LIGIA – La Mer, Cape May, NJ
H ello people! I am Ligia from Romania and I have a challenge for you guys: please close your eyes for few seconds and just try to imagine things like landscapes, pictures with huge buildings or palms, pictures from New York City, Miami, California, Niagara Falls, Harvard, Broadway and White House as you have seen them on TV, in the movies, on Pinterest or Facebook. Aren’t them awesome?
I did this imagination’s exercise many years ago and everything seemed like unrealizable. As I said, everything SEEMED, because, one day, my dream come true. In 2014, in a January frosty day, I made my first step to my big American Dream. On that time, my summer was the most wonderful time of the year and I lived my dream-my American dream. Because I liked it too much, when I got back to my Romanian lands, I made the decision to go back to my heart town: Cape May, New Jersey. Therefore, in 2015, I went to a new adventure with new friends in the same quite and warm Cape May, near the same restless and cold Atlantic Ocean. I stopped myself to the same Maryland Avenue house-Jim’s house as we called it. Our lovely house. Also, I worked for my beloved souls, friendly and open-minded employers always ready to help me, souls which gave me affection and support with everything, beautiful people who wrote to me a promise letter at just two days after I got to Romania. That letter said that they want me back for another amazing summer working for them. So I worked for LaMer Beachfront Inn Hotel again, but as a pool attendant girl this summer.
There’s a time in our lives when we have to leave our families to create another ones.
On my TO DO list they said to check last names, to give towels to our registered guests, to offer information about restaurants, hotel and front desk or to tell them how the weather will be or how is everything with the chlorine and PH in our pool, but, they also said that the most important duty is to give them a smile and to create a good mood for everyone: it was very easy for me. And I did it happened! I met beautiful guests inside and out who gave me advices, smiles, hugs and even money for being too nice to them! How couldn’t you love them? More than this, I want to tell you that we had a lot of children in our hotel so I played games in the water and I had fun with them and, because I love playing and having fun with the children, it was like a bonus for me. I was extremely happy doing this. I can say that working for LaMer as a pool girl is the cutest job that I’ve ever had, obviously, being part of the LaMer crew which is super nice.
At least but not the last, I wanna tell you guys that I worked hard all summer long. I know everything I wrote about up seems to be so easy because I spoke about the beautiful part of things. So, there were disappointing moments, tiredness or moments when I got angry or sad, but I can’t and I don’t want to remember all these things because they don’t have importance for me, but the things which made me happy and richest in my heart, no in my pocket. I haven’t been there for money, but for making memories in my lovely Cape May!
Above all, as the Romanians says: The pain that you’ve been feeling, can’t compare to the joy that’s coming, I have started having an adventure travelling with wonderful loving friends on Oct.1st. We shared the same house all summer long and I felt how blessed I am having those beautiful brave souls next to me. Our first stop was Atlantic City which is nice, then we stopped to New York City which is more than a city: it’s an Empire! We enjoyed a walk under the huge coldest drops of rain along Broadway and Wall Street. We didn’t care even if it was raining out there. We also stopped our steps on the 9/11 Memorial and we remembered how sad was everything. Then we just wiped our tears off and we enjoyed the amazing views on #thetopofoneworld Observatory. In the next day, it was just windy outside so it was almost fine to have a walk with my friends in the Central Park. We also visited the museums down there and we saw interesting things and stuffs. For doing everything awesome, we took selfies having fun on the top of the Empire State Building. I was extremely amazing for me to be up there again(I’ve been there exactly one year ago-Oct.3rd, 2014- Oct.4th, 2015). After another walk along the Brooklin Bridge in the night, we went to our East Side Manhattan Apartment to get ready for our last day in NYC. Therefore, as long as the weather was perfect for a little cruise to Statue of Liberty, we made it and because we wished to finish our journey on the highs we went up to the Top of the Rock
When people ask me how was my summer in the United States of America, I usually ask them if they wanna hear that in a word or they really want to hear my entire story about because I feel like it could take like another 4 months to draw the beauty of my summer.
After that, we flew to the Sunshine State: Florida; we enjoyed the smiling sun which gives us a Miami impeccable tan. What about the ocean? Just wonderful! 3 types of blue color, nice and warm in the same time. A dream! The most amazing thing we did in Miami was an one day trip along the Keys of Florida: Key Largo, Plantation Key, Marathon, Islamorada, Layton Key, Long Point Key, Key West. So we got some dollars and we spoiled ourselves with a red convertible Mustang. We enjoyed beautiful landscapes, we had fun and we captured every moment in photos and videos. There’s a lot of palm, coconuts, smiles, music and thanksgiving words for what we were living. As I said: New York City is more than a city and Miami is just like a paradise.
And because I felt like this is not enough, my best friend and I decided to go to San Francisco visiting her grandmother and her relatives. San Fran? The best one! Quite city with incredible places and things. I couldn’t skip Alcatraz Prison Museum as long as I am gonna be a judge. California is really nice and I am telling you that because it really is. San Leandro, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe other places we’ve seen. Obviously, we made memories everywhere and we enjoyed our week in California.
In the end of the season, I left the States having regrets inside, but being happy outside because I was going to see my Romanian sweethearts – I missed them so bad. Hopefully I will write another article about my Third American Dream, in the same Cape May, next year on this time. I really feel I belong on a beach with messy hair, tanned skin and a big bowl of fruits watching the waves so I need to get back.
All in all, when people ask me how was my summer in the United States of America, I usually ask them if they wanna hear that in a word or they really want to hear my entire story about because I feel like it could take like another 4 months to draw the beauty of my summer. It is really hard for me to count our too many amazing moments and the blessings that me and my American family got(Anna Maria, Christina, Simon, Nicole, Andrew, Larry and Alex). I called them family because I realize I don’t have friends, I got family! I love my mum, my dad, my sis and bro, my friends and everything in my country to the moon and back, but there’s a time our lives when we have to leave our families to create another ones. See you next year!