"Too Wild": An Instagram Love Story Across Continents

About this episode

This episode features Marc and Alinka, an intercultural couple who share their unique love story that began on Instagram and spans continents.

Welcome to an episode that truly left me speechless and filled with hope! I was absolutely thrilled to sit down with Marc and Alinka, an intercultural family whose journey is unlike any I’ve ever encountered. You might know them as "The Blaschkovs," a fascinating story in itself, as Marc adopted Alinka's unique Slavic family name for their wedding photography business, leading to a memorable start to our chat. (00:21) This couple's origins are as diverse as their adventures. Alinka, from Ukraine, and Marc, born in Ecuador but raised in Texas before returning to South America, found each other across continents in a way that feels like it’s straight out of a movie. They met on Instagram back in 2014 (05:33), when social media was still a nascent world where every like and follow felt significant. Their connection was instant and profound; Marc knew he wanted to marry Alinka within a week of talking. What followed was even more incredible: Alinka bought a one-way ticket to Ecuador just three months later (11:10)! It was a leap of faith built on deep trust, a concept I found incredibly inspiring in today's cynical world. I loved hearing about Alinka’s initial culture shock…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Puscas

Guests: Marc, Alinka

Topics covered

• intercultural relationships
• immigrant experiences
• social media connections
• family stories
• cultural exploration

Keywords

• intercultural family
• Instagram love story
• Ecuador
• Ukraine
• cultural shock
• immigration
• social media

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Instagram

Places: Ukraine, Ecuador, Texas, Spain

More episodes of Whereabouts Tales | Stories of Belonging and Immigrant Experiences

• Machan Taylor: Touring with Pink Floyd, Sting, and Surviving the 80s · June 10, 2026 · 1h 7m
• An Alien in Japan, A Local in Romania? · June 3, 2026 · 1h 37m
• Rockstar: Echoes – Why the NASA Author Ghosted Us | Book of Tales no.3 · May 27, 2026 · 4 min
• American Culture vs. German Reality: A Military Move Abroad | Peyton Siemiaczko · May 20, 2026 · 57 min
• [Book of Tales 02] The Courage to Be Disliked & The Instagram Trap · May 13, 2026 · 4 min
• [Book of Tales] Why Freedom is Exhausting (Sarah Aviram) · April 29, 2026 · 41 min