Tuesday, May 20, 2008
By Andrea J. Cook
Rapid City Journal staff (South Dakota, USA)
For Boramy Em, 31, citizenship didn't come a moment too soon. Her husband, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Suntara Nop, has a four-year assignment in Germany. The family leaves from Florida on June 5.
The Nops are both Cambodian. Suntara Nop, 39, immigrated with his family 20 years ago. He has been a citizen for 15 years and has served in the Air Force for 12 years. The couple has been married for 10 years.
Both admit that relinquishing their Cambodian citizenship was not an easy decision, but they value the opportunity to make that choice.
"I think we appreciate it more, because we come from the other country," Nop said. "A lot of people here take things for granted."
Nop recalled suggesting a hiking trip into the mountains when they were living in Colorado Springs, Colo., shortly after the couple married. Fearing mine fields, Em refused to go into the wooded mountains. Children growing up in Cambodia are taught not to go into the woods because of buried mines, Nop said.
Em has not seen her family since leaving 10 years ago, and her parents have never met their grandparents.
"It's not safe," Em said.
After she has an American passport, Em hopes it will be possible to take her children to meet her parents.
Proudly watching their mom become an American citizen were Samantha Nop, 10, and Emily Nop, 7. The girls know how hard their mom worked preparing for Tuesday's ceremony.
Samantha and Emily helped Em study for the citizenship test, frequently reading and quizzing her on the test questions. With her daughters' support, Em managed to study for the test without taking any classes.
Second-grader Emily can tell you who South Dakota's governor is, name the state's U.S. senators, along with identifying the president and the vice-president of the United States and Rapid City's mayor.
Mom was a good student, according to Samantha.
Em praised her daughters' knowledge of American history. "They know all," Em said, smiling at her daughters.
When Em went to Sioux Falls May 6 for her test, the girls stayed behind in Rapid City with family friend Carol Seitz.
Nop said Andrew Jensen, the applications support center manager for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and other officials were very helpful in hurrying his wife's citizenship through.
Em has always planned on becoming a citizen, but the cost of the application process -- $680 -- is costly, her husband said.
When Nop received his assignment for Germany, the family faced a dilemma because Em's Cambodian passport had expired. While they waited on arrangements for her to complete the U.S. citizenship process, they renewed her Cambodian passport at a cost of $800.
Then, they learned that her naturalization application could be hurried along. Tuesday's ceremony invalidated Em's Cambodian passport.
Jensen also assisted in smoothing the way for Liliya Aumiller, from Russia, to complete her citizenship ahead of the normal quarterly procedures.
Her husband, Jeremy Aumiller, is also in the Air Force. The family, which includes daughters Angelina, 3, and Kamiliya, 18 months, will leave for the United Kingdom in August.
After the ceremony and tearful goodbyes, the Nop family left immediately for Denver so Em can apply for an expedited U.S. passport.
"She has to be there in person, and they didn't say the price, either," Nop said, smiling. "That can't be good."
But, whatever the price, Nop and Em both savor the freedoms they have as United States citizens.
"We feel blessed to be here," Nop said.
Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com
The Nops are both Cambodian. Suntara Nop, 39, immigrated with his family 20 years ago. He has been a citizen for 15 years and has served in the Air Force for 12 years. The couple has been married for 10 years.
Both admit that relinquishing their Cambodian citizenship was not an easy decision, but they value the opportunity to make that choice.
"I think we appreciate it more, because we come from the other country," Nop said. "A lot of people here take things for granted."
Nop recalled suggesting a hiking trip into the mountains when they were living in Colorado Springs, Colo., shortly after the couple married. Fearing mine fields, Em refused to go into the wooded mountains. Children growing up in Cambodia are taught not to go into the woods because of buried mines, Nop said.
Em has not seen her family since leaving 10 years ago, and her parents have never met their grandparents.
"It's not safe," Em said.
After she has an American passport, Em hopes it will be possible to take her children to meet her parents.
Proudly watching their mom become an American citizen were Samantha Nop, 10, and Emily Nop, 7. The girls know how hard their mom worked preparing for Tuesday's ceremony.
Samantha and Emily helped Em study for the citizenship test, frequently reading and quizzing her on the test questions. With her daughters' support, Em managed to study for the test without taking any classes.
Second-grader Emily can tell you who South Dakota's governor is, name the state's U.S. senators, along with identifying the president and the vice-president of the United States and Rapid City's mayor.
Mom was a good student, according to Samantha.
Em praised her daughters' knowledge of American history. "They know all," Em said, smiling at her daughters.
When Em went to Sioux Falls May 6 for her test, the girls stayed behind in Rapid City with family friend Carol Seitz.
Nop said Andrew Jensen, the applications support center manager for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and other officials were very helpful in hurrying his wife's citizenship through.
Em has always planned on becoming a citizen, but the cost of the application process -- $680 -- is costly, her husband said.
When Nop received his assignment for Germany, the family faced a dilemma because Em's Cambodian passport had expired. While they waited on arrangements for her to complete the U.S. citizenship process, they renewed her Cambodian passport at a cost of $800.
Then, they learned that her naturalization application could be hurried along. Tuesday's ceremony invalidated Em's Cambodian passport.
Jensen also assisted in smoothing the way for Liliya Aumiller, from Russia, to complete her citizenship ahead of the normal quarterly procedures.
Her husband, Jeremy Aumiller, is also in the Air Force. The family, which includes daughters Angelina, 3, and Kamiliya, 18 months, will leave for the United Kingdom in August.
After the ceremony and tearful goodbyes, the Nop family left immediately for Denver so Em can apply for an expedited U.S. passport.
"She has to be there in person, and they didn't say the price, either," Nop said, smiling. "That can't be good."
But, whatever the price, Nop and Em both savor the freedoms they have as United States citizens.
"We feel blessed to be here," Nop said.
Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com
7 comments:
It is such a shame to hear that some Khmer give less value to their own blood.
Listen 9:49p.m, United States isn't like ah Vietcong or Vietnam.
America doesn't force you to do anything. America has everything for their citizens to enjoy and live for. To fully live or experience the real American dream and its satisfaction is to become one. American citizen pay their taxes to their government to support their country to develop their country to develop the whole world and beyond! The none citizen usually live off the citizen like a leach, because they don't have real identity to find work. Nobody or any campany will hire you or give you a job, if you don't have proper identification. You basicly live off someone and it's a terrible and nasty burden to those people that paid their taxes o.k. It takes any where between 5-15 years to become a citizen and one million illegal immigrants smuggling into the US every year. Would you want to be one of those people? Think again, American deosn't control or regulate your life style. You do ta hell you want to do with your life and the way you wanna, just don't commit crime. You get your citizenship, go to work, pay your tax, buy a house or a business comapny, again don't do anything stupid or commit crime and respect other people around you. That is all the Supreme Law of the land in The Unites States had asked everyone for. To thought that are having thick skull, couldn't understand or confuse its principle and hard head just have to live in the lost land like you.
Remember that Taxes = Welfare System in The US and everything else that runs their GOV. So if you're non citizen, unless you come to the US with the mighty $$$ of your own, you're the one that is going to waste those taxes money and you're a leach a scum bag who volunteerly agree to live the life at the buttom of the food chain and off everyone else's effort. So leave those people alone. They did the right thing by becoming The US's citizen, because now they have their full right and freedom to do thing with their lives and are just having to countries to love and live for. Wouldn't that be great? What did they get to loose buddy? We Khmer are getting smarter and better. Don't you think?
People have their choice whether to become a citizen of the new/adopt country they are currently living in.
Being a citizen of a new country is to enjoy and recieve all previlege which might be under the law of the country and also to accept full responsibilites as the citizen of that country.
This is all about individual choice not a compulsory or must-be one case. Some country allow its citizen to hold dual citizen, such as Australia, where people can be Australian citizen without giving up their origin.
Noope, Australia does not support dual citizenship. Stop bullshitting, motherfucker.
9:49 in case you haven't heard, the US is beginning the deportations preceding on your people (Vietnamese) as we speak. So, If I were you I'd head out to DHS and get naturalize. Like anonymous 1:25 and 3:29 said, It comes down to individuals right. In 1979 the US ban their citizens from obtaining a dual citizenship. Understand this, just because a person get naturalized does not mean that he/she gives up their origin citizenship. For example, a naturalize citizen presiding in the US CAN'T be American/Cambodians, but he/she CAN be Cambodian/Americans if he/she is living in Cambodia. The way I see it, any countries willing to offered me a citizenships, I'll jump on it with the quickness. Naturalizations is a flood gate to FREEDOM!! Take it! Or suffer the consequence.
Halaluyah!!!
3:56 AM motherfucker.
If you are becaming Australian Citizen now you will loose right to your original citizenship but if you were taking australian citizen in the 80's, 90's or early 2000 you are still eligible for your original citizenship.
So better learn your fact.
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