Naturalization: Oath ceremony

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I left Austin around 10am with my friends Anmar and Paola who I invited to join me on this day. I had to be at the Laurie Auditorium of Trinity University in San Antonio at 11:45am, and we got there around 11:55am. I had to form in line to present form N-445 with some additional information, regarding changes happening between the day of the interview and present time. Then a group of us were lead to the auditorium were they told us where were we going to sit. They asked us to remain in the same seats since the naturalization certificates were going to be given in order. They gave each of us and envelope containing all sort of instructions on how to issue the US passport, how to update our immigration status in the social security office, how to register to vote, etc…

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Then we had to wait until 2pm for the ceremony to begin. The ceremony was coordinated by an immigration agent and officiated by a judge. A band from the military was also present, as well as a group of ladies that were daughters of world war veterans from both the democratic and republican parties.

The ceremony was simple. First the immigration agent gave us some numbers about the ceremony. We were 899 naturalization candidates, but 20 could not make it to the ceremony and we all came from 85 different countries. They called each of the 85 countries in alphabetical order, and we had to stand up and stay this way to do the Oath right after. Mexico was called last because there were about 300 of them. Other countries with large numbers were India (~50), China (~30) and Pakistan (~15). I think we were about 6 Colombians.

With everyone standing then the judge did the Oath and then spoke to us about what it meant to be a US citizen. Then two candidates who were selected to speak, came to the stage and told us about their journey of becoming US citizens. One of the speakers was a 20-something girl from China, who moved to the USA at the age of 14 and whose first meal was a Big Mac with Fries but no ketchup because she didn’t know how to ask for it in English. The other speaker was a Mexican guy in his 30′s who can to the US to study. Another person had also ask if he would be allowed to speak and they let him. He was Colombian and spoke really bad English. His speech went all over the place, he talked about how he had to leave his family behind to come to the USA, how Colombia was a beautiful place but offered no opportunities and was very violent, how the USA had “beautiful” laws and “beautiful” rights (apparently beautiful was the only adjective he knew), and he even went into telling us that one Christmas he got drunk on Aguardiente, but after that he promised not to drink again and he hasn’t done alcohol, cigarettes or drugs since then. His speech took forever (about 15 min) and at least 5 times were people started clapping to let him know he should end the speech now.

After that they showed some videos to us, that included a speech by JFK, pictures of war veterans, photos of different US locations and people, etc…

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And finally they concluded the ceremony and gave each of us our Naturalization Certificate.

After that we went to River Walk and had a nice lunch at an italian restaurant.

Unfortunately traffic was horrible on the way back to Austin and it took us 2.5 hours when it usually only takes 1.5, so I was very tired when I got home.

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Special thanks to my friends Anmar and Paola for coming with me.

Felices Fiestas 2010

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Como es tradición, el capital humano detrás de Chichipanguanorrea y la Januquiá Fea les deseamos unas felices fiestas y un dulce año 2011.


*No confundir la Januquiá (9 brazos) con la Menorá (7 brazos).

La Januquiá Fea, hace ahora parte de nuestra familia junto con el Niño Jesús Feo, el Santa Feo, el Elfo Feo y el Reno Feo.

Naturalization: Interview results

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Today I drove from Austin to San Antonio to have my naturalization interview and test. I left around noon, stop for gas, water and snacks and headed south. Traffic was very good and I was in San Antonio before 2pm. My appointment was at 2:30pm and the notification I had said that it was ok to be 30 minutes earlier for the interview. I left my cellphone in the car because 5 years ago when I went into this same building to do some paperwork related to the green card, I remember people were not allowed to bring camera phones. Back then I had a good old Nokia brick with no camera so it was ok to bring it with me. I was told to sit on the waiting area and around 2:15pm my name was called. An USCIS agent asked me to follow him to his office. He was very friendly and polite, and I was also doing my part being friendly and obedient, but very confident. On the way to his office, we bumped into another agent who asked me where I was coming from. When I told him I drove from Austin he said: “If you pass the test today, we can give you an appointment to take the Oath next week”. “Wow! That is really fast!” I responded, but told him that unfortunately I was attending to a wedding in Mexico next week and was not going to be able to do it.

Then the officer and I went to his office. The first thing he asks me is to raise my hand and swear that I’m going to be telling the true and then he asks me to sit down. Next he hands me a piece of paper that contains three sentences. He asks me to read the first one out loud: “Washington is the father of the United States”. Then he takes the piece of paper, and hands me another one and asks me to write the following phrase: “Washington was the first president”. And that was it… English test done!

Then he fires the following questions:
- Who was the father of the US? Washington
- How many members has the House of Representatives? 435
- For how many years we elect House Representatives? 2
- Who is the Chief Justice of the US now? John Roberts
- In what month do we vote for President? November
- If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President? The speaker of the house

After question number 6 he stops and starts looking at the forms I sent. He wants to confirm some of the information in there, and asks me again several questions like if I have been part of a communist group, if I have been deported, if I have been in jail, if I owe money from taxes to the government or if I ever got a speeding ticket. I have to say yes to the last one, and he asks me if I payed it and I said yes.

Then he asks me again if I know what is the Oath and what it entails, if I’m willing to defend the US Constitution and bear arms to defend the country if needed.

At this point he hands me a piece of paper that goes as follows:

Naturalization Interview Results:

On December 2 2010 you were interviewed by USCIS officer XXXXXXXX
[x] You passed the test of English and U.S. history and government.

Congratulations! Your application has been recommended for approval. At this time it appears that you have established your eligibility for naturalization. If final approval is granted, you will be notified when and where to report to the Oath Ceremony.

I say goodbye to the nice officer and leave the building. When I look at the clock on my car it was 2:35pm. I cannot believe how quick and smooth it went. Then I drove to a Chuy’s restaurant that I saw on the road, sat at the bar and ordered a Pacífico beer and Baja Fish Tacos. Tiffany the bartender was very nice and we chatted about my naturalization process. She was happy for me and gave me a 1800 tequila shot for free to celebrate. It was the perfect way to end lunch and hit the road back to Austin.

Naturalization

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08/25/2010
Dropped on the mail the forms and documents required to apply for the U.S. Citizenship. I’m going to use this post to track the progress of the process. Wish me luck!

09/09/2010
Received form I-797C indicating the reception of my application by the Department of Homeland Security.

09/18/2010
Received another form I-797C with an appointment to have my fingerprints taken on September 24th! This is moving fast!

09/24/2010
Got my fingerprints taken and a copy of the booklet “Learn About the United States – Quick Civic Lessons for the Naturalization Test”.

10/12/2010
Received another I-797C form with an appointment for an interview on December 2nd in San Antonio.

12/02/2010
Interviewed and presented test in San Antonio. Passed test with flying honors.

01/22/2011
Received form N-445: Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony on the 17 of February 2011 in San Antonio.

02/17/2011
Naturalization Oath Ceremony in San Antonio.

Es la hora, es la hora! La hora del vegetal

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Si eres uno de los cientos de lectores que ha comenzado ha seguirnos recientemente, es muy posible que pienses que lo único que hacemos aquí es tomar cerveza y mamar gallo. A pesar de que tomar cerveza y mamar gallo, son elementos fundamentales en este espacio, también hay cabida para otros temas de gran interés para chicos y grandes. El tema que nos concierne el día de hoy es la sana alimentación; en particular el consumo de frutas y verduras.

I will show you mine, if you show me yours...

Recientemente, conversaba con mi amigo y jardinero amateur Blair acerca de lo dificil que se me hacía comprar frutas y verduras en el mercado. En general me cuesta comprar comida en el mercado: no hayo que productos comprar o termino comprando las mismas cosas. Poco espacio doy a la variedad, y esto es especialmente cierto con las frutas y verduras. Rara vez compro frutas, y en cuanto a verduras casi siempre compro lo mismo: tomate y cebolla que me encantan. De vez en cuando compro espinacas para hacer en sopa o como me enseñó Eva recientemente (mezclándolas con queso crema y sofriéndolas en un sartén aceitado) o compro una bolsa de ensalada César que ya viene preparada y sabe bastante regular. Otra de las pricipales razones por la cual no compro muchos vegetales, es porque se dañan rápidamente y odio estar botando comida a la basura. La única excepción es cuando preparo el super delicioso Gazpacho que me enseñó Sayuri, pero que hago únicamente una vez por mes o menos seguido. Fue entonces cuando Blair me sugirió registrarme a un CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) que en español viene siendo como un club de gente que apoya la agricultura local. La idea es que uno paga por adelantado el derecho a recibir los frutos de lo que se coseche en una granja por los próximos meses. En mi caso me suscribí a la granja Johnson’s Backyard Garden para recibir 4 entregas, una cada dos semanas. Cada entrega es una caja repleta de vegetales variados y no hay posibilidad de escojer que vegetales o frutas recibes, siendo lo divertido del asunto. Hoy recibí mi segunda entrega y la caja contenía: tomates, cebolla, ajo, pimenton verde, pimenton amarillo, ocra, pepino, zucchini, chile dulce, chile picante, berenjena, calabacín amarillo, un ramillete de Albahaca fresca y un melón. Los productos son todos cultivados en Austin y de manera organica, así que son más saludables, mi huella de carbono es menor y además saben más rico. Esto último lo pude corroborar con los tomates: usualmente los que consigo en el mercado son grandes, carentes de defectos y perfectamente rojos y brillantes; los tomates que recibí de la granja eran deformes, con algunas manchas cafés, y de color amarillo-rojizo. Sin embargo cuando los probé me supieron delicioso.

Gracias a esto, he estado comiendo muchos vegetales últimamente y ensayando nuevas recetas. He hecho vegetales al vapor, vegetales sofritos, sopa de calabacín amarillo y calabacín de verano, gazpacho, salsa picante mexicana, espaguetis con atún, pimenton, cebolla y ajo, tomates con queso mozarela, albahaca, vinagre balsámico y aceite de oliva, y lo más diferente que hice fue una receta griega de berenjenas bañadas en una mezcla de harina, sal y agua mineral y fritas en aceite de oliva.

Después de 30 días de cerveza, creo que me vienen bien 8 semanas de vegetales.

Super Awesome Firemans #4 Ultimate Fitness Program – day 30

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Day 30 – Mission Accomplished
Day 30 Day 30 Day 30 Day 30 Day 30 Day 30

Celebrating the completion of my Super Awesome Firemans #4 Ultimate Fitness Program the same day as my 32nd birthday was the best coincidence ever. Thanks to all the friends that made it to the Spider House and join me in this wonderful celebration, thanks to the gorgeous waitresses for keeping my glass full of tasty beer, thanks to Maria and Onur for the delicious chocolate cake, thanks to Nairn for the bottle of Cognac, thanks to everyone that wished me happy birthday on facebook and orkut (shame on you hi5 friends!), thanks to the ING Bank for giving me a 15% discount at their online store (???), thanks to all the people that followed my blog during this journey, and special thanks to Alejandro and Karina for not letting me quit on it during the rough times. Also special thanks to the people of Real Ale Brewing Company for making such a fun and tasty beer!

Day Height Weight Facial hair Pants size Juggling skills Mood Enjoyment Level Random number Feeling better?
1 5’1 Under 150 lb 14 y.o mustache 30 6 Exhausted 100% 7300 Yes!
2 5’1 Under 150 lb 15 y.o mustache UK 26-28 3 Confused 95% 437679 I think so
3 5’1 Under 150 lb 14 y.o mustache S 13 Ecstatic 99% -2 Most definitely
4 5’1 Under 150 lb 18 y.o mustache / beard shade None 4 Guilty 87% 2147500037 As good as it gets!
5 5’1 Under 150 lb 14 y.o mustache / 2 day beard shade S 10 Suspicious 86.6% 11648 Can’t complain
6 5’1 Under 150 lb 13 y.o mustache / 3 day beard shade None 4 Angry 95.25% 41 Indeed
7 5’1 Under 150 lb 16 y.o mustache 31 3 Hysterical 185% 0.715433895587921 What kind of question is that?
8 5’1 Under 150 lb 17 y.o mustache 29 0 Frustrated 15% 69 Oui
9 5’1 Under 150 lb 18 y.o mustache 31 10 Sad 89% 4 8 15 16 23 42 Like a Silver Stallion
10 5’1 Under 150 lb Not-quite-Tom-Selleck mustache S (28-30) 14 Confident 100% 3 Affirmative
11 5’1 Under 150 lb Still-not-quite-Tom-Selleck mustache None 11 Embarrassed 3000% 1-2-3 Granted
12 5’1 Under 150 lb Clean like a baby’s butt 30 3 Happy 82% 0xFFFFFFFF Sure thing
13 5’1 Under 150 lb 24 hour beer shade 29 0 Mischievous 99.9% ∞ Unquestionably
14 5’1 Under 150 lb 48 hour beer shade 29-30 4 Disgusted 4% -∞ Precisely
15 5’1 Under 150 lb Nothin’ 31 0 Frightened 21.49% 666 Most assuredly
16 5’1 Under 150 lb Almost nothin’ S 4 Enraged 100.00% ¾ Indubitably
17 5’1 Under 150 lb Some 30 29 Ashamed 101% 815 Aye
18 5’1 Under 150 lb Well shaved 31 9 Cautious 500% 3735928559 Beyond a doubt
19 5’1 Under 150 lb Not sure M N/A Smug 85.75% 21 (http://www.random.org/) By all means
20 5’1 Under 150 lb Not much S 12 Depressed 97% 91829 Exactly
21 5’1 Under 150 lb Enough to show in the picture 31 4 Overwhelmed 61% 101 Gladly
22 5’1 Under 150 lb Week long beard None 16 Hopeful 100% 0.001643721971153 + 0.822467633298876i Of course
23 5’1 Under 150 lb Well shaved 29 N/A Lonely 98% 1002 Precisely
24 5’1 Under 150 lb Still sort of well shaved 30 21 Lovestruck 33.33% 1003 Agreed
25 5’1 Under 150 lb Mild beard 31 N/A Jealous 100% 17 Naturally
26 5’1 Under 150 lb Can’t remember 30 16 Bored 94% 657684565534854 Yep
27 5’1 Under 150 lb Clean clean clean 32 Forgot to try Surprised 400% 1144 Certainly
28 5’1 Under 150 lb Very clean 29-31 2 Anxious 97.3% 1 Surely
29 5’1 Under 150 lb Very clean 29-30 0 Shocked 99.69% 451 Positively
30 5’1 Under 150 lb 30h beard shade 30 30 Shy 130% 30 Yeah

…