Spouses who left for the US were trapped here for half a year because of the coronavirus – we felt like a horror in the movie when children, homes, and well-cared for businesses remained in Lithuania.

– Tell us when and why you went to the US How long did you have to stay there?

– We went to the United States in early February, it was a planned business trip. We founded a company in the USA in 2016, so we have to fly and take care of our company from time to time. We plan to work for a good month and return to Lithuania.

– How did you feel when you realized that you had been trapped in ignorance for a while? Did your children or other relatives in Lithuania safely survive this period without you?

– We had to fly back at the end of March, but suddenly Poland closed its borders, then Lithuania also closed.

The airlines reported the canceled flight. The feeling was nothing at first, perhaps more due to the uncertainty of how things would go here. Also, there are children left in Lithuania, although they are almost adults, but the daughter graduated from high school, she still needs help. Before flying with my son, we still joked that in the US we should be careful with the coronavirus, because there were already cases here, and there was no one in Lithuania at the time, and suddenly Lithuania closed first. Meanwhile, the United States has long delayed the introduction of quarantine. He was worried about the children and the parents so that they did not get sick in Lithuania. The children quickly adapted to independent life, the daughter went to my mother’s village and studied quietly from there. Now we talk to her, maybe it was even better, because she was able to dedicate more time to science, the results improved.

The son was also preparing his courses at the time, so the quarantine allowed for better concentration. Thanks to modern technology we were able to see each other, so that period was not very difficult. And I’m glad the kids have become more independent and help us in business when needed.

We were also concerned that our team would go to Lithuania. It was also a challenge for them. Although some of our employees had worked from home until then, the quarantine period was something new. Every morning we called all the employees, discussed jobs, problems. Some worried: Executives are not close to what will happen now with the company. Also, there was a lot of news about the laid-off workers, so we wanted to show them that even though we were at a distance, we were always ready to help solve any problems that arose.

– Has this period affected your business a lot? Or perhaps the other way around – have new business opportunities opened up or have you had a long-awaited dream vacation and are feeling lucky?

There comes a time in life when you long for challenges. Since the kids don’t need much care anymore, and my husband and I are still young, we still think it would take more time in the US for the business to finally be profitable or at least survive. We established the company in the USA in 2016, we have patented our Genial Day brand (in Lithuania our brand is known as Gentle Day) and we sell eco-friendly hygiene products for women. Working from Lithuania is not the same as being here yourself, feeling and seeing everything with your own eyes. Of course, some of this work already exists, our products can be found in independent organic stores and some larger retail chains, but the costs are also huge, making it very difficult to balance.

We have a great team in Lithuania, so we felt like we could start spending more time with an American company. So we just went to the US for a good month of business travel and we were stuck for over 6 months. As the saying goes, you need to be careful: the challenge exceeded all expectations, but it also caused stress. Only when we arrived were we able to participate in the Canadian exhibition in Vancouver, it brought us success. And it was our last show, although there were at least two more scheduled and we had to attend. With the spread of the virus, all exposures were canceled and quarantined here as well.

A person is not in trouble: Just before the quarantine was announced, a person who took care of our company in the US for more than 3 years left us. So my husband and I had to roll up our sleeves and learn everything myself, from shipping merchandise, writing invoices, and breaking up acquaintances with brokers and distributors. There was a lot of stress and at the time it seemed like it would never end. The Lithuanian company also had to be dealt with. But the difficulties also disappear. We are happy with the experience acquired, because you will not learn it at any university. We have learned a lot, we have learned, and now we can take a little breather, to spend the weekends resting, which we have not had for at least a few months.

– How do you think the United States government handles the coronavirus? Do Americans follow the rules?

– America took it too late. And if city mayors had listened to the president of the United States, they probably wouldn’t have been quarantined. However, each state and even individual cities introduced their own order. Although late, the quarantine was introduced and lasted for several months. In New York, the quarantine lasted up to 3 months. Only grocery stores or those stores that had a grocery department worked. The season changed, so clothes could only be purchased at Target and Walmart stores because there were food departments. A new service, food delivery, similar to Uber, has emerged or expanded. Life was dead in the Chicago suburb where we stayed. During such a long period of quarantine, people got tired, which also contributed to the riots and strikes when they took to the streets without respecting the rules.

Generally, Americans follow the rules, at least in the state of Illinois or New York, where we visit. When used indoors, everyone wears masks and keeps their distance. In stores, at the entrance or at checkouts, there is a disinfectant liquid almost everywhere, with which anyone can wash their hands. Companies are taking this situation with great responsibility. Any business that violated the rules was threatened with fines or closure. The big sports clubs are not open yet, many swimming pools are closed and will not open this year (almost all the towns here have their own outdoor swimming pools because the summers are very hot). All the beaches in Chicago are empty. Of course, there are no events, cafes in Chicago have recently opened, only working until 12 noon is allowed. at night and some still don’t work.

– Do you travel a lot in the states? Tell us what you visited, what do you remember the most.

– Until now we do not plan long trips, we only visit where we can drive. Although we used to live in the US, we didn’t have many opportunities to see, so now we want to take this opportunity. My husband and I are trying to travel on weekends, to visit Chicago, which is only 45 minutes from our home, to visit cozy little towns around Lake Michigan, which is maybe 3 times the size of the Baltic Sea.

Michigan beaches with dunes similar to Nida were very amazing. Trails are installed everywhere, you can walk through dunes. Nature is very diverse, sadly, not just our beloved pine trees, more deciduous. We accidentally find creeping dunes that gradually bury trees, sliding 20 feet from the lake each year.

Even before the quarantine was announced, we were able to visit Seattle on the way to Canada. When we go on business trips, we always stay at least two days to get to know the city where we are. Since we saw Vancouver earlier, at the next show, this time we stayed in Seattle longer. The city is beautiful and diverse. We visited the first Starbucks coffee shop, founded in 1971, where the lines probably never end (the quarantine had not yet been announced at the time).

My husband and I are spontaneous planners, we can plan the trip during the day and we can deviate from the final destination as we travel. The same thing happened with the trip to New York. We planned for Thursday, and on Friday we got in the car and took a 5-day trip through New York.

From Chicago we reached New York by car in 12 hours. We stayed in Manhattan. The city is very empty, the cafes are not open yet, people are gone unless they are in the parks, most of them wearing masks. The famous Times Square was almost empty when crowds of people flocked day and night.

Manhattan is very diverse, large, contrasting. Central Park left the impression, even though we only missed a quarter. It is huge, with lakes and plums, rocky cliffs. There was a feeling of peace for the people, many athletes sunbathing on the grass. The Brooklyn Pedestrian Bridge is also impressive and takes at least half an hour to cross. At the time, people in New York were still on strike for black rights, so many storefronts were lined with plywood, not only to protect, but also to break windows. Some famous streets and places have been blocked, like the Trade Center, where twins have been demolished, and lots of police everywhere. So this city turned out to be different for us than usual from what we have heard from friends.

In part, it’s a time that may not be (I hope) anymore, so we had a unique opportunity to see the city without the hustle and bustle. There wasn’t so much trash that we hear a lot about. While we saw the famous New York rats. Also, there are many homeless people in Manhattan, smelling of urine even touching their noses when walking on the sidewalk. Of course, almost all lack masks. As far as I realized, a large number of homeless people died from the coronavirus, they were all found in refrigerators and probably no one missed them. The picture is really sad to see how many homeless people are not only old but also young. We also saw Caucasian girls crawling through the streets intoxicated by drugs.

After spending a few days in New York, we want to escape to nature. We stayed in the resort town of Newport in New York, a favorite with New Yorkers. I was fascinated by the different log cabins and luxurious villas, the beautiful white sand beach. The city after New York seemed alive because there were outdoor cafes, all full of people. No quarantine seemed to be valid here. Since Boston was close by, we put it aside for lunch and to inspect it. However, the heat was 32 degrees, making it almost impossible to walk around the city. We got in the car, “Googled” the tour bus route, and drove around town. We saw a different image than New York or Chicago. Different architecture, many surviving old objects, Irish style stone buildings, perhaps because the Irish were the first to settle in this city. The city is beautiful, orderly, with a lot of youth.

– He also encountered the Black Lives Matter riots while traveling. What are your experiences in the context of these events?

– Our city where we live has not suffered and we have not seen strikes here, but there are cities that have been devastated by hooligans. Now the situation is a bit off, but when it all happened, it was really worrying. The government seemed to do nothing, the hooligans reigned. Nor did I understand why the police barely intervened in these events, why they did not protect people’s property and businesses. Here the work of the mayors of each town was revealed again. Some strikes, it seems, and there were none, no marching permits were given. In some places the police were not even there, when the thugs destroyed and looted everything, and in other places full of gangs and another guard. Such an image had once been seen in Indiana, returning from the beach.

What fascinates America is the focus and willingness of people to help when such events occur. Local residents even raise money to support affected businesses so they can reopen.

All black-founded companies are now very popular. By showing solidarity, people try to support these types of companies by buying their products.

And people and attitudes are very different. Many accuse Democrats that this is their action sparked before the presidential election and that politicians are taking advantage of it. The worst part is that this movement was not peaceful. All were affected, both directly and indirectly. Cross society, races. There are many highly educated blacks who are always ready to help, but there is also the mass that has beaten and looted everything. Unfortunately, there are many. Those people themselves don’t want to change, so no one will change them.

– Maybe you made friends with your destination friends from other European countries while traveling? What was your emotional state?

– No, we did not meet any European who, like us, is trapped in the United States. Also, we met few people because, however, this time it was quite closed for everyone. Even with friends who live here, we restrict gatherings for everyone’s safety.

Now the emotional state is good. We have come to terms with such a situation. At first it was more difficult because it was not clear how it would end. It seems like the scariest movie has come true when you can’t be around kids who might also be in danger, and you can’t avoid it in any way. But it was the fruit of imagination. Now we are used to such a situation, in addition, the summer, the sun, we feel completely different emotionally. At least we spend the weekends relaxing, we see something new. It would be bad if we didn’t have a business here, a job. Now we have a goal at the forefront, we want our brand to be recognized here too. And when there is a goal, there is a motivation to move forward, to create, there is no time to cry. Also, we know that it won’t last forever. Everything will be fine. And 2020 will end one day.

– Have you already used the open walls and returned to Lithuania?

– I came home alone a week ago, but I won’t be staying long. My husband and I are determined to stay in the United States until we do business, find a reliable person to help us take care of business here.