My Memory Lane To USA

I had opted for a name change during my naturalization to become a U.S. citizen.  As a result, I had turned what used to be my nick name that my English teacher picked out for me when I was in 7th grade back home, into my legal name as an American.  It's because I have been using this "English" nick name during my college years here in the USA and for working with my American colleagues and employers that I just wanted to make it legal when it was such an easy opt-in on the  naturalization application form.    I don't know how other immigrants feel about adopting a new American name as a new citizen.  But in my situation, I was just feeling tired and sick of having to explain to new colleagues or new employers as to why I preferred to be called my English nick name and not the legal name on my social security card, green card, and transcripts.  I think I probably had explained this over a thousand times through out the years: It's because nobody whom I've

I was born and raised in a very crowded metropolis.  I was used to be crowded around by people wherever I went.  The typical class size of any grade I attended in my native country was 70 students.  But over time, I'd developed an anxiety condition that I didn't want to go to any concert or theme parks that had huge crowds.  I hadn't gone to the theater to watch a movie for 4 years.  I just feel very anxious around crowds.  I don't remember when exactly I started to have such phobia.  It was a gradual and subtle development until one day I felt as if I was going to pass out, and that my heart would stop when I was in a crowded concert at the Hollywood Bowl.  Today, I still remember the horrible experience when I had to walk through this very crowded and congested tunnel in Hollywood Bowl to exit to the parking lot.  I felt my journey to my car was like forever,  as if my heart was just going to die on me, and I would just fall and be trampled on before I could make

During my years living in the USA, there had been a lot of things that really shocked me.  Just when I thought I knew everything about the USA before I moved here, I realized I actually knew so little.  Now looking back, I see how naive I was.  But it was a good thing because being naive kept me optimistic and happy.  Ignorance is really a bliss!  When I was growing up, I heard so much about the USA, and I heard how not only was USA the super powerful world police, but was the "richest" country in the world.  The international brand of America has always been: America is the land of opportunities, the land where dreams come true, the land where everybody can get rich and have a wonderful life. So the first time when I encountered homeless people in New York City as a teenage tourist, I was shocked.  I remember calling my father back home asking why there were so many homeless people in New York City.   My dad was also surprised to hear this and he of course didn'

One of the prototypes of social security card shown on the Social Security Administration website.  I haven't updated my new U.S. citizenship status with the Social Security Administration yet. I'm still having the old social security card with my old name. (Yes, I changed my name during the naturalization process.)  I was told at the oath taking ceremony that I must wait at least 30 days before going to the office of social security to update my new citizenship status.   Like most new citizens who are always overthinking about how to follow the U.S. law to the T, I'm starting to question, is it really 30 days? Is it really that long?  Is it even reasonable it takes this long?  Did I hear it wrong at the oath taking ceremony?  Now, I'm starting to go crazy.  Is this sad?  I think this has to do with the trauma of waiting in line for so long  to become a U.S. citizen. The many years of feeling insecure about  my future in the USA had caused me anxiety symptoms tha

As a new citizen, I learn quickly that New York Times seems to  have an agenda.  When I was growing up, my grandparents who fled a very brutal communist regime in the 1950s always told me that the communist dictator back in their home country always commanded all kinds of "scientific" studies to specifically meet his "expectation". Any scientists whose studies showed results that deviated from the dictator's political agenda were sent to labor camp if it was a lucky day, or they were quickly executed if it was just a regular day.  As a result, all newspapers back in my grandparents' home country were always reporting studies that showed skewed statistics. Yes, this is what having no free-press is all about!  This is why my grandparents fled their country they loved so very much.  No, they didn't flee here to the USA. If only they did, my life in the USA would have been so much easier. Why I came to the USA as an immigrant belongs to another post. Let

This is the welcome video I saw at the oath taking ceremony.  There was a lot of applause from the thousands of new Americans at the end of the President's speech.  So to all the Americans who don't like Donald Trump and who want to leave the USA because of him, you won't be missed.  For every American citizen who doesn't like Donald Trump, there are a lot  more new Americans who like him. Applause from thousands of new citizens happen almost every month in my sanctuary city.  The more Trump hating Americans "actually" leave the USA, the more room for new comers.    I was surprised  that there was so much applause during the introduction of Donald Trump as the President and at the end of his welcome speech.  TV shows like "The View" and others make me think that I can be among the few immigrants who aren't Trump-haters. It's not the case in reality. As to why the mainstream media under-estimate Donald Trump's appeal to naturali