I’m so proud of my friend, Harnet! She did it! Yesterday was the day that she was sworn in as a citizen of the United States of America. She has worked and studied so hard to pass the test, collect appropriate paperwork and documents, and finished the process by being sworn in yesterday.
So many people helped her along the way. These are just a few of them. She had several more happy friends there at the ceremony, and she and my sister, Rosalie, juggled both Danait and several bouquets of flowers as they walked back to the car along the streets of Portland.
Of course, Danait was more interested in playing with Patsy’s hair…..
And climbing Rob like a flagpole so she could play with his beard….
After all, she already was a citizen:)
All in all, it was a very satisfying afternoon all around. We couldn’t stay late, but I think Harnet and Rosalie and Danait continued celebrating for the rest of the afternoon after we headed off toward home. We hope to have a party to celebrate before too long.
It was really fun and meaningful to be at the ceremony and see over 40 happy, glowing people fulfilling their dreams of becoming citizens. There was a lot of joy and excitement in that room, let me tell you. The ceremony was not very long–just a couple of patriotic videos, short speeches (like 1-2 minutes each),a message from the President welcoming the new citizens, and the actual swearing in of the group. It took far longer for them to double check everyones’ paperwork and make sure every single last minute piece was in order before it started. Then, at the end, each person was presented with a certificate, somewhat like getting a diploma at a graduation, and it was over, and they were all off. They had volunteers at the door to help anyone who wanted to register to vote. Harnet was eager to sign up. She’s been waiting a long time for this, and I’m so glad she got another step farther in fulfilling her American dream!
Congratulations to Harnet! I am happy for her to fulfill her dream. So nice that she could have so many people around her to help celebrate the achievement.
The pictures of Danait playing with Rob’s beard and playing with Patsy’s hair are cute.
Thank you. She was pretty cute! She knows and loves all these people that surround her mama, and is very friendly towards all of them, but she loves playing with Patsy as she can get her to actually play with her when we visit, and she adores Rob. In fact, she started calling him “Uncle Rob” within months of getting acquainted with him, all on her own, which was enough to melt that heart of jelly even more:).
Congratulations to Harnet!
Thank you, Michelle. We are all so proud of her:)
How exciting! Congratulations, Harnet! I’m so proud of you for persisting through what I know is a difficult process!
Thank you, Shiela.
I wish all Americans knew how hard it was to become a citizen. It’s a hard process and I know she must be so happy and proud to be done! Hard work pays off! Welcome to America and I’m so proud her first act as a new citizen was to sign up to vote! How beautifully patriotic! Congrats to all!
I thought it was very cool, too, that she wanted to sign up to vote first thing.
I had no idea that spelling would be on the citizenship test, and neither did one of her tutors! Several of us studied with her at one time or another, and I would have had trouble passing that test, at least some of the questions, without a great deal of study time!
Congratulations, Harnet! How exciting for all of you!!!!
It is very exciting to see all her hard work pay off!
What a beautiful success story! Congratulations! Andrea
Thank you, Andrea.
Congratulations, Harnet!
My husband sponsored a woman from Muldova who is now married to a good friend of ours. She was sworn in on my husband’s birthday. 🙂 It is such a nice ceremony and so neat to see all the people from all over the world.
It was very cool to see people from so many places. Some were very American in their dress, but others were wearing native costumes. Fun to see!
THIS IS WONDERFUL!!!! Congratulations, Harnet, and thank you for adding your grace, friendship, and smile to the USA. We need loving folks like you. What a wonderful group of friends you all are – love this!
She has become so very special to our family over the last few years, so we are super excited.
Yay Harnet! Way to go! I remember when my son became a citizen (he’s adopted from Guatemala). He was a little bitty guy, so his father had to stand and take the oath for him. Obie was so tired from all the excitement and the stress making sure we got to the courthouse and everything set up, he slept in my lap the whole ceremony. But he sure woke up during the party afterward, so he could eat cake! Congratulations again.
What a fun memory for you! I’ll bet they didn’t make him take the test:).
That is wonderful. My FIL became a US citizen when Hubby was a kid. He talks about how much he had to study and learn. He stills remembers most of it. Sadly, I am not big on history so he knows more then I remember from history class.
It was a lot of studying! Spelling? Really? Anyway, she passed:). She is so relieved. We all feel like it was a test we would have had to really study for because they give you so many questions, and you must know them all because you don’t know which ones they are going to ask.
Congratulations to Harnet! Best wishes from one naturalized citizen to another! 🙂
Thank you. She is still really excited–I’ve just been up visiting today and her flowers are still looking pretty good considering, but of course, she doesn’t want to throw them out any sooner than she has to!