Hi everyone! We are citizens now! Everything went well, but I do not have energy to describe how it went - I feel exhausted. In the general, the ceremony was nice and touching. 56 people from 30 countries were naturalized in Thomas Eagleton Court House in St. Louis. Though I was stressed out that had left our passports at home, they said it was Ok as soon as we did not travel after the interview. One more source of stress - we filled in the forms in dark blue ink instead of the specified in the letter BLACK ink. My son noticed this and was angry with me, but the IO said that it was fine. At the oath ceremony I felt tears filling my eyes. It was a long and difficult road for me from the very beginning. A single mom with a little kid came to this country 12.5 years ago - with no friends, no relatives, no money... But with knowledge and job offer at the University... We survived, despite lots of troubles - cancer diagnosis and severe treatment which gave me a rear opportunity to survive and stay cancer-free for almost 10 years, betrayal of a few close people whom I considered friends, death of my dear mom, discrimination at work, robbery of my ideas, papers, and patents by stronger guys who consider foreign scientists as their slaves... Anyway, I am here now, a "new-born" US citizen who has overcome these troubles, who has an excellent son - a "new-born" citizen as well, and I am proud of him, and I live for him, for his happy and fruitful life...
THANKS a lot, dear friends at this Forum, for your guidance during these past 5 months. Yes, some of my questions and concerns seemed "childish". Some of you, probably, laughed at my worries about that idiotic broken window (but sincerely, I was very upset when found it out). As a single mom and "mom" for many students, I get used to be responsible for every detail. Sometimes I make mistakes, because my span of attention is limited, while circle of responsibilities tends to infinity... That's why when I find some flaws, I start worry what consequences will they result in... Anyway, many thanks for your patience with me! Your advices were very helpful and valuable. I have learned a lot, and will apply my gained knowledge in helping others. As a University professor, I deal with many international students, and my experience with immigration and naturalization will definitely be useful to the others.
Best regards and good luck to everyone. And lots of PATIENCE to those who are still going through naturalization!!!
Marusia