The Voices for Voices Podcast Episode 22 with Guest, Anastasia Didenko, Exchange Student from Ukraine
Justin Alan Hayes:
Hi everyone. Thank you for joining us on Facebook Live stream. This will also be added to our audio podcast file, which will be everywhere. Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart, and our new YouTube channel, Voices for Voices. Thank you for joining us for the Voices for Voices podcast, which is sponsored graciously by Redwood Living. I am your host, Justin Alan Hayes, founder and executive of Voices for Voices, which is a nonprofit charity that survives solely on donations and sponsorships from individuals and organizations in the community.
For those who are new to Voices for Voices, you can check out more about us on our website, voicesforvoices.O-R-G. We also have our Facebook and Instagram, which you can find us at our handle Voices F-O-R Voices and you can also find us on YouTube, which you can find that at Voices for Voices.
So now I get those administrative things out of the way. I want to, again, welcome everybody on livestream and everybody, whether they're anywhere across the world or near Northeast Ohio, that are with us today.
Today, I'm very happy and glad to be joined by our guest today. Her name is Anastasia Didenko, she's from Dnipro Ukraine. Anastasia and myself met at Walsh University. We had an enrichment week and I was able to share my story, my mental health journey, and some of the fun and cool things that I've been able to do with Voices for Voices, and including our mission trip that we had earlier this year to Warsaw, Poland to help some individuals that unfortunately had to leave their home from Ukraine.
Anastasia is a finance and management major at Walsh University, and she's here to talk about herself about being a college student, being an individual, a citizen of the country of Ukraine, how proud she is of her country, of her family that is still there. And it is very important, which is why I wanted to include her on our podcast today, that we don't lose sight of what's happening in Ukraine.
Our organization, Voices for Voices is meant to be a voice for everybody, whether they're in Northeast Ohio, whether they're in Anastasia's hometown Dnipro, Ukraine, whether they're in Los Angeles, California, Buenos Aires, Argentina, it doesn't matter. Everybody has a voice and she's going to share her voice that is very important to the world and to everybody to understand more about what's happening in her home country and to continue to bring light to the situation, which some media outlets have unfortunately not included some of the coverage of what's actually occurring, that there is still an unwanted occupation of the country of Ukraine.
So Anastasia, thank you for joining us today. We're so happy to have you with us in the studio. Great. So we'll just start out by talking about being a student at Walsh University and maybe the last two years or so, how COVID impacted you or did it impact you as a student? And then we'll go from there.
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. Well, COVID happened when I was a freshman in high school. It was interesting at first, everyone was just happy because it was a two week break and so excited. And it wasn't anything scary or anything like that. But then it kind of went on and on and on and basically we went on quarantine in, it was the beginning of March and then we had to finish up our academic year fully online. No one went to school.
It was an interesting change in everyone's lives, and it was just hard to be at home all the time, not being really able to see your classmates or to go anywhere pretty much just to go outside, maybe to walk with your dog. And that's pretty much it, just to be at home all the time.
That was interesting. I wouldn't say that it was hard. It was something new for all of us, definitely. It was a good time. I had a lot of free time and I pursued new hobbies and just had some rest. Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Do you want to go into depth maybe about one of those hobbies or something that you like to do when you do have free time?
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. Well, I love learning languages and I got more time to do that so that was mainly my focus and I love reading too. I read a lot of books and just, that was a good time.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Good. So fast forward to early 2022 and what's going on in your life, your home country. If you just want to bring us kind of up to speed on how that transition and those events happen where you were.
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. So I won a scholarship to come here to study in America in high school. The program was called FLEX, which is Future Leaders Exchange. And I came here last September. I stayed with a family in New Philadelphia for my whole academic year. So yeah, I was there during my last year.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Wow. I'm sure being in a different country, I've traveled to other countries, different countries, but being a guest, somebody who's living day in, day out, not just for a week or a couple of days for vacation. How did you manage that? Is there anything you had to do extra or did you just go with the flow of how everything was going?
Anastasia Didenko:
It is definitely, it is a big step. It is a big decision and it's hard to leave everyone, your family, your high school, your life for a year to go somewhere. I haven't been to the United States before. That was my first time. I mean, that's... I'm still here. And it was a big step. It was scary, but very exciting to see what's new. And a lot of teenagers from other countries have this American teenager dream life, just American high school, and a lot of people want to just experience that, I guess.
My program is not just about that. My program is about to share, about sharing your culture and traditions and just your, sharing things about your country too. So yeah, I was scared to come here, but at the same time I wasn't. I think I was ready. It was pretty good.
It's definitely nerve-racking to go to live with another family that you don't know. You haven't met before. You don't know who those people are. But it's a good challenge for yourself too, just to see how you accept those new challenges and new, and how you adjust in your environment. That's really interesting.
Justin Alan Hayes:
So for those out there, and even me, when you left Ukraine, come to United States, what did you have clothes-wise? Did you bring one suitcase? Just for people to understand.
Anastasia Didenko:
So yeah, I had just one big suitcase with me. That was everything that I was allowed to take with me on a plane. Well, I had one big suitcase and a carry on backpack. That's it.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. I can't even fathom that. Okay. So let's, I guess move into earlier this year when unforeseen events or foreseen depends on, I guess what perspective a person looks at the Russian invasion into your home country.
Can you just give us a deep dive and where were you? How did you find out? And give our audience and anybody who's listening or who will view us or read the transcript at a later day to learn the real truth. What's really going on and what had been going on?
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. So different kinds of information have been going around the news and just people since I would say the middle of January but of course, no one wanted to believe in those news, or no one wanted to believe in anything. It was scary and I really was anxious and nervous about that something might actually happen.
But I remember it was the beginning of February and there was an article about Russian troops being around Ukraine and there was, it was true. It was facts. It was in reality, it was like that. And I remember posting a post about it on my Instagram, and then, but still everyone was nervous, but people were not ready for it. No one actually believed that it's going to happen and it's true because, I mean, it sounds crazy, but it happened on February 22nd.
So it was Wednesday for me. It was already Thursday at home because of the time difference. It's eight hours. I was just getting ready to go to bed and I was just scrolling through my phone, just really about to go to bed. And then I started noticing news about explosions being heard in different regions of my country, in different cities, and everywhere repeatedly.
I started texting my friends from those different cities. Just people who I know just... Because at first I didn't believe in it. I thought that it's provocation or some, that's not true. I didn't want to believe in it. So I started texting people. And then when I saw that it is at home, I started calling my parents.
And at first I called my dad. My dad and my mom, they were at different cities at that time so that was interesting too. And my dad picked up and I'm like, "Hey, have you seen what's going on? Do you hear anything?" And he's like, "No, calm down. That's not true. Everyone's sleeping. Just go to bed. We're sleeping. Everything is good." And then I called my mom and she said exactly the same thing.
And then just 30 minutes later, everyone was up. Everyone heard it. It's been everywhere. I don't even know how to describe how I felt at that moment. It was deep at night for me because it was around five or 6:00 AM at home and everyone was scared and not knowing what's going on and what to do.
And as I said, my parents were in different cities, so that was really hard for me too, but I don't even know at that time, I was just sitting, I couldn't sleep or eat or do anything at all. I was just on my phone scrolling through the news, just checking what's going on anywhere, everywhere. I knew what happened, explosion by explosion and what city. I was checking everything. That's pretty much how that happened.
Justin Alan Hayes:
And for everybody out there, Anastasia's father is in the Ukrainian military. How did that impact maybe your thoughts about once the explosions were happening, where he might be, where he's at, his safety, and then your family?
Anastasia Didenko:
He joined the Army. He was not part of an army at the time.
Justin Alan Hayes:
At the time. Okay.
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Thank you. So when did he join? Or how did that-
Anastasia Didenko:
So he joined the first week of war. At first, it was like... We have different types of, it's kind of like an army, but it's, they protect the territory and everything. It's a little bit different.
So at first he joined that, but then just a week later he joined the army. And he was pretty much around my city. All the time for around six, seven month. And then just months and a half ago, he got sent to Donetsk Oblast region. Sorry. Donetsk region, which is occupied right now. So he's over there for a little bit over than a month right now.
Justin Alan Hayes:
How does that, I mean, obviously it makes you worry and stressed.
Anastasia Didenko:
Oh, yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
How do you process that information and then continue as a student, as a human, while all that's going on? Because as you're speaking through the story, I have a hard time just being a human and going through the day to day, to have all this added uncertainty. I guess, how do you do it? How do you manage to do what you're doing?
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. It's hard, but I have to do what I do because if I just, I'm trying not to think about negative things a lot. Of course, everything is making me really upset and I can't really talk to my dad right now. Sometimes he can text me, but it's really not as often as I would like for it to be, because usually I FaceTime them every day at least twice a day.
But of course, it's impacting my life. And when there are explosions, usually it's in the morning for them and night for me. So I have to stay up and then I have class in the morning, and I mean, I still have to go and it's hard, but if I just sit and be upset and cry about it at all of the times, it will not help anyone. It won't help me. It will not help my family. It will not make anything easier. If I just take all of these emotions and put them somewhere and use them as a fuel to do something, it will do more and it will make me feel better too.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. So leading into, you've been able to be on different media outlets, talking about your life, your story, your country at the outset, how did that make you feel in your continuing on mindset?
Anastasia Didenko:
Of course, it made me feel much more better because I'm always looking for ways to help. Anything that I can do. And being here right now, being so far away from them, it doesn't make me feel so good but at the same time, I'm trying to look at it from a different perspective, from a perspective that I am here and I have this amazing opportunity to share this with so many people and to keep everyone updated and to show it from my perspective, to show it how things actually are, and more people react to this because they know me.
People at school, people would see me every day and just know me. It's not just some news about somewhere, something. It's here. I'm here and I'm real. And that is important too. That really impacts people and I'm glad that I'm here and I have had so many opportunities to share and talk and just do what I'm doing right now.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. I mean, it's incredible. The bravery, really, it's heroic as any individual going through any difficulty, any traumatic situation, whether they were part of it or not, things happening to them. And I know this is super inspiring to everybody who's listening and watching and read the transcript.
Now that we're a few months into the war, has the same interest been there from media, wanting to know what's going on, how things are going, or has things maybe shifted a little bit in that respect?
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. Things have definitely shifted pretty much everywhere. Interest is not there as it was the first few months and it's still going on, it didn't get better or it's still there. People are still dying every day. It's horrible and it's upsetting that media is built this way. That it's not a hot topic anymore and no one is really interested in it.
Justin Alan Hayes:
That it is definitely still going on. In June, I was able to, had the wars on and do just a tiny fraction of help for some of the individuals from your home country. So I was able to see up close, more up close than just being in Stow, Ohio and a little bit removed from it or going on vacation.
So I went there for a couple days and I wish I was able to stay longer and do more but I did get a sense, even just being in Poland, a neighboring country to Ukraine, things just felt different in that. And they are different because things are happening to them, to you, your hometown. It's not kind of where you're at here in the United States like, "Oh, it's happening thousands of miles away." That it's, things are happening.
It's affecting people. People are scared, they're fleeing in some instances and other instances have to make money, pay the bills, those types of things go on. And some of the people when they're leaving their home, when you have maybe an hour or a few minutes to decide what all are we going to take with us? And you don't know how long you're going to be away from your home, your family, that just gave me just a new look into what's happening.
And maybe that's why my interest is a little bit more than any average US citizen or average nonprofit like, "Well, why does Voices for Voices care?" Because it's real. Things are happening to them every day for the past several months. And it's just incredible what you're going through and how you're continuing to be that voice, that beacon of hope for individuals here in the United States that may be in the same situation have relatives back in your country, your hometown, home country of Ukraine.
What do you want to share with the audience about what's going on? What bringing things to light, the other media outlets, as we sit in November 2022, what do you want people to know about what's happening in that respect?
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. So I don't know the fact that pretty much every person living in Ukraine got used to it, got used to living in war, got used to air raid sirens and bombs and constant attacks in different cities. It's just, I don't know.
My sister, she can go to bed while the air raid system is going off. And it's just... Even if it's happening, people have to go on and live their usual life, go to work, everything is just as usual but it's so dangerous because at any moment, anything can happen. And it's scary not to know, because you never know where that bomb will land, where they will decide to send it. And it's hard to live with these thoughts in your head. It's hard.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Wow. Yeah. Just words really can't say how you must feel about what's happening. That individuals, for the most part, United States, we have things pretty good that we don't have to worry about, air raid sirens going off in the middle of the night or even during the day. So we were blessed and lucky to have that.
And to share your story, to share your voice, I think is very important for not just our podcast, to give you the platform to share but I really hope that other media outlets, other individuals, influential individuals that can impact change really just take to heart that things are still happening. Whether they see it on the top result of Google or their news story. If they got to scroll two or three times to get down, some things are still happening.
And individuals and myself earlier in my life tried to numb a lot of things with alcohol and get through situations and not wanting to deal with them and so, on so many levels but for you to be able to continue to go on, to be that person like you said, you could be in your dorm room and be upset and be on your phone 24/7 and not go to class and there's those alternative, but you're choosing an alternate route to share when you have that opportunity.
And I hope that more people like you, Anastasia, do come from where they are and share on social media. If they're being asked or they're in an audience of a TV show and they're out and they're able to ask a question, maybe throw something in there to bring it to light.
Again, it's might not be the hot topic it was when it first happened. It might not get the clicks, the advertisers to put the money towards it. And that's a shame because this is life, this is human life, human dignity, being able to live, to go to work without having to worry about air raid sirens. So with that, is there anything that we didn't touch on or that you want to go a little bit more in depth to share with the audience?
Anastasia Didenko:
I don't even know, but you said that you hope that other people that are in my situation do that, and I'm very brave.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Anastasia Didenko:
I'm sorry. Sorry. I wanted to say that I'm very proud.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Anastasia Didenko:
I... Sorry.
Justin Alan Hayes:
And you should be. Yeah.
Anastasia Didenko:
No, I'm very proud of our people. I'm very proud of my friends and I'm very proud of every Ukrainian person, because so many friends of mine who had to flee the country. So many friends of mine who were exchange students just like me and who had to go and leave their home and leave their life to maybe temporarily, maybe to start over because some people don't really get a choice.
But everyone still, no one forgets about Ukraine. No one forgets about what's actually going on and people are sharing and people are doing everything possible and this is our strengths. We are united, we are together no matter where we are.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Absolutely. And something I forgot, so my fault that I've wanted to touch on. You are a person that shares your voice, your experience, but you also are able to use your creativity to gather some things and send to some of the military.
Can you just share a little bit about that? How it came about and because I think that's fascinating that you did that. And it's awesome when you showed me the pictures of how many there were.
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. So I had a couple fundraisers and just some money. They were just sent to volunteers over in Ukraine who I trust and know, and just for basic needs, either of people or military. But when I say military, it's food and just basic hygiene products because they need it too.
But then I would say the biggest thing that I had to do is I put together first aid kits. I made 15 of them because my dad and his military unit, they didn't have them and they had to get everything piece by piece and it was hard. And everything raised up in price so much since everything happened of course. So it's hard and it's expensive, and I had the opportunity, and I used it and I did everything myself.
I found the pouches and everything is how it's supposed to be by NATO format. And then just, I got some more things that they needed, backpacks and a few pairs of shoes.
Justin Alan Hayes:
That's awesome. That is very awesome. So if somebody is listening and viewing today, how can they help, if they want to help, if they're able to, can you recommend or some areas or area that they can help?
Anastasia Didenko:
Yeah. So the best way to help is of course, not to forget and keep talking about it, keep sharing. Just to have it in mind that it's still going on and people are still going through that. And if anyone wants to make a donation, there is so many different organizations and international organizations everywhere, it's really easy to find it in Google. Yes. I can send some links to you if you would like.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah, please do. And I'll include those in the show notes and then it'll also be added in into the transcript, that's ultimately it gets added to this podcast episode. Well, I think that you answered the questions that I was looking for answers and wanted you to share your experience as a student, as a human, as a voice and you're brave. You're country, fellow citizens are brave. And we all hope and pray that everything ends soon so life can continue at what was normal and then you're able to go back to your homeland and not have to fear for air raid sirens and your father and friends and all that. So Anastasia, thank you for being a guest today.
Great. And thank you, the viewed and watching us on Facebook Live, and will view this on YouTube. We are very thankful and grateful to have each one of you listen, watch. So please keep Anastasia, her family, her country in your thoughts and prayers. If you're able to help out, not only the season of giving, but just as a human being. If you're able to do something, if you're able to do one thing, $1, 1 cent, it will go towards things in need.
So we want to thank everybody for joining us today on the Voices for Voices podcast sponsored by Redwood Living. I'm your host, founder and executive director, Justin Alan Hayes. And we hope that you check out this podcast episode, as well as our other 21 episodes.
Check us out voicesforvoices.O-R-G. Facebook, Instagram, Voices F-O-R Voices, our handle YouTube, Voices for Voices. And again, if you're able to help out in any way, our organization is a federally recognized 501(c)(3). So all donations are greatly appreciated and are tax exempt. So until next time, have a great day and be a voice for yourself or somebody in need.
Please donate to Voices for Voices, a 501c3 nonprofit charity today at: https://www.voicesforvoices.org/shop/p/donate
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