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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 21 Commentary... Becoming a U.S. citizen zy Liam Hughed Guest Columnist Wednesday, June 7, 2017 was a milestone day in my life. It was the day I offi- cially became a U.S. citi- zen. Unofficially, I became a U.S. citizen at heart about 10 years ago when I decided that America was where my heart was, and where I wanted to spend the rest of my days. On that day 10 years ago I made a conscious effort to cast off many of my attachments to my homeland and embrace the culture of my new home. However, on this past Wednesday, America offi- cially made me one of its own. Now, this day was not all smooth sailing. I was informed by mail that I needed to be in Portland at 8:30 a.m. to take the citizenship tests — including reading and writing English, and a civics test. So I got up at a time of day that I am not sure is best described as morning or night, and was on the road by 4:45 a.m. I got to the office about 30 minutes early for my interview, still in my walking boot from a recent basketball injury. The office facility had a TSA-style security check- point with X-Ray machine and all. So after about five minutes of them scanning my walking boot for bombs and patting me down, I was allowed through. I figured I had time to head to the bath- room before heading up the stairs for my interview. Once in the bathroom I had a horri- ble sinking feeling as I felt the fly on my pants completely break. After five minutes of trying to get it to go back together it became immedi- ately apparent that the damage was irreparable. What’s worse is this particular pair of dress pants were not the kind where the fly stays nicely together when not zipped. No, it was one of those that when not zipped forms a gaping hole of fabric and puts your under- garments on display for the whole room. So I gingerly made my way out to the security check- point using my file of immi- gration paperwork to cover myself. I proceeded to explain to the security guards my predicament, and asked if they have any safety pins. Of course, they did not, and after a couple of minutes of delib- eration the best option we could come up with was a sta- pler. So I took the stapler back into the rest room and pro- ceeded to staple my fly shut. Unfortunately it was not pos- sible to staple it on the inside where it was invisible. No... the only way it would work was to staple straight through from front to back. I must have looked like quite the madman, fever- ishly pounding staples into my crotch in the men’s rest- room. Thankfully though, this worked, but now I had a crotch full of staples. Having an interview of this magnitude is pretty stressful at the best of times, but try doing it when you are the slightly insane-looking guy with their fly stapled together. Those of you that know me, understand that I am very rarely serious, and I would rather talk about humorous topics that ones of a deep emotional nature, but for a moment I feel I need to step into that realm. I was actu- ally very disappointed with the rest of the process. I had to pass an English reading test, which consisted of read- ing one single question: “Who can vote?” and the English writing test was simply me penning the answer to the question that the interviewer provided me. Which was “A citizen.” (Thankfully I didn’t study for that particular part of the test.) Then came the civics test, which I thought was appropri- ate, followed by the “inter- view” which consisted of the interviewer asking me about 20 questions that I had already answered on my applica- tion, mostly centered around if I was a member of the Communist or Nazi parties, or if I had committed any crimes in the U.S.A. At that point, I DON’T MISS OUT on this week’s inserts in the Nugget: Ray’s Food Place: June 16th only! Fantastic Friday’s One-day Deal is Enchiladas in the Deli Family 3-Pack, just $6 (no limit on quantities)! Bi-Mart: Great Father’s Day gift! Smoke Hollow Propane Smokers are now 25% off at $89.97 (save $30; regularly priced at $119.97)! was told I would be sworn-in as a U.S. citizen. The swearing-in ceremony was where I was truly disap- pointed though. A few weeks earlier I was at the rodeo in Spray on Memorial Day weekend. The announcer started the rodeo by giving a reminder of the sacrifices made so that we can live in a free country. He gave such a touching account of what America stood for, that it moved half the crowd to tears as the rodeo queen rode around with Old Glory waiv- ing in the summer wind. Now, I am not known for being a person of great emotion, but even I was moved almost to tears, deep in my own thoughts about this country that I love. Afterwards I wondered how much stronger my emo- tional reaction would be on the day I could finally call myself an American. However, the swearing in ceremony at the immigration office in Portland was more like something out of a preschool classroom. It focused heavily on the indi- viduals who were immigrat- ing and where they came from. I think I upset one fel- low immigrant after the cer- emony when he asked what country I was from and I gave him the response “It really doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” The ceremony finished with a very underwhelm- ing recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, and a room full ACTIVE RELEASE For pain & injuries that won’t resolve. Three Sisters Chiropractic & Pain Management Dr. Inice Gough, DC, CCT, CCST 541.549.3583 PHOTO BY JEFF OMODT Liam Hughed getd into the dpirit at the Rodeo Parade. of people doing a halfhearted rendition of the national anthem. (I am sure half of them did not even know the words.) Having no family here, I left the ceremony that should have been one of the most sig- nificant in my life, alone and totally unmoved. It left me thinking, are we really doing this the right way? On my drive home I thought more about how little the ceremony talked about what it meant to be an American, and how no guidance or expectations were laid before us as immigrants. The happy ending to this story is that I did finally find my moment of emotional reflection at becoming a citi- zen of the greatest nation in the world. Having started my day at 4:45 a.m., I contemplated just relaxing and not attend- ing the rodeo that night as I had planned. But thankfully I did go, and as I watched the whole crowd of thousands stand and remove their hats I felt a stir of emotion deep inside that I should have felt earlier that day. The American pride in the faces of thousands was so genuine, not lacklus- ter like it was in the faces of those in the swearing-in cer- emony with me. As I stood at the edge of that arena, with my hat pressed to my chest, and my heart filled with pride and reverence, I was deeply moved by Peggy Tehan’s voice filling the arena with our national anthem, and my day finished the way it should have begun. So I guess the moral of this story is this country needs a little more rodeo. WE ARE A FULL-SERVICE WELDING SHOP! Welding Fabrication to Welding Repair Small to Large Jobs 541-549-9280 www.PonderosaForge.com S Sisters Industrial Park • CCB# 87640
