by Cendy C.
I would like to tell you how I became a citizen of the United States during the pandemic. When I started the process of becoming a citizen, it was August of 2019, long before we knew of the pandemic. I was told the wait time to take my citizenship test might be eight months to a year. But because my mother and sister only had to wait seven months to take their tests, I felt optimistic and thought I might get my test earlier, maybe in the Spring of 2020.
In January of 2020, I started working with my tutor from Project Second Chance to learn about the history of the United States. These lessons helped me prepare to become a citizen. I was nervous, thinking I might not have much time to learn all I would need to know for the test. In March of 2020 we learned about the pandemic. We thought it might be over in a month. As the days, weeks, and months passed, I realized it might take a very long time. After a while, it became clear to me that my citizenship would be delayed. This made me nervous and anxious. Every day, I waited for the mail to come, hoping to get news of my test, but I heard nothing. It was very stressful for me.
After my sister has her citizenship ceremony in the fall of 2020, I really wondered if I was ever going to get to take my own citizenship test. Then, in December I received a letter saying I had an appointment for January 4th, 2021 to take my citizenship test. I was very excited.
On the day of my test, it was raining and cold. After I arrived and registered, I waited for my turn and wished I had studied more. There were no other people waiting with me. Soon a woman brought me into another room where she asked eight questions about the United States, which I answered successfully. I also did one reading assignment and one writing assignment. She then told me, “Congratulations, you passed!” She asked if I could come back at 11:15 for my ceremony and I said, “Yes.” I felt very emotional, relieved, and happy. I went in alone, as I couldn’t have any family or friends with me. The ceremony was very short and there weren’t many people but I was so glad that I was now a U.S. citizen.