If You're Curious About My Story, You Are in the Right Spot.
Welcome!
I am Inga — born in what was once the Soviet Union, shaped by the literature of borrowed worlds, and now writing from somewhere in between all of it.
There is a Japanese concept I return to often: wabi-sabi — the quiet beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent, incomplete. It is a philosophy that requires no grand gestures. It asks only that you look closely. That you stay present. That you resist the urge to smooth every rough edge into something easier to look at.
This blog is my practice of that looking
Hi! I am Inga. And this is my blog.
Where I come from
I studied English literature in college — not for a career, though it gave me one, but for the pure intoxication of other people's sentences. That education opened doors to exciting companies, extraordinary people, and eventually, a world I had not yet imagined traveling through.
It also led me to my husband Randy — an American, the reason we now live in the United States, and the most willing fellow traveler I know. He does not write here, but he appears on nearly every page. You will recognize him.
Where I am going — and where I already am
Four years ago, Randy and I made a deliberate choice: we would build a life in Mexico. Not someday. Now, slowly, intentionally. We navigated the paperwork, the bureaucracy, the moments of doubt — and came out the other side with Mexican temporary residency, which is soon to become permanent.
For now, life unfolds between two worlds: Seattle, where my work keeps me grounded, and Mexico, where something quieter is taking root. I find I need both. The grey Pacific Northwest light. The warmth and colour and unhurried pace on the other side. The contrast makes each place more itself.
This in-between life — not quite settled, never quite restless — feels very wabi-sabi to me.
The ones who travel with me
Our corgi Rudy has been with us through all of it — the long walks, the moves, the new windows to look out of. He has trained us well and shows no signs of relinquishing control.
More recently, he was joined by Mollie, our newest corgi and, by her own assessment, the true center of the household. The two of them have opinions about everything and are rarely wrong.
A few things, briefly
Things I could do without:
Onions, in any form
Shopping malls
Long-haul flights (wouldn't a flying carpet be something)
Things that bring me joy
My daughters and Randy
The smell of the sea before you see it
A well-worn book
A double espresso, made correctly
Learning something that changes how I see