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Immigrants embrace their new nation
By ABBIE VANSICKLE CLEARWATER -- Manali Patel's energy was infectious. Swaying to God Bless the USA, she tightly clasped an American flag. Clapping her hands as the last notes faded, she turned toward her husband, Vrajesh Patel, and laughed.
Turning in her green card for naturalization papers that prove her U.S. citizenship, she closed the final chapter in her journey to become an American. The 32-year-old blinked back tears and smiled as she spoke about her new status as a citizen of the country where she has spent the past five years and where her 2-year-old daughter, Garima Patel, was born. "Today I feel everything from my heart," said the former citizen of India. "My husband and I work hard to make it in the United States." Patel was one of 741 people granted American citizenship at two ceremonies Thursday at Clearwater's Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St. From Albania to Zambia, countries from across the globe were represented at the ceremonies, held at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. People of all ages sat in the plush red chairs, waiting for the ceremony to begin, each with a different story of their path to citizenship. The number attaining citizenship is usually about 800 each month for the Tampa Bay area and Thursday was no exception, said Kristen Holland, supervisory district adjudications officer for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. This month, the largest number of new American citizens in the Tampa area came from Mexico, she said. Some people, such as Patel, were in a hurry to become Americans, living in the United States for only a short time before applying for citizenship. Others, such as New Port Richey resident Susan Jones, took their time. Jones came to the United States from England almost 30 years ago with her mother. She married an American and thought about becoming a citizen, but worried she wouldn't be able to pass the exam because she gets nervous taking tests. Jones said she finally overcame her fears when she decided she was tired of not having a voice in the governance of the country. "I wanted to be able to vote," she said. "I'll be paying more attention now to politics now that I'll have a say in it." Jones took a lighthearted approach to the day's events, sticking out her tongue, jokingly, when her husband, Ronald Jones, took her photograph. Despite her jokes, Jones said being an American citizen is a milestone in her life, marking her commitment to American life. "The best thing about America is ... it's a cliche to say it's freedom -- but, yes, it really is the freedom we have here," she said. As America the Beautiful played, hundreds of new Americans waved small flags in the air. They covered their hearts with their right hands as they recited the Pledge of Allegiance and heard the Star-Spangled Banner. As their home countries were read aloud, many people cheered and stood to be recognized. When the reader got to India, Patel jumped up from her chair, smiling and waving her arms. She said she could barely contain herself at the thought of the promise the future holds for her family. "This is a country of wide opportunity," she said. "For my child I want to blend my culture and America's and give her the best future. For myself I'm glad that here they let women go to work and use their education." -- Abbie VanSickle can be reached at (727) 445-4224 or at vansickle@sptimes.com .
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From the Times North Pinellas desks Editorial Letters |
