We all have those special moments in our lives that we hold dear. Graduating from High School, College, getting married, the birth of our children….

For me Friday, August 18^th, 2006 was such a very special day, because on that day I became a citizen of the United States of America.

I grew up in Kaiserslautern Germany right outside Ramstein Air Base. When I was 5 my parents bought a home and for the next 8 years we had the upstairs apartment rented out to American families. With U.S. Army and Air Force stationed all around us, we had just about as many Americans living in my hometown as there were Germans.

I learned my first words in English from the kids upstairs. I watched cartoons on AFN (American Forces Network) and learned to read my first American words from comic strips. We used to be able to watch Ramstein AB’s air shows from my parent’s backyard.

After graduating business school I worked first in the banking industry and soon after started working for the Air Force.  I first worked at Ramstein, then at Vogelweh on and off base housing. I made many friends among the people I worked with, and I loved hearing about the cities, towns, and states my friends had grown up in.  Several of my German friends, married to Americans, had to leave for the States sooner or later, but I kept in touch with them.

My curiosity about America grew greater and greater.  My friends Barbara and Charlie were transferred to upstate New York. In their letters they invited me to come and visit. So in May 1980 I took a month vacation, arrived in the USA on a visitor’s visa with a duffle bag, $1000, and my ticket back to Germany a month later. I spent a week with my friends. We visited Charlie’s aunt in Canada and spent the weekend at Niagara Falls.

After securing me a hotel room for the night and a 30 day unlimited miles bus ticket anywhere Greyhound went, my friends returned to Rome NY and my adventure really began. I traveled by bus from the east to the west coast and with every mile I traveled I fell more and more in love with America--the vast distances between the cities, the landscapes and the people. I had a wonderful time exploring the towns and cities I stopped in.  The month went by way too fast and I knew I wanted to come back. Little did I know I would be back really soon.

I met my husband, Jim, at a Fire Department’s Christmas Party in early December 1980, and 11 months later when his time in Germany was over and he was transferred to Luke AFB Arizona I went with him.

We got married on April fools day 1982 and the next day I applied for my green card.

Although we could have used the extra money, I respected the law and did not work while awaiting my Alien registration card. By Sept 1982 I had my green card and the “green light” to get a social security card and apply for work. Having worked in banking in Germany it did not take me long before I got my first job in the United States with First Interstate Bank of Arizona.

We remained in Arizona from Nov 1981 through July 1990. Our son, Steven, was born August 3^, 1984 in Phoenix.  When Steve was six Jim’s work took us to Florida for almost  four years, and then to Maryland for another ten months. Moving up in the Computer field often times meant moving on, and we ended up in Pennsylvania in the summer of 1996 where we actually put down some roots and stayed until 2005.

So, you see I’ve been here in the United States for a long time. In Nov 2006 it will be exactly half of my life. You might have been wondering why I waited this long.

After all I have been legal all along. I have worked, paid my taxes, enjoyed the freedom of living in this wonderful country, and along the way, I have always let Immigration know where I was.

Once while in Florida I requested the paperwork to start my citizenship process. My friend Barbara, yes the same one, was moving with her husband who had just retired from the military to Florida and we were going to do this together.

I was excited, just to find out Jim got transferred to Maryland, and once you start your process in one state you have to finish it in that state. So Barbara did it alone while I moved to Maryland with my family.

Once in Pennsylvania, life just took over. Finding a job that allowed me to be involved in our son’s school, getting involved in church, I hardly ever even thought about the application form that was still somewhere in one of those boxes we had moved along with us since Florida.

After 9/11 it really hit me. I wanted to make my allegiance known to the world. I went to the Harrisburg PA federal building only to find out that even so Harrisburg is the Capitol of Pennsylvania, the immigration offices are in Philadelphia. Going home disappointed with nothing but an information sheet I contacted Immigration in Philly and requested a package. It seemed like forever by the time the paperwork finally arrived. About the same time I started having some serious pains and fatigue and my doctor credited a tough year for all my ailments. My father had passed away in June, my mother-in-law had been murdered in Tennessee in August, and then 9/11 shocked the nation and the world. No one would blame me for feeling a bit out of sorts. The application forms again ended up somewhere on my desk. Trying to make it through every day life was a challenge in itself.  I was diagnosed months later by a different doctor with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Between surgery and chemo-therapy treatments another seven months went bye. Halfway through chemo Jim and I took a vacation back to Arizona, and we knew more than ever that this is where we wanted to be. Making plans about getting back to Arizona and knowing how long the process for citizenship can be, I decided to wait until returning to where I started out years ago.

July 2005 I had come full circle. I was back in the Phoenix area, two years out of chemo and feeling fine.

Trying to get an Arizona driver’s license turned into a hassle!  The Department of Motor Vehicle insisted I needed a new “green card,” even though my Alien registration card did not have an expiration date. Starting the process knowing I only had one year on my AZ Drivers license to accomplish this, I quickly got frustrated. That’s when I asked Senator John McCain’s office for help.  It was clarified that I did not need a new green card and my driver’s license now bears an expiration date of 2012.

In was January 2006 when I figured that now was as good a time as ever to finally get my citizenship. In my heart I was already an American.  It was time for my passport to show the same.

With gusto I “attacked” the paperwork and followed all the rules, jumped through some hoops, did the hurry up and wait game, and paid my $400 to process my paperwork.

August 18^th while waiting with family and friends I was excited, and nervous, and proud to be at the Naturalization Ceremony. It took a while to get processed as there were 106 others who had also made the choice to become a US Citizen.

Once the ceremony began, there was a hush over the court room. It was so intense I could hardly breathe. I kept looking up at the balcony to make sure my family and friends were still there. After almost 25 years, I was officially going to be part of this country that I for so long have loved.

I had memorized the oath of allegiance, had already learned the pledge of allegiance, and could hardly keep waiting for the judge to pronounce us all Citizens of the United States of America I.

We all waved our little flags while signing patriotic songs.  I kept smiling, feeling 6 feet tall, not an easy feat when your only 5’5.

I had my certificate of Naturalization, my voter’s registration, and at home, the Jurors badge I was supposed to wear not even a week later.

Becoming an American Citizen meant so much to me. The right to vote,  the right to participate in the best legal system in the world, those are not just rights, but privileges and responsibilities – and I promise not to take those lightly.

In light of all the controversy about immigration reform I must say I m glad I did it the legal way from the start.

It was not always easy, dealing with “red tape” can be frustrating at times, but being honest has its rewards. I first obtained a Realtor’s license in Pennsylvania, and now hold an Arizona Broker’s license. I wrote a book – in English – and it is published. (“Seeds of the Heart” at Inkwaterbooks.com)

But what’s most important is that I never had to look over my shoulder wondering if I’d get picked up and deported back to the country I came from. I have never had to live my life in the shadows of society.  

This is what Freedom is all about !!!

I’m proud to be an American,

Steffi Potts, American