10 years ago

Today Facebook notified me of the birthday of Brenda, our International student adviser at Ramapo College, where I went for undergrad. It made me think that a couple of week ago, it was ten years since I came to the US. Ten full years. Quite an anniversary and yet, I did nothing to "celebrate" it. I still remember vividly how one ordinary April night, very very late Bulgarian time, I received an email from Brenda congratulating me on being accepted at Ramapo and being awarded a full international scholarship. I shook my mom awake - had to re-read it to make sure I wasn't imagining things. And this email changed my life - I want to say for good.

I still think sometimes what would have happened if I weren't awarded the scholarship. I surely wouldn't have been able to afford school in the US and most definitely would not have made it here at all. Staying in Bulgaria was an option I didn't even think about - so set was I in my mind that I want to go outside and see the world. Since Bulgaria joined the EU a few years ago, I most likely would have gone somewhere else in Europe but I never know in which direction life would have blown me. I would have never met my love here, or my friends and co-workers. As silly as it sounds, it's hard to imagine my life any other way.

Everything happens for a reason. We make decisions and try to steer but at the end, so many things are pure, pure chance.