Yesterday, I attended my mom's swearing in ceremony to become a United States citizen. My mom, dressed in her best and looking her very best sat in the front of the auditorium with an American flag on one hand and an expression of elation that this day finally came. Next July marks the ten year anniversary of when me, my little sister, and my parents moved to America from a little island in the South Pacific. I was starting my junior year in high school and my sister was starting high school. As I write this blog, memories of the many little adventures we had and enjoyed as a family at that time, come to mind as if it were yesterday.
My parents were business owners back in the islands. They set their own hours, which meant they worked all the time, but they enjoyed not answering to anyone about how they ran their daily lives. Together, we ran a sewing and boutique shop, a laundromat, a refrigeration company, and at one point a restaurant as well. Regular jobs are hard to come by back home. Most people choose to run their own bunsiness, which is exactly what my parents did.
However, higher education was not available on the island and knowing that me and my sister were on track to go to college, they sacrificed and decided that a move to America was pertinent. And so began our journey from the little island of Samoa to the flashy and entertaining city of Las Vegas in Nevada. I remember me and my sister, Deidre, perusing through the brochure of our new high school. The girls wore fancy clothes, everyone looked so different, and there were so many clubs and sports to be involved in. At the time, tennis was the only thing on my mind and I was elated to find out our school had their own tennis courts! Our high school, Silverado High, wasn't unique in this, though. In fact, almost every school in the city had tennis courts. We were stunned to find the volleyball and basketball courts to not be made of concrete like they were back in the islands, but of glossy wood! And we had an athletic trainer...what is going on here?? America is AMAZING! Little discoveries like these were milestones to simple island girls. The super wal-mart was its own adventure and we gulped in every ounce of the American way of life.
Of course, everything wasn't all peaches and roses. Thank God my dad was able to find a job in the bank, which was pretty good money so we can afford an apartment and then finally a car. My mom then found a job with the Wal-mart down the street as a cashier. Slowly but surely, we built our lives as newly-crafted Americans. Of course, the idea of being American wasn't novel to both me and my sister. We, at least, were born on U.S. soil, albeit a territory located thousands of miles south of the state of Hawaii. We hold American passports and never felt different when it came down to our status of citizenship. The same thing goes for my dad. Back in 1962, he and my grandfather moved to the state of Hawaii. My grandfather was a lawyer and was invited to work for the U.S. Consulate office to the Philippines in Hawaii. This was the beginning of my father's journey to becoming a U.S. citizen.
My mother's journey, however, started nine years ago in July when our family moved to America. For this reason, yesterday was probably one of the most memorable days of my life, and I suspect of my mother's life as well. I don't know much about the way of life in other countries, but I humbly assume that nowhere else is the quality of life better than here in America. I love traveling and seeing the many faces of the world and although I can imagine to live in this place or that (specifically Florence, Italy), there is no other country I would rather pledge allegiance to. Earlier this year, I swore an oath to help defend the rights and liberties of this country when called upon by the U.S. Army. It wasn't until yesterday that I was proud to have made that decision.
In the nine years our family has been in the United States, we have been blessed tremendously. My parents own their own home, where we have enjoyed celebrating many Christmases, birthdays, graduations, family reunions and Thanksgiving dinners. My sister and I have graduated from college and are finding our own way through the world. This year, I will vote in the second presidential election. My mom will be able to vote in her first. And although we may vote for different candidates, that will be okay because we live in a country where different opinions are welcome. And although our country's history may be tainted by racism, sexism, and many other "isms", I am proud and happy to be part of a generation that believes in progressive thinking and in creating a world that will be greener, healthier, and more open-minded than ever before. Making a statement such as this is bold, I know. But how can I help but be optimistic and this ambitious when I know that I live in a country that affords us all the freedom to make big dreams possible and allows us to use all possible resources to get ahead in life? As of yet, I don't know of any other place like the good 'ol US of A:)
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