Tuesday, January 21, 2025

in which the day takes an unexpected turn


Way back last summer, I was full of (quite reasonable) dread that Trump was going to win this election, so I put in my naturalization papers - figuring that then I could get arrested on a demo, or, if needs be, leave the country for over 365 days without losing my green card in the process.  When, eventually, I got my interview date, I was howling with dismay at the irony of this being the day after inauguration day.

So (I'll spare you the melodrama of trying to find parking near the Federal Building) I went to the interview early this morning,  and was in conversation with a very nice Ukrainian woman - just checking all the answers on my form were correct, and adding in two more overseas trips since I filed the application. And then she asked "so, have you been studying for the questions?", and of course I had, and then the computer spat out questions for me to answer - who was "the father of the country?" "who were the original inhabitants of this country?" "what was Susan B Anthony known for?" - one has to answer six out of ten correctly, but happily I aced six out of six (not that hard, if one teaches C19th US art history, but of course I'd been mugging these up for months like it was my O levels). They waived the writing test and I guess that just chatting along was the speaking test - and then it was Right! You're done! And we're having a Naturalization Ceremony in a minute, so just go and wait in a room down the corridor ... 

... where there was a little holding pen of us, and we got to stick our hands in the air and say I Do after Officer Padilla read the Oath of Allegiance, and we were all given tiny cheap American flags and passport and voting application forms - and that was that.  No big conference center ceremony; no Star Spangled Banner being sung; no welcoming address ... it certainly seemed to me like they fear - well, I know they do - all hell breaking loose with Trump's immigration policies, and are trying to process people as quickly as possible.  My interviewing officer was certainly horrified at the thought of whatever's coming. So that's THAT.  I feel a bit shell shocked.  And also rather under-sold: I was counting on the Anaheim Convention Center in March (the next official date), and staying the night in a hotel with a view of the Disney fireworks, and had even planned what I'd wear (yes, I know, I know).  





 

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