My Road to Becoming a Citizen
Last week was a momentous week for me as I become an American citizen on Thursday.
The journey has taken me nearly seven years. I first arrived in this country on November 5, 2001 clutching my fiance visa. Tom and I married at the end of November and in the following February I was given my first Green Card. It was only for two years and before I received my ten year Green Card, Tom and I had to prove that we were still married and living together.
Last year I decided it was time to become a fully fledged citizen and started the process by filling in the necessary paperwork at the end of July. In December I had my fingerprints and biometrics done and my interview and test were on June 23 this year.
(Click on the images for larger versions)
Six weeks after my interview I received the letter giving the date, place and time for the Naturalization Ceremony. It was to be held at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds on Tully Road at 10 am on Thursday, August 14. The letter contained very little information apart from the above and I had many questions – What is the parking like? Can I bring guests? If so, how many? Can I take a camera? I went on line to find out what I could and eventually gleaned some answers. Parking was no problem. Guests could attend and there was no limit but it was first come first served. Cameras were allowed. I also discovered that there were gong to be three ceremonies at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds in August, one on the 7th and two on the 14th; one at 10 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m.
The day after the first ceremony I read a newspaper report that 3,000 people had become American Citizens. The ceremony had been delayed by one and half hours due to traffic chaos on Tully Road. As there were estimated to be another 3,000 at both ceremonies on the 14th, the same was likely to happen again so we made plans to arrive early.
Don and Arlene, Tom’s parents, wanted to attend so they arrived the day before. Thursday dawned and we were up bright eyed and busy tailed and the four of us were the very first to arrive at 6.50 a.m, so no chance of my guests not getting a seat. We were able to walk into the hall because there was nobody else around. It was an enormous space. In the middle, 3,000 white folding chairs all with letters, brochures and a small American flag; 500 brown folding seats at the side for guests; a small stage and large screen at the front. The first officials arrived soon after and said we had to wait outside but I persuaded them to let Don and Arlene stay inside because 3 hours would have a long time for them to stand in line.
Tom had to go to the other side of the building to line up and I was at the front of the line of new citizens.
Soon there was a long line behind me and I could see the traffic getting snarled up on the road outside as more and more people arrived. At 8.15 we were allowed into the hall and we all had to go to our allotted section. I was about half way down in Section 2. I had to hand in my letter and Green Card and was directed to the chair I was to sit in. Somehow Don, Arlene, Tom, plus three of my friends from work, all managed to sit together but not within speaking distance of me.
It was a slow process to get everyone seated. I had a grandstand seat, front row of my section and next to 
the central aisle. One of the envelopes contained my voters’ registration card so I immediately filled it out. The brochures made interesting reading, information about the Declaration of Independence and the writing of the Constitution but I spent most of my time observing what was going on around me. Patriotic songs were playing and videos of scenes from all over America were displayed on the screen. The official in charge of our section made an effort to keep us amused by asking questions about the Constitution and Amendments. Every time somebody gave the right answer they were told their prize was ‘Fame and Glory’.
August 18 2008 | Further Afield | 2 Comments »
