I was born in a place where plump varenyky and halushky are a staple, not a side dish; where melodious words with soft pronunciation have caressed my ear since childhood; where plains and endless fields are covered with wheat, and only occasionally you come across a hill. But I longed for the mountains — to watch sheep and mountain streams, to meet molfars, to gather wild herbs, and to learn all the secrets of the planet’s healing places. I did go to the mountains with a school group, but I didn’t see anything I had read about in books or dreamed of; instead, I noticed a dialect that felt unfamiliar and the intriguing way of life of the locals.

Curiosity and interest became my companions in the future, when I grew fascinated with ethnography and local history, and studied to become a geographer — though one foot was still in theatre. Life, the greatest adventure each of us has, led me into the yachting world at 19, where I would blink in amazement at every new sailing term.

Later, I became part of the organizing team for the annual Vadym Hetman Cup regatta, a coordinator of an ocean adventure club, and a representative of Topcat in Ukraine. No matter how hard the respected coaches and sailors tried, I never became a captain — they saw a different talent in me: to create, to organize, and to tell others about it. That’s how I radically changed my field and found myself in the world of art, full of contradictions and beauty.

Later, I lived in the mountains, did meet a healer after all, guided friends and acquaintances through my favorite places, learned how to brew coffee, and became a rural school teacher. Curiosity still accompanies me, pushing me to try new things and to travel even within the limits of what is possible.

I love cycling, collecting wildflowers and oddly shaped sticks, pulling my dog out of a mountain river and explaining to her every time that she is not a trout. I love savoring the taste of the food I cook, embroidering my fantasies onto fabric or paper. I warmly observe people who travel the world with childlike wonder, who touch other cultures without trying to change their course. Self-discovery through travel creates a state of complete immersion in the present moment, in the company of like-minded people.

I intend to be useful, witty, and reliable for others. I am inspired by people’s stories, by nature, and by creativity.