Citizenship

Yesterday was the big day: Yucheng became a US citizen. The entire citizenship process took time, but was relatively easy to complete. He was worried about the test, but the questions asked were very basic and simple. So, the last step in the process was taking the Oath of Allegiance at a ceremony at the Convention Center in downtown LA. The drive was easy, with no accidents and/or slowdowns to add to the time, and we arrived by 12 noon as directed. We, and the 8,000 others who were there for the ceremony!

There were 4,217 people being admitted as citizens – and then all the guests and family members there to witness it. We did find a parking place in the underground garage system, but when we left, we had no idea how to find the car again … and had to ask one of the garage attendants for assistance. Had Y not remembered that the color in the garage was orange, we would have been out of luck. Once he provided the garage attendant with the color, he directed us down the block to another section of the garage where we found our car right where we had parked it.

The crowd was very well-behaved because the ceremony begins with the announcement that, for the purposes of administering the citizenship oath, we were now in a court of law. I was seated so far back in the auditorium that the judge, when he stood at the podium, looked about 3” tall! The “giant” screens that allowed the audience to see the ceremony looked to be about 1 foot by 2 feet from my distance, but I know they were much bigger than that the closer to the front of the auditorium one was seated. It also would have been easier to see what was going on if the chairs weren't arranged all on the floor level, so I had no chance to see anything that wasn't on the screen.

The good news is that the entire event was done by mass process, not individually, so once everyone did the swearing of allegiance and the court clerk banged the gavel to indicate the event was finished, we all got to leave. Needless to say, the 5,000 or so of us who exited became a huge crowd outside waiting for individuals to find their family members! I parked myself on a set of stairs at the back of the crowd and called Y on the phone to tell him how to find me.

Then, it was time to find food. Y said let’s go to Pasadena (where we were going to visit his cousin and the new baby) and we’ll eat at The Cheesecake Factory, which is one of Y’s favorite places to eat because they serve a Chinese Chicken Salad that he loves. Believe it or not, the gps sent us through the heart of LA on surface streets and it took us a full hour to get to the other side of LA and looking for the restaurant! Once we found it, we also found that there is no parking in some parts of Pasadena, so we went to a parking lot two blocks away that advertised Parking $3, but in small letters it clarified: $3 for each 20 minutes, with a total of $8 maximum. I guess no one ever told the owner that 3x20 minutes in an hour each would have been $9 total. Our dinner was excellent and then we were on to see the baby.

Trevor is adorable! He’s only 3 weeks old and he was getting a diaper change when we arrived. I asked if I could snuggle with him and spent a glorious 20 minutes or so cuddling. I have always loved babies and still do, so I was in heaven getting to hold him. We had taken a gift bag filled with little outfits, hats, and booties, along with some washcloths I had made, so Lian was thrilled. She returns home to China the end of the month. I don’t envy her traveling with a huge suitcase and a newborn.

Coming home via the freeway was a breeze as traffic had tapered off, and we arrived home safely to our little doggies, who were thrilled to have us back. More cuddling and then bedtime as I was pooped!
Great day and a special time for both of us.