Among the many family members I am proud and happy to have, there are a selected few who are lucky enough to have solved all their immigration paperwork.
For the records I would like to clarify that although I am an immigrant I have never been illegally in this country
I have family and co-workers that have currently gone through the process of becoming citizens, they took the tests, pledge allegiance, and in a moving (I am assuming is moving since they all cried) ceremony they became U.S. Citizens. Some would say they are not U.S. citizens since they were not born here and some could complain of the “browning” of American (an expression I was lucky enough to read at this White Supremacy website that I read when I want to have nightmares).
Someday I hope to be lucky enough to go through the same process of being a citizen. And it will not be a step I take lightly. I lived in Venezuela all my life before I came to the U.S. and never once considered changing my nationality. I was when I lived there and still am a Colombian. It won’t be easily but with a heavy that I relinquish that.
I have given up a lot to come here, to change my life, to make a different future than the one that expected me back home. I have given up friends, family, identity, memories, pictures, everything I once was I left back home. The person that is here, typing this post is not the same person that years ago got on that plane, against her wish to come here.
Which is why I am incredibly annoyed by people that were born into this country with the many privileges that come with it and do nothing but complain about the state of things. I don’t think the U.S. is a perfect nation by anyone’s standards, I think there is plenty of room for improvements. But it drives me insane when people that were born here complain about the state of the economy or the state of the political environment, or complain about paying taxes, about welfare, complain about the ever shrinking social security and how there will be none left for them when they retire. Every whine, every complain, every criticism makes a mockery out of the people that really struggle somewhere else.
How about a little gratitude, a little humility, a little perspective. How about a little reality check and appreciation for a country who lets you vote, lets you speak your mind, lets you marry your partner (in some states, 5 down and 45 to go wooohoo!) lets you be yourself, pray to any God, dance to your own tune, fuck whatever hole you choose. How about some appreciation for a minimum wage that you can actually live off, for the clean streets, for the laws that keep you safe and defend you, how about being thankful for the blessings instead of whining and bitching and complaining because you want more.
How about some appreciation for a president whom you might have not voted for but that remains regardless your president. How about some support, some loyalty, some respect for the system that you may not agree with but that does its best.
Rebel, complain, try to change, improve, dissent (as someone said) but all while keeping in mind how thankful you should be for the many, many things that you do have, instead of concentrating on the ones you don’t.
Things to be thankful for:
- U.S does not practice female circumcision: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html
- U.S. is free of slavery http://www.iabolish.org/slavery_today/index.html
- I have yet to see a child begging in the streets like I used to see back home http://www.yapi.org/street/
- Relative peace, no civil wars · http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/index.html#
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