Send Us to America

It was a hot summer day in Split, Croatia the summer of July 2019. I was walking near the waterfront by the sea, from the corner of my eyes my attention was immediately drawn from the sea to the most beautiful blue eyes staring back at me. Her eyes were shining brighter than the sun. I knew I had to stop her, and so I did. I approached her in Croatian, she replied in english. I was fascinated by her, I asked her, her name and she told me it was Ivana. She has a Croatian name. I asked her where she's from, she told me America. I thought to myself how could this be? I asked her how long she was staying in fear that she would be staying only two weeks, which is normal for tourists. To my surprise, she told me she's in town for two months. I told her jokingly, it is not good to stay on our feet in this heat. Let's go someplace together in the shade, the town Split is famous for it's coffee. So we walk over to a cafe bar and she sat in front of me, and the conversation began to fly. I found out she has family in Split, and Croatian roots. I knew with my heart, instantly she was the love of my life. We embraced after just ten minutes of meeting. Also, I couldn't resist kissing her so I asked her politely and she said yes. I even felt to steal a kiss, but I was polite. In that moment, I knew that I needed to keep her. However, fate had a different plan. During that time, I was working in Germany in the construction sector and she was working at Los Angeles International Airport. So we both knew time was of the essence. We said to ourselves, what next? After three weeks of being inseparable it was time to face harsh reality. It was one of the hardest goodbyes of our lives. Time passed, we couldn't stop thinking about each other, texting and calling each other. So she decided to visit me after just two weeks, for a weekend in Stuttgart, Germany. It was wonderful and memorable, but too short. It was clear that we couldn't live without one another. So we said our farewell's again. Shortly after, she flew back home to America and we began our long distance relationship. Long distance isn't meant for everyone, it was challenging and difficult. It requires trust, loyalty, and dedication. Five months passed, hours of video-calling, craving for each other. We decide in October 2019, to meet one another in Prague, Czech Republic. It was only a five day trip, but it was the best five days of our lives. Our trip came to an end, we were forced to say goodbye again. This time fearing the unknown. Thinking when or if I will see her again. Our flights departed a hour apart, she waited next to me in the boarding line. It was time for me to go, we hugged each other tight and she went her way and I went mine. She looked back at me, and I was gone. A few months passed by us, and COVID-19 struck the world in full motion. COVID-19 changed many lives, including ours. I had plans to travel to America, to see her again and meet her family. It felt as if the world was closing in on us, flights were grounded, everything was shut-down globally. My flights were changed several times, to end up with nothing in the end. Eight months passed by, it was the longest time we spent apart from one another. Although it was challenging and we both faced great heartache as well as hardships... Throughout it all we were strong and deeply in love. Love conquers all. June 2020, I reunited with my love after 8 long months. We reunited in the same country we fell in love, in my homeland Croatia. Again our time was running out like a hourglass clock. We had only two weeks together. During those two weeks I introduced her to my family. I never brought anyone home to my family before. I told my family when the day comes, I will bring home the woman I will marry. I know with everything in me, I will marry her. Our hourglass clock ran out of time again. We sat at the table together and discussed how we can not continue long distance anymore. At that time, I was still employed in Germany and she was unemployed due to COVID-19. We decided together it's time to make a plan for our future. To begin our life together, so she flew back to America, I went back to Germany. This was the hardest goodbye yet. Each time it was hard, we thought it would get easier, but it only got harder. We were chasing each other at airports filled with Hello's and Goodbye's. After the New Year, 2021 she flew to Croatia to move in with me. We reunited at last. We thought that everything would go smoothly, that we would be able to find jobs. Due to COVID-19 it makes finding a job almost impossible. Especially for her, because of the language barrier. I am working part-time, however it is not enough for a decent life. Our ultimate goal, is to begin our lives together in America. We believe America has more opportunities for us, for a better life. Please, help us to achieve our goal. Help me to be with the woman of my dreams. Help us to start a new beginning. SEND US TO AMERICA. Any contribution is sincerely appreciated, as it will help us to pay our flight tickets, rent an apartment, as well as buy a small car.