Wednesday, December 12, 2007

American I (finally) am...


Hard to believe this was me 5 years ago, when I started on my path to citizenship...

It took 5 years, a mountain of patience, 3 sets of fingerprints (that I can remember), one divorce, 12 wonderful letters of support from friends and family, two interviews (one grueling, the other pleasant), at least 4 different forms, two lengthy questionnaires ("have you ever been, employed or otherwise engaged a prostitute...have you ever spied or conspired against the United States...etc.", one bossy lawyer, who charged $250 an hour and $17 per page faxed, and at least 2000 miles in driving time and gas...

...but here I am American as apple pie! (I baked two this past weekend, just in case)

Yep, yesterday after living in the US on one visa or another for the past 16 years I was told I no longer needed to have a stamp in my foreign passport, or carry my resident green card...but that I could apply for the American-the-Beautiful blue passport myself...I'm star-spangled and stamp-approved, a genuine Naturalized Citizen!

I can't quite believe it all yet. I registered to vote today...Obama, Hillary, Rudi and all you presidential-wanna-be's watch out...here I come...my opinion finally counts now!

The ceremony was a let-down, hastyly conducted in a drab conference room, me and my "fellow American" (that's what Bush called us with a thin smile in a special canned movie bit for us new citizen) got to raise our right hands and pledge away - to carry arms if asked, to help our government if asked, to conduct ourselves with dignity and lawfully all the time - so help us God.

We didn't even get a paper flag...just an ugly certificate....but nevermind, I am an American now

After almost two decades of pursuing...I not have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...





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