Posts Tagged ‘Lottery’

So, it’s this time of the year again. No, I am not talking about christmas. For this is a Greencard blog I am refering to this year’s lottery, which is coming to an end very soon. This is kind of exciting, even if we don’t have to take part anymore. I actually never took part, because my hubby did, but I can understand this feeling every participant must have right now. It must be the same as with so many other things. A job application for example. You give your best to delete every single grammar mistake, write the most appealing cover letter and a perfect CV. You print your application, put it in an envelope, wish it good luck and then let it slip in the letterbox and out of your hands. You think about it. In the first week every minute. In the second week perhaps twice a day. And somehow someday it just slips out of your mind. You still have hope, you still trust your good feeling, but do you actually believe someone will call and hire you? No! I remember the moment my hubby heard about his Greencard win, as it was yesterday. His whole face dropped in surprise when he understood what this email he just got meant. I have never seen him that surprised before. And in that moment I realized: He had forgotten about the lottery! We had often talked about moving to the US one day, but as much as he wished for himself to win that Greencard, he hadn’t actually hoped for it anymore. He only took part in the lottery once. His first attempt was a success. I guess that doesn’t happen to a lot people. My hubby actually has friends, which have been gambling with their luck for the last ten years, but never where as lucky as we were. After he won the Greencard some of our friends said that they also wanted to try it. I am not sure, if any of them really participated in this year’s lottery, but either if I know the people who are keeping their fingers crossed right now or not, I feel for them! I wish everyone the best of luck and am so excited to see, if we will have a winner in our circle of friends next year! I am excited to see, if someone actually put their money where their mouth is! Because I would say even if you have to try a hundred time – this chance is worth it!

Do you remember the moment you found out that you were among those lucky few people who won the Greencard? Me and my hubby do! We were watching TV when the little bell, that told us we had a new E-Mail, rang. First we didn’t really understand the long E-Mail, but eventually we found this one important sentence saying “You are among the lucky winners of the lottery”! Then it hit us: Our American Dream will come true! My hubby had tears in his eyes, I was smiling like a lunatic and then we decided to make some phone calls. This is were the funny part begins. Because the reactions to our Greencard win were more unexpected than the actual win! My mum said “Oh cool, but you are not actually going to use it, right”? My mother-in-law was a bit more excited “Wow, great! Where and for how much can you sell it?” and my best friend begged me not to leave her. To sum up all the other reactions: No one really expected or wanted us to actually move to the US and work there. All those people who knew that this was our dream. Who knew that my husband took part in the lottery not just for fun but to actually get that chance. And now they all wanted us to give up this dream? Fascinating, right? In fact not really. Because many winners have to give up this dream before realizing that they won. Statistics say that the lottery picks about 100.000 winners a year. But only 55.000 of them actually become permanent residents of the US. You ask yourself why? The reality kind of hits you when the info brochure from American Dream arrives and you see that this is not only a win but some kind of new job you have to work for. First you have to meet many demands such as having the right school education or not having certain diseases. If you are healthy and well-educated you have to fill out dozens of forms, have to sit at your hometown’s bureaus for hours to get all the required documents and then you have to wait and wait and wait. This whole procedure is kind of nervewrecking but I guess it’s a good school for what is expecting us when we actually move abroad – because it’s worth it!