Happy Blog

Every year millions around the globe apply for Diversity Visa Program, also known as Green Card Lottery, to win legal right to live and work in the USA. Since 2005 the program has been conducted electronically and all information, including application forms and detailed instructions, are available at its official web site
http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/
The submission process usually starts early October and last for a month, and the results are available to check in the Spring of next year. All dates are posted on the web site mentioned above.
Here I would like to share, from my own experience, certain things that could be helpful and could save some time to all applicants.

There are fraudulent web sites and companies, that charge certain amount to assist with the application process. There is no charge for the application imposed by US Department of State and anybody is expected to do it themselves at the designated web site.

Before starting your application check:
– if your country is in the list for the current year ( some countries are excluded due to high volume of immigrants for the last 5 years )
– if you meet the minimum requirements to apply: high school diploma or its equivalent or 2 year experience, from last 5 years, in occupation that requires at least 2 year training (list of all acceptable occupations is provided).

During the submission a unique confirmation number will be issued. Make sure you print that number and keep it – the only way to check the results later is by using this number. If you lose it, your submission is gone.

If you are among the selected successful applicants you will receive all the instructions, when you check for your entry status, to process further as well as appointment at US consular office for visa interview. You will need to fill more papers, pay certain fees, do medical examination and vaccinations and finally go to your visa interview.
Start your preparation as early as possible. There are many things to prepare:
– make sure you have enough funds to immigrate
At the interview you need to show evidence that you have enough money: bank statements, titles for property you possess, pay checks from your employer, tax return for the last year etc.
If you have friends and relatives living in the USA and if they agree to give you some help, they can send “Affidavit of Support” as additional help at the Consulate.
– you need provide a valid US address, no PO Box
Your friends or relatives can help you again, because you also need to leave this address upon arrival at US Immigration for your green cards to arrive at.
– translate and legalize all your diplomas and certificates
– use the remaining time to master your English language
– make sure your passports are valid for at least few years, before visa stamps are put in.

If you successfully pass the interview, 6 month entry visas will be granted immediately to you and your eligible family members ( spouse and children under 21 ).
You are supposed to enter USA within next 6 months or you lose your right. If your family wants to also have permanent residency, they should accompany you in your first trip. To bring them later will require additional time and money because it is separate procedure while you are in the USA.

After all steps finished and visas are granted it is time to prepare for actual immigration.

Good luck,

georgi

This year 2011 we made a big change in our life – we left the US after 11 years spent there.
At the end of March I returned back to our home country Bulgaria. The reason was my open wish to practice again my profession as a pediatrician.

On the 2nd of May I already started a job in the children department of a hospital – so my wish was realized very soon. Now I am working there being on duty 24 hours 12 to 15 days a month.

In the middle of May my husband returned to Bulgaria also and we settled down in a village where our life is simple and close to nature.

There was another challenge waiting for me in Bulgaria. I knew I had karma to dissolve in person because it was like an illness deep inside:

For many years I had been angry with my mom. Far away in the US I was suppressing this feelings but now, with my return to Bulgaria I needed to face her and get in peace. This appeared to be kind of a problem for me and for a short while I was obsessed by this painful feeling intensively then I had the strong desire to get healed – I did pray to God and focused on love and finally it was all dissolved.

May Love fill our hearts and heal our souls

Since my early childhood I have searched for answers on questions like: “Who created all the universes and planet systems?”, “Who created our planet Earth?”, “How it happened?”, “If it is God, why can’t we see him” etc. And none of the adults around was able to satisfy my hunger for the truth. Later, it happened a few times to talk to priests, but I could never digest the too sophisticated theological answers.

I also started reading science fiction like crazy, but there were also no answers . So, I turned to atheist and stopped my quest for God. Until the age of 42 when serious incident happened and I got all the time to think about the purpose of life on Earth.

And a magic series of happenings started:
A friend of mine gave me “Autobiography of a Yogi” ( it was not officially translated in Bulgaria at that time, but someone did it on his own and the book was forwarded from person to person in two parts ) and I finished the first part overnight. I was so much impressed, that immediately sat on the computer and typed “kriya yoga” in the search box. And the first link I clicked on was Cyberspace Ashram for Kriya Yoga ( never clicked on another link ). This is how I found Hans and I visited him in Germany. Ten months later my friend offered me to accompany him in his trip to Germany for free and I visited Hans again. Soon after that kundalini “awakening” started and I spent 3 days without sleep, most of the time lying on my back with tremendous flow of energy throughout my body and humming sound in my ears. A month later we immigrated to the USA.

Here I started to consciously feel the spiritual presence and spiritual guidance in my life.

One day I picked up one of those free newsletters offering jobs, opened it somewhere in the middle and the first thing I saw was posting by a company offering caregiver positions and free training. Instant flash in my mind “That’s it!”. I had always avoided direct contact with elderly, ill and dying people and facing death in general and that was exactly what I needed.

A bit later something similar happened to find nursing aide / CNA profession – this time with a posting card for preliminary CNA test.

And it went on.

Here I want to mention that, at that time, I was already doing Kriya Yoga on a daily basis, purifying my physical body by regular fasting ( clean water only ) and strict vegetarian diet.

How I perceive my spiritual guidance

It comes into my mind in the form of a thought, but not as result of my own brain activity. It appears in my mind instantly, the first thought ever, especially when I face a few choice situation. Just to give you an example: imagine you go to the store to buy certain thing and the associate there tells you that they have it in different variations. Before he even finishes his explanation, you already got the right one in your mind.
Now, I would like to confess that sometimes I disregard my spiritual guidance and do the things my Ego way. And I always regret about that and pay high price for my Ego decisions. Such happened last year, when I broke my leg, during my visit to Washington DC to renew my passport. I instantly got the right choice at Bulgarian Embassy, what and how to do it, but I disregarded it. I mention this just to show you how high the price might be.

Another thing to mention about my spiritual guidance is that sometimes I lose my awareness about it. It usually happens when I am pulled deep into “material world” like shopping or focusing too much on certain problems.

Spiritual presence in my life

It started early 2001 in a dream with Gurudeva. Later when I increased my kriya yoga practice I started feeling it regularly, especially when I am involved in loving actions.

How do I feel spiritual presence and who do I feel

Whenever I do something that creates happiness in other people I feel God and God’s Love. My Sahasrara chakra instantly opens and God’s bliss starts flowing through my entire system. Or whenever I approach people who need spiritual advice and ask for it, when I start talking God descends on the scene – all is light around. The same happens when I exchange pure love ( heart to heart ), no words, with certain people who are open. Needless to say: it always happens with my wife, when we look at each other eyes longer.
I also feel my Guru’s presence. I feel his aura and his love across the planet.
I also feel other beings if they are around, but when it is about God I only trust Gurudeva and do not pay attention to others.

God is Love and anybody can feel it even in a physical body. Change your mind, change your life, make love the only priority in your life and you will also start feeling it.

God bless you