Noi: “As an American I Feel Free—Like I Can Be Myself.”

I was born in a small village in Surin province in
Thailand. I first visited the United States 17 or 18 years ago because I fell
in love with Bill and I wanted to be with him. We met in Bangkok where I worked
as a cook in a hotel restaurant. After we met we stayed in contact. He visited
Thailand many times and every time he came back he connected with me. That’s
how we started a relationship.

Our love was growing stronger and stronger, and in 2013
Bill and I got married. I applied for a green card. After I had a green card I
could apply for citizenship. We didn’t like the uncertainty of renewing a green
card. And even with a green card, when I traveled I didn’t like coming back to
the United States and going through immigration at the airport. It always made
me nervous. They always asked a lot of questions and one time they stopped me
for two or three hours to answer their questions.

I found a lawyer to help me apply for citizenship, but
still I worried. I wanted to make sure I knew my American history and that I
understood the types of questions they might ask. So I took a two-month-long
citizenship class at the local library in Portland, Oregon where we live now. I
only had a few friends in Portland before I went to the class, but that changed
after I began attending classes. There were probably 30 students in my class,
and I became really good friends with about a third of them. One is from
Ethiopia, three from Vietnam, two from China, and the others are from Cameroon,
Venezuela, Russia, and Japan. I am the second in this group to become a
citizen. When I returned to class the day after my citizenship ceremony
everyone congratulated me. Even now that I am a citizen, I am still going to
classes at the library where I study English grammar and conversation.

When I took the citizenship test I felt very well
prepared. But even though I knew the answers to 100 potential questions, my
heart was pounding. Then the immigration official only asked me six! She told
me if I answered the first six questions correctly she wouldn’t ask me the
rest, and I thought to myself, “No! Ask me more.” It was much easier than I
thought. After becoming a citizen, I felt complete relief.  I was even able to register to vote right
away; someone approached me right after the ceremony. In the following days, I
also immediately applied for a United States passport. In my old country they
often discourage people from pursuing their dreams. Here, people appreciate me
and encourage me. I like being an American. Here I feel free, like I can be
myself.