Renata and Jozef Tutro, a married couple from the town of Bielsko-Biala, Poland, recently won the U.S. Diversity Visa lottery for 2002. However, they still have not decided what to do: should they start a new life in New York or remain in Poland? It is the most important decision they face at this moment of their lives. Right now they are back in Poland, after a short visit to the United States.

It is not easy to decide. Jozef works in a real estate agency and Renata felt he could not just quit. She also wanted to continue her education.

“My wife is very ambitious and consistent. She hates to disrupt what she has planned. Before coming to New York she had started an intensive German course,” said Jozef.

“We still have not made our final decision. Perhaps our America is in Poland,” said Jozef. “My company is prospering. I’m getting more clients every day. Here I work at things I know about. Each day I come to my office, meet my clients and discuss with them their options to buy real estate or building lots. In New York I worked as a tile layer in the subway. It was not what I wanted to do. It's not that I consider any job degrading, but I want to work in my profession. Wherever I am, I will need to work.”

The Tutros knew that winning the lottery was the beginning and not the end of

their problems. They are not spring chickens, they say, but could still learn new things if required.

“We both said that if we can find jobs equivalent to what we have in Poland we will go to America. My wife, who is a laboratory analyst, sent her resume to several companies. I would be very happy to work as a real estate agent— I have done it for 11 years in Poland. I have thought about setting up my own company in America to sell Polish real estate to Americans. I have the skills, the qualifications and a license,” said Jozef. “If my wife could find a job in a hospital or a health center, life would be beautiful.”

But, it will be difficult to make this dream happen. Both Tutros have to find what they want or it won’t happen. “I can't imagine a situation where one of us is here and the other over there,” said Jozef. “We don’t believe in a long-distance relationship.”

Jozef followed his wife back to Poland from New York in September. She left in July. Just before leaving New York he got his driver's license; in Poland he started to learn English. He still works at a real estate agency and is looking into the possibility of doing international real estate deals between Poland and the United States.

”We were fortunate from the start. Our cousin, who lives in America, sent the lottery application for us. Running into my cousin in New York was a lucky coincidence. I was in New York trying to migrate to Canada. I needed a medical examination, so I went to a health center in Greenpoint—I did not know any so I entered the first one I saw. The woman at the reception seemed familiar to me. It turned out she was our cousin from Grazyna, Poland. We had not seen each other for ages. The immigration to Canada fell through because I came back to Poland. But then we won the lottery! That was magical. Fate was kind to us. Maybe we'll succeed in finding a good life in New York. We always hope for the best,” said Jozef.