Well, the day we have been waiting for... today Seuao became a U.S. Citizen!
No more ominous letters from the federal government.
No more fingerprints and "mug" shots.
No more copies of our marriage license, birth certificates, social security cards, passports, visas, social service registrations, bank statements, tax returns, life insurance policies, etc. etc. etc.
No more keeping track of our every movement.
No more hundreds of dollars in application fees to pay.
No more time on hold trying to get answers to questions.
No more time off work in line trying to get answers to questions.
... we hope!
But true to form, the federal government didn't fail to disappoint us today. We received Seuao's notice to appear for this Naturalization Oath Ceremony today at 9:00. We got there about half-an-hour early, and learned that other people had been given different times to show up, so by the time we got there, the theater was full, and we were told we would have to watch the ceremony in the basement on a screen.
Yeah.
All of that work - and I'm in the basement watching a screen.
I know I'm not the one that's important here - this was Seuao's day and his moment. But yeah. I cried. Why didn't they tell us there was EXTREMELY limited seating in the theater? Why didn't they issue tickets for immediate family and spouses, instead of the lucky first-in-liners who brought their whole extended families and neighborhoods to fill up the theater? Why didn't they do it in a bigger venue?
I did get over it when the room I was in got more and more packed, and at that point I was just grateful I had a seat! My dad, mom and Granny came too, and we did get to sit together - another plus, that I'm sure wouldn't have happened had they let me in the main hall. (BTW - big thanks to Granny for distracting the girls - I actually got to listen and pay attention to the ceremony!)
In fact, I cried through most of the ceremony! I had no idea I'd be this emotional about it all! They had a local high school present the colors. When everyone said the Pledge of Allegiance, it rung in my ears. Here I was in a room FULL of pride. FULL of hard work. FULL of love for OUR country. I've never felt such unity and emotion behind those words. It was amazing.
A young woman sang "God Bless America." - I cried.
The Naturalization Oath was administered - I cried.
We learned that 201 applicants were granted citizenship today, representing 57 countries. About a dozen of the applicants stood and expressed their feelings about today - each of them spoke of their love for our country and how blessed they feel to be here. - I cried.
President Obama gave a welcome speech - via pre-recorded tele-prompted video - I DIDN'T cry.
And the grand finale... "I'm Proud to be an American" music/slideshow - yeah I cried. Big time.
I was a mess! I just kept thinking about Seuao (obviously) and the sacrifices he has made to be here. The sacrifices his family has made for him to be here. How blessed I am that he chose to come here.
There is something so special about our country that draws so many. People from every single country in this world want to make America their home. That's amazing. The endless hope and opportunity that lies here is what everyone dreams of. There is nothing like it. This truly is the "promised land."
Seuao, I'm so proud of you today. It has been a long long road, but we made it! Now, let's go get that passport and get you registered to vote!