A friend of mine is becoming a US Citizen today.
I became a US Citizen because my mom gave birth to me on US soil (Westminster, CA to be exact). My friend is becoming a citizen because this is something he wants, not something he got. My friend had to take a test, get interviewed countless times, prove that he had paid his taxes for the time that he'd been living here (he's almost 30 now and has been living here since he was about 12). All I had to do was cry when the doctor smacked me on the ass.
Can you pass the citizenship test?
I wrote the blog entry above a few months ago but never published it. I publish it today to honor two of my colleagues Enrique and Francisco. Enrique works with me here in San Francisco. He is my friend who became a citizen last month. He is Chilean. It must be very hard for him being so far away from his family. I can only imagine how he's feeling waiting and waiting to hear from his family, making sure everyone is OK. Francisco lives in Sanitago. Just like Enrique, he is on my team. I've met him once and speak with him every week at our team's weekly conference call. We've heard from him. He and his wife are safe. I write this also for my friend who lives in TN. She has friends and family in Chile as well.
If you can, say a prayer, light a candle, send aloha, chant, send good thoughts, etc. Whatever you do, please do it.
..... sweeping generalizations stemming from my experiences and imagination ..... Warning: contains much that is apocryphal - or at least wildly inaccurate.
Thanks A, I have been telling my aunt how many people have her in their thoughts and it really does make her feel happy. Things are hard for everyone there. It's very sad. I appreciate your thoughts coming our way. Best to you and your fam.
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