American

It feels almost surreal to write this - I am finally a US Citizen! It’s been a long journey to get here, but it’s done.

With a massive sigh of relief and grinning ear-to-ear, I finally took my oath and received the naturalization certificate. A big shout-out to folks at USCIS who have been extremely courteous and friendly through the entire journey (no, really - it was a long one).

Never in my life have I thought that I will reach this milestone, and yet - here I am, holding a tiny American flag. I can actually call myself an American.

The United States of America is many things to me. I grew up watching American movies. I listened to American music. I subscribed to American podcasts (Hanselminutes and listening to Jeff Atwood on Stack Overflow - these were playing non-stop since I was in middle school). I read books written by American writers. I played American video games. Funnily enough, I learned a lot about what I thought was America as well as a good dose of English from SimCity and Grand Theft Auto (Vice City and San Andreas, of course). That last title might not have been the best choice for a young kid but alas - it really helped me build confidence in my English comprehension skills. To me, America is truly the land of opportunity.

It’s hard to understate just how big of an impact American cultural exports had on me. American culture permeated through my life. I chose to pursue my education here, met my wonderful wife here, found my professional nerd calling here, and built friendships that will last a lifetime - also here. American culture inspired me through every step of the way - it’s full of people who work hard, people who love their communities, people who care deeply about those around them, and people who are imbued with the entrepreneurial spirit of “getting things done.” Americans don’t give up. Americans don’t get discouraged when things aren’t perfect. They push forward. They learn from their mistakes. They iterate. They get to work. All in service of a more perfect union.

This is also a milestone that I couldn’t have reached alone. I owe where I am to a community of people who believed in me and exposed me to what America really is about. From my teachers in high school who showed me the power of computers and the entrepreneurial spirit, my parents who insisted that I must learn how to program, my friends who showed me unwavering support and included me in their communities right here in the United States, as well as a few of my closest coworkers (who, no surprise, are also now my friends) who went above and beyond to give me the opportunities to exercise my skills and prove my mettle.

This whole process reminded me of a blog post I read from Scott Hanselman where he talked about his wife Mo’s experience. She wrote in her own blog:

The lady who officiated our swearing-in ceremony said it best: while she is an American by chance, effective today I am an American by choice.

Today, I am an American by choice. I love the US and its people. I love American National Parks (feels out of place to say it but I will anyway) - from Hawaiʻi to lush greenery in the Pacific Northwest and the Appalachian mountains in the East. I am excited to contribute as a citizen. I am excited to vote - I booked it to the person that was registering new voters and felt in complete disbelief when I got to check the Yes box next to Are you a US citizen?. Believe it or not, I am also excited to serve on a jury because I believe that it’s my civic duty. I am excited to continue helping my local community. Just like one takes care of their home, I am excited to help take care of the United States and its people.

The United States of America is many things to me. And today, one of them is my homeland. I am extremely thankful and privileged that “We the people…” now includes me as well.