby, her voice becomes clearer, louder, and the girl simply glows.
“This is a very beautiful sport. Dancing gives peace and tranquility. You come to training and forget about your problems for two hours: you just immerse yourself in the dance, in the training process. I really like this feeling; I love learning new movements. Of course, sometimes it’s lazy to go, and in winter it’s so difficult through the snowdrifts. But I overcome it: I don’t want to sit at home. There is communication there, there is a good mood.”
Angelina also participates in competitions. Her highest achievement is first place with a group of girls at the Belarus Championship. Now she is preparing for a pair performance—she will dance the waltz with a former classmate.
“The emotions from the performance are also very different. You immediately become such an important person. At competitions, I feel my significance and confidence.”
But Angelina dreams not of victories but of being able to travel the world thanks to dancing. She remembers all her previous trips with delight: she liked watching people, studying who they are, looking at new cities and nature.
