THE AMERICAN WOMEN’S ORGANISATION OF MOSCOW
newsletter
December
2017
Letter from the President My last letter as AWO President and I want to say thank you to so many of you. It has been a real pleasure to be president of this organization and to feel that together we have all made life here easier, happier and more meaningful. So many of you have contributed in a variety of ways, with energy, great ideas, participation, feedback, contributions and time. It has been a really special time in my life, thank you! All the ladies of the board contribute much time and effort and I want to say a particular thank you to all of them - they are amazing, each one of them, and I look forward to continuing to work with them. I’m not leaving yet - just making room for trips home to support my daughter as she brings us the wonderful gift of our first grandchild! I say a sad goodbye to Ellen Hughes who has been a fantastic treasurer and a good friend. She will be moving very soon - all the best Ellen, I’ll miss you! And another dear friend is leaving us and heading to pastures new - Brit , thank you for your friendship and all that you have contributed to the board and AWO. A happy thank you to Michelle Rowe for taking over so
efficiently as treasurer when you have hardly had time to unpack! Finding a new president was a no brainer once we realized that Michele Kuhlen’s days were not quite full enough with two energetic little boys. Thank you Michele for all your hard work while easing into being president. Although all that you have done over the last couple of months made it less like easing into, and more ploughing into the role! Much appreciated, thank you so much and I know you will make a great president for this wonderful group. Vice president Becky - we have been a team for the whole time Becky has been here, first of all organizing IWC Meet and Greets and now President and Vice President of AWO. Thank you so much Becky for all your hard work and all the fun! In order to leave the group well set up for Michele I would love to find a new Spread Sunshine Coordinator and a Special Events coordinator - if you feel that you could spare the time the Board would love to have you! Wishing you all a very happy and safe holiday season and see you at the Cafe Russe on December 6th I hope, Wendy.
 
List of Contents
3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 13
Notes from the Editor
Events of the Month
Save the Date for the upcoming events
Brief Note on the British Christmas Bazaar
Review: Nastenka Celebration
Review: Spread Sunshine
Review: AWO Thanksgiving Dinner
Interest Group In Spotlight: Cooking Club
Welcome New Members!
14 15 16 17 18 19
Introducing our New Board Members
Special Offers for AWO Members
Invitation to Ladies’ Day Brunch
Notes from the AWO Team
Your 2017 AWO Board
Photo Credits and AWO Online
December 2017 / 2
Feeling Festive! Get ready to be dazzled by the series of Christmas and new year celebrations in Moscow! Soon all the corners of the city centre will light up and put a spell on all the wanderers passing by. Starting from December 22nd, Christmas treats from various parts of Russia and Europe, magnificent light installations from world-known photo-artists, open-air theatre performances, master classes, fairs and a great number of other entertainments will be available at 38 different zones in the city centre. You may want to finish all your holiday shopping before the festival starts. As usual, the beloved Moscow has so much to offer for Christmas and New Year’s shopping as well. Starting with the first weekend of the month, the city will be busy with bazaars. The long expected British Christmas Bazaar, where AWO is also par ticipating actively, is another unique
opportunity to get the most of the holiday spirit this month. This month is also special in terms of various concerts and shows with the Christmas theme. For more information on all the events, check out the “Events of the Month” page below. As you may follow from the review notes on some of the AWO events, we have been quite busy indeed! I loved to see the photo of the young AWO members at the Thanksgiving dinner, and was a bit resentful in sharing the photos of the newly opened Cooking Club! Read it and then tell me whether your stomach has also rumbled with envy! This will be our last Newsletter for this year and there won’t be another one until February 2018. So I wish you a merry Christmas with your loved ones and a happy new year! Irem
Events of the month Christmas Fair of Unusual Gifts / Art Weekend - December 2-3, 2017 // ArtPlay Design Centre Looking for scarves, mittens, cozy stoles, unusual bags, toys, stylish interior items or edible souvenirs? Check out the Art Weekend organised at the ArtPlay Design Centre. When you get tired of shopping or the crowd, you can always join a fun master class and make your own carnival masks or Christmas candles! For more information: http://www.art-weekend.ru/ Food Show 2017 - December 2-3, 2017// Sokolniki Park If you’re interested in discovering world cuisines, then the Food Show at Sokolniki Park at the beginning of the month will be the place to visit. Here you may taste fashionable dishes on an international food market, shop or make gastronomic discoveries at master classes and collect some recipes! For more information about the festival and to purchase master class tickets in advance, visit: https://foodshow.ru/culinarystudio 4th International Christmas Music Festival “Advent” - December 3 - 23, 2017 // Collegium Musicum Enjoy the holiday season with musical the masterpieces of the past centuries at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. There will be a series of concerts each weekend in December with different performers until December 23rd. For more information on the concert program and ticket purchase, visit: https://collegiummusicum.ru/ “Christmas Tree Decoration” Excursions - until January 14th, 2018 // The Factory of Christmas Toys The Factory of Christmas Toys is providing unique opportunities for its visitors in terms of learning about how New Year’s Eve is celebrated in different countries, watch the production process of glass Christmas tree toys, and even give a try yourself! The Factory also provides master classes that you may join with your children where you can decorate Christmas balls with a Russian style! For more information: http://31-12.xn--p1ai/ “Dunyasha” Gift Market - December 15 -17, 2017 // ArtPlay Design Centre More than 150 brands for hand-made souvenirs, textiles, toys will be available to purchase. 15 master classes, live music, atmospheric scenery and free cocktails will follow! The event will be held on December 15, 16 and 17 on the ARTPLAY site. Operating hours from 12.00 – 20.00. Entrance is free. For more information: http:// www.art-weekend.ru/ “Journey to Christmas” Festival - December 22, 2017 - January 14, 2018 // Various Locations This is a MUST DO event, if you are going to spend Christmas in Moscow! The annual Christmas festival “Journey to Christmas” will take place steps from Red Square and continue in 38 special zones in the city centre, with dozens of special stalls and tents, playgrounds and stages. The festival will start on December 22. The full program is to be published soon. For more information: http:// bigtimemoscow.com/christmas-fairs-moscow-2017-2018/
December 2017 / !4
December 5th, 2017, Tuesday: British Christmas Bazaar - (see page 6 for further details) December 6th, 2017, Wednesday: Our last coffee morning of the year! December 10th, 2017, Sunday: Ladies Day Brunch - (see page 15 for further details)
COFFEE MORNINGS All AWO Coffee Meetings are held in Cafe Russe, main floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Tverskaya Ulitsa 3 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm December 6 January 10 & 24 February 14 & 28 March 14
Thanks to our Sponsors!
December 2017 / 5 !
Thank you for registering to attend the British Christmas Bazaar 2017!
Ho Ho Ho!
It's now only a week away... Here's a brief note of what to expect: Address: The British Ambassador's Residence, Sofiskaya Naberezhnaya 14. Time: 10.30 - 13.30 * Please bring the same passport you used to register, or we may not be able to let you enter. * Please (please!) bring cash - there is no ATM on site, and there are certainly lots of wonderful things for you to buy. * Be prepared for a queue. While we do our best to keep things moving, security checks mean that we really need your patience if there is a wait outside. A cloakroom is available, so please dress for waiting in cold weather, just in case. * Arrive any time you wish! Our event runs from 10.30 to 13.30. There is no parking available. After all those rules, here's what we have in store for you... * A Christmas Carol singalong, with the Voci di Ricci choir (11am). * Wonderful artisans, selling traditional and modern items. * Tea, coffee, mulled wine and mince pies for sale. * A chance to chat to our charities: Speransky, Open Arts, MPC, Lighthouse Children's Hospice , Centre for Curative Pedagogics and Nastenka to find out more about the work they do. * Huge amounts of British and North American products for you to buy :home-made jams, chutneys and marmalades, cookies and cakes, chocolate bars galore and lots of other delicious goodies! * Play the tombola for a fun chance of winning a bottle of something good * Take part in our competitions. Have a guess at how many sweets are in the jar and what is the weight of the cake . * Pose and be photographed in the photo booth by our professional photographer. * A fantastic raffle. We have prizes from Bentley, , the Ritz-Carlton, the Hyatt Ararat, the Renaissance ,L'Oreรกl, , Expat Salon, Chicago Prime Steakhouse, US Dental, Bridge to Moscow and many many more. So don't forget to buy your tickets on the day! Many thanks also to our sponsor, the deVere Group. * Place a bid in our silent auction for one of our super Christmas Hampers or delightful paintings. * And of course meet Father Christmas . That's all from us. We will see you on Tuesday the 5th December , and here's to a very merry Christmas. The British Christmas Bazaar Committee
December 2017 / 6 !
Review: Nastenka Celebration
 
by Wendy Soucy
We are proud to be the first and longest running sponsor of Nastenka - for 15 years, since the beginning of the foundation, AWO has supported Nastenka with donations and most importantly with time! On November 22nd, Dr. Mentkievich, Jamilya Aliyeva and Marina Kuznetsova came to talk to us about what our contribution means to them and how our support affects the lives of families and children going through the challenge of treatment and recovery. Dr Mentkievich recalled with surprise the first time he encountered the philanthropy of American ladies 15 years ago - he was very surprised by their energy and commitment. He told us how much he appreciated everything we do and what a positive difference it makes in treating the children. Marina and Jamilya brought us a beautiful painting of thanks, made by children at the hospital. We are so grateful for this lovely piece of art and hope to auction it soon in order to raise more money to give back! They were thrilled to see and taste the exquisite cake celebrating our 15 years of collaboration and even more thrilled to receive the 4 tablets that we donated for children in the hospital who don’t have access to such technology. It was a wonderful morning and enabled our new members to really see what Nastenka means and also how they can help. The role of Spread Sunshine coordinator needs to be filled so please consider helping with this wonderful organization. Contact AWO for more information please.
December 2017 / 7!
At this meeting we were also very pleased to meet Mary Kaye Huntsman and her daughter Grace. Mary Kaye is new to Moscow, with busy times ahead as wife of the US Ambassador and as a very soon to be grandmother - she is waiting for the phone to ring any moment! Grace is taking a gap year before university and will be busy organizing her other’s schedule. Mary Kaye addressed the group and expressed her intention to get involved - it will be great to have her input and support! Plans are already under way for a coffee at Spaso House, arrival of baby permitting! Thank you for the invitation, it is lovely to have something special to look forward to in the dark days of January and February. AWO wishes the Huntsman family all the best for the holidays and for their stay here in Moscow.  
December 2017 / !8
Spread Sunshine
 
by Michele Kuhlen
November was quite an exciting month for Spread Sunshine. D ur ing our November 22nd meeting we had representatitives from Nastenka who shared with us information about their organization which was followed by a small celebration to thank them for their 15 years of partnership. Due to the hospital being under quarantine last month for an outbreak of chicken pox, we were unable to visit the children but were still able to deliver the monthly groceries. This month however, the Spread Sunshine team came full force coming together to sort, arrange and package gifts and treats for the children from items donated by our members. On Tuesday November 21st, we visited the children which was long overdue and evident in their excitement and eagerness to receive a treat when they saw us. We saw 45 children in total who were mostly in good spirits and strong enough to meet us at the door to make a personal gift selection. Thank you to the ladies who accompanied me on this trip Eugenie, Cristina, Salma and Dayra. It was also a pleasure having persons on the visit who spoke the language which made it a bit easier to interact with the children and their parents. Thank you also to my assembly team Eugenie, Olga, Ai and Michelle for preparing the gifts and treats before our visit. Special thank you to Mariam Beg who assisted at the last minute with the grocery shopping due to our Spread Sunshine volunteers not being available at that time.
We are currently looking for a new Spread Sunshine representative as my role in AWO will be changing in the near future. If you have an interest or questions about the program please feel free to contact me at : michele.kuhlen@gmail.com.
December 2017 / 9 !
 
Review: AWO Thanksgiving Dinner
by Wendy Soucy
For the second year in a row AWO families gathered for a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner at Chicago Prime, on November 26th, 2017. The evening was fun, warm, and congenial - it was lovely to gather together and feel thankful for friends who feel like family while we are far from home. The staff in the restaurant were wonderful with the children, helping them and their parents to feel relaxed. Becky again brought fun arts and crafts for the children - it was great to see them all making their projects and children of different ages helping each other and playing together. We had a great treat this year that had a few people misty eyed - Evelina had prepared a song for us - what a lovely gift on Thanksgiving! She sang beautifully and with great poise - thank you Evelina! Only 8 years old!! She sang All My Loving, by the Beatles, a great choice for this holiday.
December 2017 / !10
Interest Group in Spotlight: Cooking Club by Michele Kuhlen and Dawn Biyashev
The new interest group, the AWO cooking club was off to fantastic start this season. The opening event took place in October with 11 members, who went on a culinary journey to the island of Jamaica with Michele, where they learned to cook a multi course Jamaican
meal. The journey began with the country’s national dish ackee and salt fish and melodies of reggae setting the tempo for what was to come for the eager AWO culinarians. They also learned about and sampled some of the spices indigenous to Jamaica which were used in
and peas, reggae time potato salad and a tropical bliss salad. The sumptuous dishes were followed by local traditional desserts: a Jamaican sweet potato pudding and gizzada, which is a pastry cup filled with grated coconut cooked with spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg and then baked into a delectable treat. Both were served with ice cream on the side. The colorful and flavorful journey was then chased down with a traditional rum punch made with fresh fruits and local rum from the beautiful island of Jamaica.
In November the cooking club continued on a roll with
a welcome potluck which gave the ladies of the new interest group an opportunity to get to know each other. The pot luck was also an opportunity to savor and indulge in dishes influenced by our different international members and their backgrounds.
the preparation of the meals and given insight and secrets to achieve optimal results when preparing this special cuisine. They then prepared the famous jerk chicken, a dish recognized and known world wide for its spicy and unique taste, along with curried lamb, rice
December 2017 / !11
November ended with a bang with the commitment
The cooking club has turned out to be an awesome
and leadership of Dawn, who got 11 women snugged and at work in her small Pokrovsky kitchen for a busy and productive cookie mix making session. The end result was 28 cookie mix jars of which 19 were sold in 2 hours on the Pokrovsky Facebook page and the remainder will be up for sale at the upcoming British Bazaar.
new interest group catering to a dynamic group of culinary enthusiasts who are able share their knowledge in the field, cooking tips, recipes and favorite Moscow markets and places to shop creating an environment where they are able to learn and share with each other. If you are interested in joining this wonderful interest group please contact Dawn, Michele or Susan at awocokingclub@gmail.com.
The last meeting for 2017 will be a Christmas cookie exchange in December to commemorate the festive season and get together before most of the ladies leave for the holidays.
 
December 2017 / !12
Welcome New Members! This month we had quite a crowd in our new members group! A warm welcome to all the ladies who became members at our last meeting :
Members from left to right: Rupa Bhattasali; Maggie Ghidirim ; Tatiana Elaguin ; Rosy Zheng ; Karin Leishman Lily Albert-Gardner
Kate Sokol
Joycita Syms
December 2017 / !13
Introducing our new Board Members Michele Kuhlen / our next AWO President! Born in Jamaica which has such a vibrant culture, I always enjoyed cooking, baking and meeting new people through different organizations or groups, where I could help others or which provided an avenue for me to learn more. My passion was always to travel and I always saw myself as being a global citizen, so I then pursued a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management which then landed me at The RitzCarlton Hotel in Jamaica. It was there that I met my husband Bernd, a person who also shared my passion for travel and the hospitality industry. After we got married we then moved to California where the US then officially became our home. Our next stint took us back to the Caribbean, this time to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Our two JamGerms (Jamaican American German) adorable but super active boys, Justin who will be 6 years old in December and Jaden who is 4 1/2 years were both born there which will forever make it a special place in our hearts. After 5 beautiful years in the Virgin Islands we decided on a change of environment, which then lead us to this historical and culturally rich city of Moscow in August 2016. I am extremely honored and excited about my future role of becoming President of the AWO. This organization helped me tremendously with my transition to Moscow and introduced me to a fantastic group of women making this move the most seamless of them all. I look forward to continuing these significant tokens, strengthening our visibility in the expat community, while sharing this wonderful experience and journey together with you, my AWO family in the city of Moscow that we all now call home.
Michelle Rowe / our new Treasurer!
Hi! I'm Michelle Rowe. My family and I arrived to Moscow just this past summer and have loved exploring our new home over the past few months. Before Moscow, we lived in Friendswood, Texas, USA. My husband works with NASA and our kids are in grades 2 and 5 at the Anglo American School. I have enjoyed the friends and conversations that AWO has allowed me to have in our short time here, and I am excited to get to meet more of you and experience more of Moscow together with you.
December 2017 / 1! 4
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www.en.expatsalon.ru
December 2017 / 1! 5
Invitation for a Ladies’ Day Brunch Our next ladies day brunch will be happening on December 11, 2017 at The Lotte Hotel. Enjoy a glass of wine, exquisite set menu by the chef and complimentary parking all compiled to present a great brunch opportunity to catch up with the ladies before the long holidays. Our last Women's Day Brunch in October was a fantastic culinary 4 course treat, which the chef himself presented and then gave us a bit of history on his Italian heritage. If anyone is interested please confirm by Friday December 8th at awomoscow@gmail.com.
Call for AGM Participation: Dear Members, Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is planned to take place on Wednesday March 28th. This is an important meeting, which is held once a year and organized by a Nominating Committee. At the AGM, we will be voting in our executive board members, and in return for your time and voting, a wonderful lunch will be provided. All of our AWO members will be invited to this event, however only North American passport holders will be able to vote. If you are interested in being a part of the Nominating Committee as we must have at least 2 members that do not hold board positions, please email awomoscow@gmail.com at your earliest convince. Thank you!
Share what you love! If you enjoy reading our monthly newsletter, we would love to get your creative contributions as well! Share a travel note, a book review, movie recommendations, do’s and don’ts list for life in Moscow, photos you’ve taken or any other information you think your fellow AWO members might find interesting. Unleash your creative side and send your materials before the 3rd week of the month to iremsunar@gmail.com!
December 2017 / 1! 7
Your 2017 AWO Board
Wendy Soucy
Becky Zenkevich
Nori Minnis
Michelle Rowe
President, Charity Liaison
Vice President, FAWCO REP, Facebook
Secretary
Treasurer
Irem Sunar - Ozat
Dawn Biyashev
Susan Partridge
Galina Krysova
Monday Updates
Special Events
Newsletter
Interest Groups
Eugenie Tsesarenko
Brit Holin
Membership Monday Updates
Membership
Rini Judy Membership
Michele Kuhlen Spread Sunshine
December 2017 / 1! 8
PHOTO CREDITS: Page 1, 2, 3, 19 : Artem Arutyunov Page 2: Xenia Ericovna
 Page 4: Irem Sunar
Find Us Online! www.facebook.com/groups/ awomoscow/ awomoscow.org