I had my naturalization interview/test today.
On the way there, I got lost and stressed quite a bit – I decided it is in the main building of the INS because it is on the same road and even though I looked at the number I kept looking for it on the wrong side of the road, the fact that they build the light train there and half the main street and many of the small streets around it are closed to traffic didn’t help much, I was lucky I took extra time for standing in lines (I spent many hours in lines in the INS offices) but all is well that ends well, right?
When I arrived to the USCIS office the guard took my water bottle and told me I am not allowed to bring in food or drink and then asked me if I have any weapon, I answered no. He asked me if I have any sharp objects I started to say no and then remembered I have my knitting bag with some DPNs inside and said: only knitting needles and wanted to take them out to show him,,, big mistake,,,, he signaled with his hand to stop and asked me to put the bag on his table then asked if he can look inside and I pointed to him where he can find the offending object,,,, he took one out (luckily the free one) and looked on it suspiciously,,, he asked me what it is made of and turned it around debating, he showed it to the other guard and asked him what to do, the other one said that it is his decision (so typical, so unlike an Israeli reaction in a similar situation!), he couldn’t decide what to do, I told him I can leave my knitting bag with him, he hesitated and then decided they are too fragile to do any damage and let me take them with me :)
My glasses frames decided to beep in the metal detector (first time, it must be a very sensitive detector, I went through many of them in Israel and the glasses never turned them on) so I had to go through it a couple of times. When I got to the waiting area I heard my DPNs’ guard asking test questions, it took me a while to realise that he is just kind of warming us to the real thing (I wonder if they tell him to do it or is it his own initiative) so when he got to the question: which state was the 49th to join the USA, after the people answered I asked him and which is the 48th? he said, oh no, we don’t need to know that it is not in these questions, so I said but we do need to know it, it’s our state so he was completely shocked, after awhile he said, this one is going in there and asking them the questions instead of answering them,,,, my big mouth,,,
After not a very long wait I was called in.
The subject of this post was the sentence my interviewer asked me to write. This was after he asked me to read something similar (I don’t have any memory of the reading assignment). My interviewer really liked the exclamation mark at the end of my written sentence, I said: it is really a nice day today, isn’t it? After a few questions about US history and government (or maybe those questions came before the English “test”?!?) he wrote passed on the papers and quickly went through my N-400 form (I sent it in June 2007, wow, I just saw when I went looking for the link that I am lucky; they jumped the cost from $330 to $595), asked me a few questions about things he read there, declared that I don’t look like a criminal (after asking me if I was ever arrested for anything) and this was about it! He didn’t ask to see even one of the original documents they told me to bring with me. He told me he will recommend that I will receive my citizenship and that I can expect an invitation by mail to the swearing ceremony in 4 to 5 weeks.
The interviewer was very nice, a good looking ex-navy guy with beautiful hands. It was the first time in all the very long process of becoming a US citizen that I felt it is safe to have a small talk with the official while I was in his office. He asked me if I am always so serious, I said no but that most people say that I look serious or mad (at them I mean). After he finished everything I told him the incident about the 49th state and the guard reaction, he said: he probably didn’t know the answer and laughed.
While he escorted me to the door he complimented me on my red shoes and commented that they fit my handbag, then he offered his hand to shake and said: congratulations!
All in all a very easy process and I even got to save my DPNs – Phew!
