My Fellow American

On June 14th, Flag Day, my wife Apple became an officially naturalized American citizen at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida!

The ceremony was nicely done — including a keynote speech by the director of the USCIS; a music video for “God Bless the U.S.A.,” and of course, the administration of the Oath of Allegiance. This morning’s event at 8:00 a.m. ushered at least 3,000 new citizens into our nation, and I heard from another attendee that it was possible a second ceremony would follow that afternoon — and, if enough applicants had been assigned, even a third.

I thought the coolest part was when the USCIS official read off a list of all the countries from which immigrants in today’s ceremony had come. As they announced each country, applicants who hailed from there were asked to stand, and the audience applauded and cheered them on. There were mostly just a few people from each of the world’s various nations, with the exception of the Big Five, which were saved for last: Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Colombia and Nicaragua.

Each new citizen also received a little American flag, as you can see from the picture. 🙂 Most of them were waving quite enthusiastically throughout the festivities!

In retrospect, I’m also glad I researched parking options in Miami Beach, and secured the car at a parking deck a few blocks away. This morning, the mad rush of people (and their vehicles) that we witnessed around the convention center surely would have been enough to make me crazy.

Congratulations to Apple on becoming a fellow American citizen — now you can vote, travel abroad with ease, and help make this country a better place!

ขอแสดงความยินดีครับ คุณทำได้แล้ว !!