Hi, I'm Olga...

Who Am I?

It is a loaded question. I am a mom first of all, a 35 year old, a woman, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a Canadian citizen, an UBC student, a Vancouver resident, an immigrant integration consultant, all of the above and more and not in a particular order with the exception of being a mom. The life dictates who you are and in what order. Sometimes, life becomes very interesting when you have to choose between reading something by Bill Rees or learning ABC with your 4 year old. I am a dreamer, a Big dreamer, I guess and a bit or, a lot, hypocritical. In Bill’s class last year I wrote a term paper which argued that Canada has to start an open public forum about our immigration policy and its impact on Canada’s ecological footprint. Big words! I came here as an immigrant, I work with immigrants, my mom and brother were able to come here and my kids enjoy living in this beautiful country. But I dream that we will be able to start these edgy but honest conversations about how our enhanced living conditions and immigrants’ incredibly increased capacity and drive to buy and consume end up polluting their home countries (India, China, Mexico etc.). I do buy brand products and do not recycle everything I should and could, so, here you go, it is unbelievably hypocritical of me to even raise this concern, particularly in public but I truly believe that if we do not start asking these questions ourselves we have no right to ask others to open up. Vulnerability is not always a bad thing. I am still processing my internal transition from strong beliefs about how immigrants contribute to the Canadian economy to how climate change and population growth are connected. I cannot tell you that I am positively moved from one end of the spectrum to another.

My inspiration: «If you want to change the world become a change», Gandhi

What I am thankful for?

I am thankful for the opportunity to move to Canada to my husband. Although I am the engine of many of our adventures he made this one possible. Honestly. I am feeling very lucky to be able to have my family together in one house and hear my kids playing every night. I am thankful for being relatively healthy. I am thankful that my mom and my brother live in Vancouver. I am feeling very privileged for many things. I have received a good education, hopefully will have a job that I believe is important and could make a difference; I have a loving husband and a very close friend who happened to live in Vancouver — Katya. My life is not a nonstop rainbow of happiness and this page is not intended to tell you so. It is rather a sincere confession or a middle life need (crisis?) to be honest.

What I love doing?

I love doing nothing with my kids, literally. Just watch them playing on the playground or dancing in the ballet studio. I guess it became my favourite thing. I got older and got to appreciate the joy of being together with no plans. I used to dance and I am hoping to get back and start doing it more. I love jazz with its sexy freedom and contemporary pieces with their plasticity and faces and arms which drive you crazy and make your weep; folk dance with its dark and light characters and hills and crazy counts and ballet, of course, the queen of the Dance — so contradicting: the control and risk of 12 pirouettes, and technique and letting go in jump splits, all of it. I still dance, sometimes. There are these wonderful ads on TV (think TELUS, some car ads) when I jump from our sofa and start making very funny moves, fast and slow and just let it go and feel light and beautiful very young like a kid. Try it.

I LOVE photography know very little about it but cannot stop taking zillions of pictures particularly of my kids, hubbie and nature, preferably in black and white and in ‘aged picture’ mode. I love talking (and other intellectual activities) with my very smart but frequently naive husband. I trust him. We have different views on politics, different tastes in music, food or in movies and so on. Funny enough, we love the same area in Vancouver and very lucky to live in this neighborhood, we like the same restaurants but prefer eating at home, we like the same type of people. I know his favourite everything. He buys me my favourite everything. We have our moments.

My plans for this year

Defending my thesis would be great. Getting Masha into McGee, so she could dance and not miss so much school (SPARC program). Finding drawing classes for Luka (he asks for it, I am not pushing, no). I would like to start dancing again, at least once a week. With my hubbie, I am dreaming to go for a week hike or try something totally new, like going on silent / yoga retreat together. For myself finding a job that combines flexible schedule, meaningful results, and adequate pay and engages me on many levels. I told you I am a dreamer… What I would like to change about myself?

I would like to take myself lighter, so, to speak. Do not take things too seriously and enjoy little joys of my life more fully. I would like to laugh more and have more fun in life.