Since I was 16 it was always my dream to work for the United Nations (UN). I did not know at that point in time what exactly I would be doing at the UN but I wanted to be part of this organization and contribute to helping people. I therefore decided at the age of 16 to leave Germany after high school to study law at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. My parents thought that I was crazy when I told them about my vision but knowing how determined as a person I was, they let me go to find my way. It was not an easy path as I had to work every day after school as a babysitter and take on numerous other jobs to be able to finance my life in Paris. I managed to graduate with honours and very soon after graduating got an offer as a UN volunteer in Liberia. From there it was just a matter of time until I was offered a UN civil servant position in Afghanistan. As happy as I was about having achieved my goal to become a UN civil servant, I started to crave working in a family duty station and to meet the man of my dreams.

One day while I was sitting in the Northern part of Afghanistan in my office, a snow white pigeon landed outside of my office window frame. I felt immediately that the white pigeon would bring me luck. After plenty of applications, I received an offer to move to the mission in Ivory Coast. This mission in my view at that point in time, was a step forward, so I agreed to the offer. However, the offer could not materialise due to the outbreak of the civil unrest in Ivory Coast. I had to stay put in Afghanistan. One day, while I was sitting in Mazar-e-Sharif by the pool of the World Food Programme guesthouse with friends, I was leafing through a women’s magazine when I noticed that two white feathers slowly falling through the sky and right into my lap. I kept the snow white feathers in a small golden paper box knowing that they would bring me luck one day.

Nothing happened for a while until my office in Mazar-e-Sharif was attacked on 1 April 2011. All my colleagues who were in the office were killed except for the head of the office and the radio operator. After this incident, the entire office was sent to their home country on special leave with pay to recover from the trauma. While I was home in Germany at my parents home, I felt that I could never be happy again. I had depression and could barely sleep. I always thought about the two white feathers which I kept with me, wondering how they were supposed to bring me luck. While most of the time I was alone in my room as I did not feel like spending much time with other people, I thought to myself that if I were see snow white pigeons, it would mean that I would get a new ob with the UN as UN civil servant in a beautiful location.

Nothing happened for many months.When I felt too desperate sitting at home, not being able to work to distract myself, I decided to buy a flight ticket to NY and to get myself a job at the United Nations Headquarters. At that time I was still very emotional and in grief. The loss of my colleagues who were killed during the attack, kept me from being happy and stable. While I was in NY, I realised that the staff in NY were not prepared to deal with me, let alone did they have any vacant post for me at Headquarters.

For about two weeks I went to meet with different people in NY to see whether they could fit me in their respective teams but nothing. I was always looking out for snow white pigeons thinking that when I see them, my life would change instantly for the better and that all that I have wished for would come true. Shortly before I was scheduled to take my flight back to Germany, I felt so miserable that I decided to write a very long letter to the Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping to tell him all about the 16 year old girl who always dreamt of working for the United Nations and about everything I had achieved so far during my UN career. I asked him to not let me down after everything I had done for this organization.

Then something astounding happened. I received an email from the office of my previous boss in NY, asking me if I would have time to meet the Executive Director of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and I said yes! The Under Secretary General himself shared my email letter at the directors level and asked them to help me!

Before I met him on a Monday afternoon, I spend the Sunday before talking to my dad on the phone while sitting on the rooftop terrace of the hotel where I was staying at that time. Before I started talking to him, I saw a flock of snow white pigeons circling above my head. There must have been at least 10 snow white pigeons. When I started to talk to my father on the phone, I told him I knew that I would get a job in NY the next day. I said this not knowing how the meeting with the Executive Director would go. Though I did not yet know about The Secret, my inner voice told me loud and clear that I was getting that job. I knew it!

Today, I am waiting for one more miracle which is my return to Germany. I want nothing else more than to work for the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany for a position I have interviewed for. This is not only my biggest wish but also the wish of my family who wants me back home in Germany. I am still waiting to hear the positive news from my interviewers in Munich.

Thank you for teaching me The Secret. You made such a difference. My dearest mother passed away last year in August 2017 and The Secret helped me to overcome the grief and look forward and to also feel connected to my beautiful mother.