Forty-nine Years After Coming to America, I Became a Citizen

I grew up in the countryside about 2 hours from Quito where I lived with my grandmother. I moved to the city where I met my husband and we had two kids. He was a mechanic and I worked odd jobs to help with the bills. My jobs always involved something to do with tourists from other countries. I would hear about a place called America and wanted to someday go see it for myself.

I never wanted my kids to struggle or experience what I did growing up and knew that education was the way out. We placed my son in a private school so he would have the best education possible. It was then, that we realized we could not afford the same education for my daughter. The expense of education was too great, and we just didn't know what we were going to do.

A friend had an uncle who was the chauffeur for a man that worked in the World Bank. His family was moving back to the States and was looking for a nanny. I was 29 when I decided to take the opportunity to see for myself if all the stories of America were true. In July 1970, I left my husband and two kids; my son was 6-and-a-half and my daughter 2-and-a-half. I really didn't know what was waiting for me, or the time I was about to lose seeing my kids growing up.

The family that hired me provided me with a work visa which had to be renewed annually. I was overwhelmed when I arrived in America. The beauty was breathtaking, and I fell in love with it. I had never seen leaves change colors or snow falling. The first winter in America was very hard and I cried many nights.

The rest of the title is: Because I Want to Vote for President Trump

Wow, she waited 44 years to make her citizenship? I wonder if the examiner chewed her out for waiting so long? Mine chewed me out in 1977 because I waited 11 years to make mine. My reason was that I always heard you have to wait 5 years to make your citizenship, and as my husband was in the Army (he retired in 1979 after almost 22 years) and we went back to Germany; where we had met and married, several times and I thought I had to wait 5 years again. I did not know that you can become a citizen much sooner if the spouse is in the service, and he wants you to accompany him on the tour.
I found that out when I took my citizenship classes. There were 3 Korean women who had only been 3 weeks in the country and their husbands wanted the wives to join them when they were transferred to Germany.

There was also, that I had a nice memory from my youth and early adulthood that I treasured.

45 years is a long time to wait. What was wrong with President Reagan, that she didn't vote for him, when he ran for reelection in 1984. He was the first president, both my husband and I voted for in 1980

Reagan is the guy that opened the floodgates to illegals.

Well intentioned but not thought out.

It was thought out, but the congress {both sides and both chambers} that have sold out, not Reagan, but the entire USA.

Look at what paulita ryan, that tw_t from WI, and his weak kneed counterparts did to us during their first, when we had the house and the senate.

I blame paul ryan and john mcpain, two F'n traitors for obama care and the lack of progress with border security.

I hope mcpain is burning in hell and ryan is on the list.

If your SIL got her citizenship within 3 years her husband must have been in the military as the normal waiting time is 5 years.

My husband brought our son who was 31/2 years old at the time from Germany on September 25, 1966 from Germany, were he had come to in December 1961 during the Berlin crisis with his company from Fort Knox, Ky. We met in my home town on Mothers Day in 1962 and married in November that year. He was transferred back to the States on September 25, 1968. That is when he went with me through immigration, where I became my green card and became a legal resident. Our son was born in the American Hospital in Nuremberg, that btw does not exist anymore. He was 6 weeks old when we drove to Munich to the American Consulate and my husband registered the birth of our son, which made him a natural born US citizen.

Exactly two years later we went back to Germany. My husband had done his first tour in Vietnam and I had stayed in our house which we had bought. I could have my citizenship, but I always heard that you have to wait 5 years as I wrote in my post. We came back to the states in December 1970. We were supposed to have come back in September, but our daughter, who was born on March 1 1970 in the same hospital her brother was born seven years earlier came down with Meningitis. It was the kind that affects the lining of the brain. She was seven month old and was already standing by holding on the railing on her playpen. She was a very ill baby. On December 1 or 2 I came over with her from Ramstein to Jacksonville Florida to the Navy hospital. That was the worst flight ever, because every 10 minutes the plane went down for a landing to let some passengers off. Anyway my husband and our some came two days later. Our daughter had to learn everything over again like a newborn baby. She had to learn how to lift up her head and so on. She was 18 month old when she finally walked by herself. As a result of nerve damage she became deaf in her left ear which we did not find out until she was 5 years old and had a vision problem in her left eye. She went to school and we always asked her teachers to always sit her up front, and talk to her from the right site.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.