From "Legal Alien" to Citizen

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

 The Pledge of Allegiance, written in 1892, by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931)

The view inside Sacramento Memorial Auditorium,
 as we await the Citizenship Ceremony

With those words, spoken after also reciting the Oath of Allegiance, on Tuesday September 17, 2013, my sister became a citizen of the United States of America. After 34 years in the USA, she has officially left behind her New Zealand citizenship - and her "legal alien" status. This term has amused and bemused me for a long time - what do these "aliens" look like? Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting, leader of one of the greatest British bands of the '80s, The Police, even put it to music in "Englishman in New York". 

Along with 987 other (now former) "aliens" - including 1 other kiwi, and 2 Aussies - these people became some of the newest US citizens on what was, coincidentally, also Constitution Day. It was a bittersweet day for me, but my sister was also finding it an odd thing to grasp. Since she began the formal process barely 3 months ago, things moved rapidly to this moment - in fact, her final interview was just 2 days before I boarded the plane for this visit. Now, less than 2 weeks later, the timing of this ceremony has worked out very nicely, and it was certainly something special to be able to experience it with her. 

 One thing she is looking forward to is finally being able to vote - and the major political parties had representatives waiting to sign these brand new citizens up. The American form of government appears extraordinarily complicated to many non-Americans, so I imagine that will be quite a learning curve for her. Hopefully she'll be able to explain it to me when the next Federal elections occur here in 2014. 

The ceremony was held in Sacramento, the California state capital, in the beautiful, historic Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.

It was a colourful, serious, but happy, ceremony as friends and family of these new Americans celebrated with them. I know it was a tough decision for my sister to officially change her citizenship, but she is still (and hopefully always will be) a proud New Zealander, and I am both happy and proud for, and of, her. 

My sister, with her husband,
proudly holding her new
 Certificate of Naturalization

And I also learnt I'm known as an "Alien Relative" - so she still can't quite completely relinquish her alien connection!