New York, My Dear Snow Globe!

New York is a huge snow globe for me. If I must confess, I’ve never wanted to live in this shiny but messy snow globe. But, you know what they say ”don’t talk big”. So here I am.

After my graduation from college, I decided to come to the U.S.A for my master’s degree. But my husband (at that time my fiancee) didn’t want me to go. Because long distance relationship is hard candy and I know/he knows I can’t chew it. He said ‘don’t go away, take your master’s degree here in Turkey and let’s get married. Promise I’ll take you to America some day.” So I stayed and changed my life line all over.

Before moving to New York, I came here as a tourist. Then I travelled to Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego. So, we can say he kept his promise!

But in 2016 something had happened. Something unpredictable, something magical… Maybe you have heard about ‘greencard lottery’. It is a myth. You hear something about it but never see someone who wins it. Well, he is the hero in this myth. He joined the lottery just for fun and in a year we totally forgot about it. We were in London when we learnt the results. I still remember vividly that scene in my mind. ‘Ipek, I won the lottery’ he said and ‘Yeah, if you are the winner, I am the queen of United Kingdom’, I said. I didn’t believe him. And it was totally logical not to believe him.

After 2 years, last June on my birthday, we got the permisson for living and working here. And we decided to take this chance. I left my fun job, my lovely house, my dear mother and grandmother, life long friendships and my pretty little books. (Oh god, I miss my library so much!)

“To be a person who loves books is to be half in love with the idea of New York.” 
― Gwen Cooper, Homer’s Odyssey

I still don’t know if it is worth it but I can faithfully say that I love this
snow globe and I do believe in fairies.