As detailed in an earlier audio postcard, dozens of immigrants became U.S. citizens on October 12th at a naturalization ceremony at the historic Naumkeag estate in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. WAMC was on-hand for the event and offers Part 2 of our postcard.
JORGE: My name Jorge Luis Cedeno Roman.
WAMC: Fantastic. So, where are you naturalizing from? What's your country of origin?
JORGE: Oh, so I am from Ecuador. I will say the town is Guayaquil. So yeah, I’ve been here almost six years ago. I was living in Great Barrington, beautiful town, for six years. So, I will say this is pretty, pretty nice town, and also in this country too. So today is, I will say, is my special moment, is one more goal becoming to my real life. So, I mostly want to say thank you very much for all the guy from here because they are nice people. I feel like a safety. This is something like- I don't know many words to say, but I will say thank you very much. This dream become- I started about maybe two years ago, before the pandemic. And then, I will say, was a lot of processing also. You know, take a book again, get the story, 100 questions, the interview. That was my, like, 40, 45 minutes of being nervous, because you never know what's going to happen. When the officer, he told me, you passed a test, I was so excited. I said, oh my god, I can’t believe it. I was a little nervous. My hand was sweating. And he’ll say okay, I made it. And then he said, all right, you got it. And then I went outside to wait for, to see my family, my wife and my son, and say, Okay, we made it. It's not me. It's like, you know, for my family. That's why I did it. So, yeah.
JONATHAN: My name is Jonathan. I'm 11 years old.
So- What was it like today to watch your dad take the oath and get sworn in?
JONATHAN: I felt pretty good. Like, he spent a lot of time trying to practice, always trying to do it. And then when the test rally came, he was so happy as soon as he walked out of that door saying that he passed. I remember like for the past, like, four months, he always asked me to get like 10 questions out of this practice sheet, these flashcards to help him and see if he got the answers right.
Was it funny to watch your dad study like he was in school again?
JONATHAN: Yeah, it was.
So yeah, it's sort of, it's kind of wild. He's officially an American- What does that mean to you? Does that change anything for you?
JONATHAN: Yeah, it means that he's probably going to try to do harder stuff. I know he likes to always better himself. Like, he's always trying to do better than before, so he's probably going to try and work harder.
Is there anything about the immigrant experience that you wish people understood better? Because obviously, you've seen this whole process happen in front of you with your dad- And so anything about that you think people should understand better?
JONATHAN: I don't really know much about it, so- But by the looks of it, I'm pretty sure to some people it looks easy, but it's not really.
So, what do you do here?
JORGE: I do a landscaping service. So yeah, that's what I- I started up my own business too. That's why 2023, that will be my best year in the USA, and also, I will say for my life. You know why? Because I became citizen, I started my own business, I bought my house I got my family, which is my wife and my son. So I will say, thank you God for everything. So yeah. And also, I founded the organization from Pittsfield that was a good person. They got me through this process to make it real. So it was the [Berkshire] Immigrant Center in Pittsfield. My tutor is here, her name is Debbie. She helped me, she gave me her time last night to get the study interview, make a little example for the interview to be prepared before the real interview. We spent many, many time, and also, I know many people through this process, and I made it. And so this is a wonderful experience. I want to say for everybody, just get in and just do it. If you want, just do it. Don’t be nervous, don’t be scared. Nothing happened.
What do you think this means for your family now that you’re naturalized?
JORGE: Oh, I will say this is the more wonderful surprise, you know, because I went to my wife’s citizenship a couple almost three years ago. And it was simple, you know? But being here with the family is something like a more exciting, this moment. So maybe like more grateful, something like more happiness, and then that's why I say this is one of my best moments in my life, because I can see my family. And also, I made a video call with my parents. They are in Ecuador. So that was like a completely, you know? It's not like physically they’re here, but they were through by the phone. You know, that's why it was so exciting to get my display, was opening it to make a call, so.
Hey, congratulations Jorge. I really appreciate it.
