I just got word that a friend of my passed her citizenship test on her way to becoming an naturalized American citizen. It's been a long, tough process, but totally worth it. Woo-Hoo! She'll take her oath at a ceremony in January. She is over the moon happy, and I am delighted for her.
When my wife applied for her U.S. citizenship, there was a woman behind us in line at the immigration office. We chatted with her during the long wait, she had no accent. I asked her what she was there for. She was applying for U.S. citizenship also. She had come from Sweden and had lived in Seattle for 35 years. Her kids encouraged her to apply.
Agreed. Something like this happening to someone I know, and how much it means to her, helps me reflect on easy it is to take for granted if you were born here. Which, unfortunately I think a lot of us do.