For the longest time, we told friends and family that our friend J matched us. Somehow J seemed to know all our relationship histories and aspirations. He facilitated a time and a place for us to meet for that first date, even arranged a hora for us. J, in reality, was our fateful match on JSwipe. From that first date, where Maya (working on Israeli time) was somewhat late and Eugene (by Russian habit) was waiting playing chess on his phone, the cards were set on the stoop of a Japanese jazz cafe in NYC. The date took Maya and Eugene in explorations through NYC's Upper East Side (where they both eventually moved in together), Washington Square Park (the unofficial campus of their alma mater NYU) and even a dumpling spot (foreshadowing their Asia adventures). It was an eventful evening of traveling through NYC's cultures and foods. A bond, they would seal with a kiss on the platform of the N/R train. And so, the adventures began...

Maya was born in the US to Israeli parents. Eugene's parents moved from the crumbling Soviet Union to Israel when he was but a wee toddler. Maya's family moved back to Israel while Eugene's parents were leaving for the US... but, (fun fact): Maya and Eugene's early childhood did overlap for a year in Israel. Fast forward to ~15 years later, Maya had moved to NYC to pursue her dreams of acting. She was studying at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and Eugene was working in NYC. They built on their love of global adventure while always cherishing family and friends, wherever they were in the world. Maya and Eugene would travel both in the US and abroad. They would go on to live in Los Angeles, date from a distance in France & Singapore (where Eugene was pursuing his MBA) and even spend a good part of the COVID period in Seoul, working in and exploring Korea. Maya and Eugene would get civilly married during a short trip to the US in December 2020 and discussions of the future took a new light. They realized that for their next stage of life, they wanted to reconnect with Israel and started pursuing opportunities there from a distance. Maya got admitted into a Masters program combining her love of acting and interest in psychology; Eugene secured a job with an Israeli hi-tech firm. All was set, Maya and Eugene relocated to Israel in August 2021, eventually moving to an apartment in Tel Aviv. After many years away (~10 years for Maya, >20 years for Eugene), Maya and Eugene have been rediscovering the Israel of their childhood with the lenses of "adults". And in this setting, they are more than happy to celebrate their love, appreciating the worldly connection that their global adventures have paved.