A "New Citizen"

My oath ceremony was quite extraordinary for me. I was sworn to citizenship along with six thousand other individuals at the Staples center that day. After getting over the shock of paying $20 for parking I remembered that as anything else in life, it is what you make of it. At times I felt as if we were cattle, being herded from one room to another, one line to another and basically being kept busy for 5 hours so we could be grateful when it was all done. Honestly, I was hoping for something much more personal than that.
Then I realized the magnitude of the event I was part of and of coming together with all these people who I will never see again. Although a bit restless at times, Laura stood by me the whole time. She saw all these eager individuals waiting just like me, saw their faces and heard their native languages. She saw her mom cry with mixed emotions of sadness and relieve when she was told to give up her mother country of Colombia, heard six thousand voices pledge allegiance to the flag of her country and joined in the happiness when it was all done.
So now that I am an "American" I see that I could have never gotten to be one with out being Colombian first. Without my parent's values, my grandparent's love or the principles instilled in me since childhood. That is the road that brought me to this point of my life and the road that I hope my daughter never forgets, no matter where on earth she ends up when she is my age.

What? My voice counts too?

Never had I been so involved or interested in the presidential election as today. Here I am in bed recuperating from a back injury, devouring information on all things having to do with the upcoming presidential election. This maybe an everyday ritual for some, or a nuisance for others. To me it is an incredible new world: voting and having my voice heard.
You see, I have just been appointed to take my citizenship oath on October 9th. Suddenly a new conscience has emerged. MY rights, MY voice, MY choice. They never counted before at this time. What I thought about one candidate or the other, the media or the laws being passed never made a difference to anyone but me up to now.
I have lived in this country for 24 years, paid taxes, gone to college and paid my loans, married, give birth and have turn 40 years old since that faithful night of July 1st, 1984, when I first set foot in American soil. Here I am about to vote for the first time in my life. I don't take this privilege lightly and take great pride in it.
I share this pride with my daughter and explain to her what makes this event so special in my life. We have talked about Washington, Lincoln, the revolutionary war,the flag of our country, the suffrage movement, Martin Luther King, September 11 and Iraq. After our conversations I have often asked myself: Is this appropriate school curriculum for a first grader? Does it meet "academic state standards in social studies? Is it too much information for a 6.5 year old? Then I remind myself that we are not homeschooling to meet state standards mandated by people who can afford to send their children to Princeton or Harvard. We are in it to create a conscientious citizen who stands for her believes with dignity and passion. I conclude that these conversations certainly meet OUR standards.

Considering the choices that the media makes most readily available to the public, I find myself in quiet desperation for everyone who holds the precious right to vote. I firmly believe that no one has the right to tell me what to believe, what to think or who I should vote for. I find the lack of responsible media coverage of ALL the candidates for presidency a crime against all Americans.
I urge you to become informed of all your options. Don't settle for the "lesser" of two evils.
Please register, get out there and VOTE!
Citizenship starts and ends at home.