Naturalization Interview!

[LvivLovers 39]

Congrats on the interview date! That's pretty fast!!! Make sure when she studies the questions that she gets the latest info...there are 3 or 4 on currently elected officials...for example "Who is the current speaker of the house?", etc.

Most likely, you won't be able to attend her interview and will have to wait in the waiting area...but I'd plan to go along anyway. In our case, the interview took maybe 15-20 minutes and they scheduled her oath ceremony for the same day...so it's best to be prepared for anything. You can try to find out what the normal process looks like in your area...in some places you can get same-day oath ceremonies...in others there can be a month or two wait.

We're working on bringing the babushka (MIL) here as well. Man, I really hate the California USCIS service center...they are always so slow. We're already over the official 5 month waiting period at this point. I'm guessing you'll be at the Vermont service center though.

Grats on nearing the end of one visa journey and the start of the next one!

[alexzy75 1]

"Bahbushka" is the transliterated pronunciation of the Russian word for "grandmother", meaning Alla's mother. Due to her age and general declining health we are considering bringing her here to live with us. Once Alla is a citizen she can file an I-130 for her mother. Her mother is not likely to have much to say about it.

Since Russian uses a different alphabet, there really is no such word as "bahbushka" it is using our alphabet to reproduce the sound of the word in Russian, so no translator is going to work with that

Poor babushka! (that word does the trick in the Latin alphabet, VS Cyrillic alphabet), have you ever considered that dying alone is not fun for sure, but sometimes old people, the last thing they want is to be taken away from their roots..it kills them even more inside.

So if you have love and respect for her, maybe you should consider what she would prefer, and not what 'gary and alla' want.

apparently as you said 9 we are thinking...) Alla, your wife, should talk to her to know what is on her mind...

[Dave&Roza 748]

Who is Bahbushka?. Google Translate couldn't get me the answer.

You must type in the phonetic spelling and hit the space bar for Google to insert the Russian word. For example type in privet (space) and it will change to привет if the "Allow phonetic typing" is checked. Then it will give you the English word "Hi". The actual spelling is "babushka" but if you enter "bahbushka" it will ask if you mean бабушка.

I am very thankful for Google translate to help with those Russian words I do not know.

Dave

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Thanks. Its "Alla" not "Ella" She would bite me until I was dead for that error.

Gerry,

I assumed Ella would change her name to the more americanized Ella at the naturalization stage anyway, so no harm done.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Aww, that's so sweet of you and Alla. . I wish could've a chance to learn any other languages in the past but I might be doing so in the future. It's very interesting to see how people communicate to each other using their own language with an accent. I find it's sexy.

OMG a beautiful woman with a Russian accent is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hot. (I could be biased)

Gerry,

I assumed Ella would change her name to the more americanized Ella at the naturalization stage anyway, so no harm done.

Voooooooowhat????????

[Girl from Celebes 588]

Gerry,

I assumed Ella would change her name to the more americanized Ella at the naturalization stage anyway, so no harm done.

Ha ha ha. Gerry and Ella? you must like to use E letter,

OMG a beautiful woman with a Russian accent is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hot. (I could be biased)

Voooooooowhat????????

yeah, I watched them on Russia-theme Hollywood movies.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Poor babushka! (that word does the trick in the Latin alphabet, VS Cyrillic alphabet), have you ever considered that dying alone is not fun for sure, but sometimes old people, the last thing they want is to be taken away from their roots..it kills them even more inside.

So if you have love and respect for her, maybe you should consider what she would prefer, and not what 'gary and alla' want.

apparently as you said 9 we are thinking...) Alla, your wife, should talk to her to know what is on her mind...

I think we can handle it. Thanks.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

You must type in the phonetic spelling and hit the space bar for Google to insert the Russian word. For example type in privet (space) and it will change to привет if the "Allow phonetic typing" is checked. Then it will give you the English word "Hi". The actual spelling is "babushka" but if you enter "bahbushka" it will ask if you mean бабушка.

I am very thankful for Google translate to help with those Russian words I do not know.

Dave

Thank you Dave.

[NickD 203]

Here is a copy of the civics test simplified, but you better change the state names for governor, congressman, and senator, providing your IO knows the difference. For free.

"

American Government

A: Principles of American Democracy

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

▪ the Constitution

2. What does the Constitution do?

▪ sets up and define the government ,protects basic American rights

3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?

▪ We the People

4. What is an amendment?

▪ a change or an addition to the Constitution

5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

▪ the Bill of Rights

6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?*

▪ speech

7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

▪ 27

8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?

▪ declared our independence (from Great Britain)

9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

▪ life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

10. What is freedom of religion?

▪ You can chose or not chose any religion

11. What is the economic system in the United States?

▪ capitalist or free market economy

12. What is the “rule of law”?

▪ Everyone must follow the law, no one is above it.

System of Government

13. Name one branch or part of the government.

▪ legislative

14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

▪ checks and balances

15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

▪ the President

16. Who makes federal laws?

▪ House of representatives and the Senate

17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

▪ the Senate and House of Representatives

18. How many U.S. Senators are there?

▪ 100

19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?

▪ 6

20. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?

▪ Ron Johnson

21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

▪ 435

22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

▪ 2

23. Name your U.S. Representative.

▪ Sean Duffy

24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?

▪ all people of the state

25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

▪ because they have more people

26. We elect a President for how many years?

▪ 4

27. In what month do we vote for President?

▪ November

28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?

▪ Barack Obama

29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?

▪ Joe Biden

30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

▪ the Vice President

31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

▪ the Speaker of the House

32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?

▪ the President

33. Who signs bills to become laws?

▪ the President

34. Who vetoes bills?

▪ the President

35. What does the President’s Cabinet do?

▪ advises the President

36. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

▪ Secretary of Defense and Education

<br style="page-break-before:always" clear="all"> 37. What does the judicial branch do?

▪ interprets laws and if they are Constitutional

38. What is the highest court in the United States?

▪ the Supreme Court

39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

▪ 9

40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

▪ John Roberts

41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

▪ to print money

42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?

▪ give a driver’s license

43. Who is the Governor of your state now?

▪ Scott Walker

44. What is the capital of your state?

▪ Madison

45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?

▪ Democratic and Republican

46. What is the political party of the President now?

▪ Democratic

47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

▪ John Boehner

Rights and Responsibilities

48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

▪ Citizens 18 and older can vote.

49. What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?

▪ voting in an election

50. Name one right only for United States citizens.

▪ voting in an election

51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

▪ freedom of speech and religion

52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

▪ the flag of the United States

53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?

▪ give up loyalty to other countries

54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

▪18

55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

▪ vote and contact your representative

56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

▪ April 15

57. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

▪ between 18 and 26

American History

58. What is one reason colonists came to America?

▪ religious freedom

59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

▪ American Indians

60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

▪ Africans

61. Why did the colonists fight the British?

▪ high taxes, free boarding to British soldiers, no self government

62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

▪ Thomas Jefferson

63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

▪ July 4, 1776

64. There were 13 original states. Name three.

▪ North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

▪ The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution.

66. When was the Constitution written?

▪ 1787

67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.

▪ James Madison

68. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

▪ writer of “Poor Richard’s Almanac”

69. Who is the “Father of Our Country”?

▪ George Washington

70. Who was the first President?

▪ George Washington

1800s’

71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

▪ Louisiana

72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.

▪ Civil War

73. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.

▪ Civil War

74. Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

▪ slavery

75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?

▪ freed the slaves

76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

▪ freed slaves in most Southern states

77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

▪ fought for women’s civil rights

Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information

78. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.

▪ World War I

79. Who was President during World War I?

▪ Woodrow Wilson

80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

▪ Franklin Roosevelt

81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?

▪ Japan, Germany, and Italy

82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

▪ World War II

83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

▪ Communism

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?

▪ civil rights

85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

▪ fought for civil rights for all Americans

86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?

▪ Terrorists attacked the United States.

87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

[uSCIS Officers will be supplied with a list of federally recognized American Indian tribes.]

▪ Chippewa

Integrated Civics

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.

▪ Mississippi

89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

▪ Pacific

90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

▪ Atlantic

91. Name one U.S. territory.

▪ Puerto Rico

92. Name one state that borders Canada.

▪ Minnesota

93. Name one state that borders Mexico.

▪ New Mexico

94. What is the capital of the United States?

▪ Washington, D.C.

95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?

▪ New York Harbor pn Liberty Island

96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

▪ for the 13 original colonies

97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

▪ because there are 50 states

98. What is the name of the national anthem?

▪ The Star-Spangled Banner

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

▪ July 4

100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

▪ New Year’s and Christmas Day "

Took all of less than an hour for my stepdaughter to memorize it on the drive over.

Haven't heard of that word "babushka" in years, think in Polish it means that scarf you put over a woman's head.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Thanks NickD Yeah Bahbushka can also be a scarf and it is named for the fact that almost every grandmother in the FSU and probably Poland, wears one nearly all the time!! They referred to the women that swept the sidewalks in the morning as the "bahbushka brigade" and I was not sure if they were referring to their age or their scarves!