Yankee Doodle

December 2015 was a busy month for our little family.  I received my American citizenship after living in this country for over 16 years.  I left Canada when I was 17, so it seems fitting that I should become a citizenship after spending almost half my life here. 

The process to become a citizen was SO much simpler than getting my permanent residency.  I remember many tears over that initial process and scads of complicated paperwork.  The citizenship paperwork, on the other hand, was direct, simple and only a few pages long.  I didn't even need a lawyer to look over it or rather I didn't want to because just that alone would cost $380.  I was concerned that they would find something wrong or reject me for whatever reason, but it was a very smooth process.  The interviewer found out Steve worked at BYU, his alma mater, and he seemed to go pretty easy on me from that point.  I had to study for my American exam where you are asked maybe 10 out of a 100 possible questions about relatively basic trivia.  Thankfully, I passed with no issues.

The most difficult part ended up being finding a day when my family could come with me to the naturalization ceremony.  I felt it was an important day and wanted everyone with me.  Vesta kindly came too and helped with the kids while I was going through the motions.  It's a good thing she did as someone stepped on Elsa's hand in the crowded room and she didn't quite recover from that point.  Vesta had to take her out screaming at least twice.  We kind of expected that though.

She was probably overheating too, but she is obsessive about having all her winter gear on and will fight tooth and nail if you try to take it off when she doesn't want you to.  Especially her mittens.  Kids are weird.

 Waiting to get called back to the ceremony room.
 

 And after it was all said and done.  We said our oath, listened to a few speeches, and watched a video from Barrack Obama with some strange music video afterwards.  There was an older immigration worker who spoke and his words had some impact on me.  He teared up and said this was the best part of his job and spoke of his ancestors coming to America and seeing shades of them in our experience that day.  It was touching and unexpected given his gruff exterior. 

While I was getting my certificate, I felt extremely humbled.  With the Syrian refugee crisis being in the forefront of news and opinion articles, it was hard for me to swallow having citizenship of two great countries that people are literally dying to get into.  I am thankful, but probably undeserving.