I became an American citizen over a decade ago when we were living in California but planning on moving back to the UK. We were hoping to start a family and I needed to make sure I visited the US once a year to maintain my resident status, becoming a citizen just seemed like an easier option. I wasn’t convinced I’d make it back to the US every year.
I completed all the endless paperwork and after my citizenship test, where I named the first president of the US, I was ready for the ceremony. The poor woman in the room next to me wasn’t so lucky. Her English wasn’t very good; in fact it was non-existent. All I could hear was the examiner shouting ‘Who was the first president? Numero Uno?’ It wasn’t going very well.
The ceremony was a strange affair. It was in a vast hall, there were hundreds of us being processed. A huge American flag hung before us as we put our hands on our hearts and pledged allegiance to the USA. I was surrounded by people who had dreamed their whole lives of moving to America. For some, it was to escape civil war and hardship. For me, it was just a piece of paper to make my life easier and I felt somewhat ashamed that I wasn’t more excited about it. I’d fallen in love and married an American and this had made life very complicated but I wasn’t trying to escape an oppressive regime. At the end of the ceremony they played God Bless the USA. It was so American and so over the top, I couldn’t wait to get out of the hall and go and have a gin and tonic.
Now it’s become my song! Whenever it’s played, it reminds me of the day I became an American and Danny turns to me and laughs.
When I returned to work after the ceremony, my colleagues had cleared my desk and draped a huge American flag over the top, then put all my stuff back. They all cheered and high fived, it was very funny.
Now I’m back here again, and you know what? I don’t consider myself an American, I’m a Californian. I’m truly proud of where I live. It’s beautiful, inspiring and full of energy. The state has amazing natural beauty such as deserts, mountain ranges, lakes and beaches. The people are pretty amazing too. Laid back, friendly, and welcoming. I’m always surprised that many Americans don’t have passports. Living on a small island, like the UK, it’s essential. America has so much to offer in terms of travel, climate and different cultures, there’s so much to explore here before heading off to other countries.
So no, I don’t consider myself to be an American, I’m still British through and through but I’m definitely aspiring to be a Californian.
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I remember watching Craig Ferguson’s video when he became a citizen and thinking how different it was from how I thought it would be–sterile.
You need to get some Rainbows if you truly want to be a Californian
Have you seen the ridiculous test that they make people take, to become UK citizens these days?
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