Inspiring Women SUMMER 2020
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78<br />
Update from Moscow<br />
Danielle was featured in the Fall 2018 issue of <strong>Inspiring</strong> <strong>Women</strong>.<br />
We asked her to give us a quick update on her life with COVID-<br />
19 in it.<br />
Until February <strong>2020</strong>, I was planning that our expat<br />
assignment would be ending by the early summer and we<br />
would be moving back to the States. I was stepping back<br />
from my roles in our AWO Moscow club, finishing up my<br />
other work here locally, and had a ticket for April 13 to<br />
head to the States for one month for my granddaughter<br />
Maya’s arrival into the world.<br />
By March, all of those plans were put on hold indefinitely. I<br />
chose to stay in Moscow with my husband, knowing that<br />
the Russian borders would be closed, and if I left, I would<br />
not be able to return for a long time. This was a hard<br />
choice to make. Choosing an expat life sometimes has<br />
consequences we are not ready for.<br />
What was the first step you took to get involved in the COVID-19 response? I am naturally a doer<br />
and a fixer of problems, so in the beginning of COVID-19 here, it was easy to help out because<br />
technology provided all the resources to share. As the local kids were transitioning home from<br />
school, I shared online homeschool resources for parents who were making a colossal shift in<br />
their daily routines. We have been able to do a FB Live with an English-speaking doctor, shared<br />
information on English Telehealth resources and the AWO board continues using the FB platform<br />
as a way to encourage and inform our members daily. We are keeping up with our monthly<br />
newsletter. Also, I have started a Happiness group<br />
with women using the free Science of Well-Being<br />
course offered by Yale. This has been an excellent<br />
way to connect women together globally around a<br />
theme we can all relate to and need personally.<br />
Since COVID-19 started, tell us about a typical day<br />
for you. I am up at 5:00 a.m. most days. Teeth,<br />
potty, get dressed! Then on to texts - I am<br />
managing my handicapped son from here as he<br />
has online schoolwork to do. He is with my<br />
daughter, Sasha, so I am not concerned for his<br />
safety. I am, however, concerned that his behavior<br />
issues could become a burden for her, so being up<br />
early and managing texts, emails, etc. is the first<br />
item of the day. My mother’s health is failing, and so<br />
these past two weeks I have been discussing with<br />
my brother how we will navigate during this crisis<br />
time. I answer texts and emails first so that my mind<br />
is free to move on. Each day, I have a time of<br />
reading and prayer; I walk around my apartment<br />
building to hit 10k steps and do 30 minutes of<br />
DANIELLE KUZNETSOV<br />
Member: American <strong>Women</strong>’s Organization of Moscow<br />
From: Torrington, Connecticut Lives: Moscow, Russia
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