The Long Pilgrimage to Citizenship

Thirty-six years ago, I decided to leave my home in Canada to join the man who would be my partner in life. I bought a bus ticket to Los Angeles, said goodbye to my mother and headed for a new adventure, in a new land.

When I arrived, I was awe-struck by Hollywood and Vine, even though I didn’t see any movie stars. I was also overwhelmed by the rows of palm trees and the beautiful sunsets in Ventura, where my sweetheart and I later settled.

In time, we married and had two wonderful daughters. With the passage of years, I became a different person, without even noticing the change. One day I called my aunt in British Columbia and she said, “You sound so American.” I was surprised, because I still thought of myself as a Canadian. But I had to admit that the Pledge of Allegiance and the “The Star-Spangled Banner” had begun having a surprising effect on me at baseball games and church functions. Sometimes, I even found myself getting choked up.

One morning in November 1996, I was driving down Channel Islands Boulevard to my office in Ventura. Looking out to the Channel Islands, I decided it was time I became a citizen.

I called El Concilio, a Latino advocacy group that provides immigration counseling, and started filling out the paperwork. About eight months into the process, I got an appointment to take my citizenship exam.

I had been studying weeks for this day. Nervous and excited, I went to meet an INS officer in Oxnard. He asked me who was the speaker of the House of Representatives, which branch of government makes the laws, and other questions. Twenty minutes later he shook my hand and said “Congratulations, you passed.”

My heart took an extra beat and off I went, thrilled that I was on my way to becoming a citizen. But there were still hurdles to clear. First, I moved and there was a mix-up with my address. I called Rico Cabrera at the INS office in Los Angeles and asked for help clearing up my paperwork. He was most gracious and helpful, and I thought I was home free. Then I found out my fingerprints were smudged on the application and the FBI could not identify them. I had them taken three more times before my application was accepted.

Finally, two weeks ago, I got my appointment to be sworn in at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was so worried about being late that I got on the Ventura Freeway at 5:30 a.m. I arrived in Los Angeles an hour early, breathless and nervous. It was two days before Thanksgiving.

The ceremony was awesome. There were 5,969 people from 111 countries taking an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Another 5,000 friends and family members watched from a roped-off area.

We all stood and took the oath from U.S. District Judge Ronald S. W. Lew. Afterward, we waved the small American flags we had been given. What a sight it was--an ocean-like wave of flags rolling back and forth across the vast hall. Thousands of people crying and laughing at the same time.

A video flashed up on a giant screen with scenes of astronauts, the Olympics, farm fields and the Statue of Liberty, all accompanied by Lee Greenwood singing “I’m Proud to Be an American.”

I had heard that song many times, but this time he seemed to be singing it to me. I was moved to tears with the realization that, yes, after 36 years, I was proud to be an American and, yes, I really did belong to this great nation.

During the swearing-in process, Lew talked about his background as the son of Chinese immigrants. And now he is a federal judge. I thought, “I walked into this place as a resident alien and I’ll walk out as a full-fledged United States citizen.” At that moment, I took a second oath. This time, I vowed never to take for granted my new country or the freedoms this country offers--to vote, to pray to the God I choose, to pursue “the American Dream.”

The icing on the cake, or pie, was returning to my place of work later that day. My co-workers had decorated our office with red, white and blue balloons. They presented me with two apple pies. The icing on one said “God Bless America.” The other: “Congratulations.”

My boss sang “I’m Proud to Be American” over the intercom. This was the real icing on the cake and tears came to my eyes once more.

When I sat down to my Thanksgiving dinner last week, yes, I ate the usual turkey with the usual trimmings. But this Thanksgiving was different. This time, I felt a real pilgrim-like appreciation for this country.

God Bless America!

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Katherine Woodson is the office manager for the Ventura County edition of The Times.