Houston Oath Ceremony

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Hi VJ Peeps! So, I know of about 3 or 4 of you all that had your oath ceremony today in Houston! I cant wait to hear all about it!!! Post it here & share your experience!!!

[renlovesjesus 1]

hello!! we're done! my husband was at the ceremony today, it said to promptly be there by 7am but we wish we gone later.... we had to wait 3 hours before the actual ceremony begin.... it was tough with a 6 month old, he was fussy because we had to wake him to get ready at 5am.

by the time we got there (6:30am) the parking lot was already 1/3 full... we followed the line and went in and quickly my husband turn in his GC (they took both the expired and the current one), and were asked to look at his paperwork and verify all info were right. then they gave him a colored paper (green) and he was asked to just take a seat in the auditorium. family and friends all got to go in without any checks... i waited around for my husband so we could find a seat together. it was hard to find a decent seat with a stroller... everyone parked their strollers along the walk way... there were TONS of people and it was like a mad house until the actual ceremony began by 10am.... YES, we waited a full three hours... they had a concession stand there selling coffee, donuts, chips, candy that probably got a lot of business because of this...

the ceremony imitated a court hearing... it was the usual stuff then they had a congresswoman for an inspirational speech... and awarded a new citizen family with a flag that supposedly flew over the capital... then everyone was asked to take the oath together and were declared citizens by the end of the oath... everyone cheered loudly, a very emotional time for everyone (especially for my son who did not like all the cheering and clapping and was crying for help) we then sang the national anthem together... and that pretty much concluded the ceremony. sorry i can't remember all the details because i was busy trying to soothe my son.

everyone was then called out to get their certificates by the color card they were given in the beginning. it was a pretty simple ceremony other than the long wait... i may be wrong for saying this so don't quote me but if i were to do it again, i would go and show up around 9am instead... hehe

ohhhh! also, i didn't do my full research about passport and thought that my local post office is open until 2pm for passport application and only to get there and found out that they only take 10 people a day M-F... so it was a disappointing moment when we got there. but then i found out from that post office that some post offices only do walk ins (this one that i'm at) while others may take more people a day or is by appointment only but either way, most of the post office closed by this time... then i was giving a number to Long Point post office and they had appts on saturdays. so I made an appt for this upcoming saturday thinking that's the best we can do. when we got home, i looked online and found a passport service at a near by library that had saturdays too and they are closer so i made a call then found out that they are open today from 3-7pm (odd hours) so we went and got on passport application filed on the same day

in all, it was a good day~ now we're just waiting for the passport!

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Awww thanks for posting in here! Crazy that ya'll was told to be so early!!! What a long time to wait !!!

[renlovesjesus 1]

Awww thanks for posting in here! Crazy that ya'll was told to be so early!!! What a long time to wait !!!

how about you? whats going on with you??? still no word on oath date yet?

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

how about you? whats going on with you??? still no word on oath date yet?

We checked the status this evening and heres our newest update! so of course he's excited bcz its just around the corner!

On August 31, 2012, we placed your application in the oath scheduling que. We will send a notice when the ceremony is scheduled. If you move prior to the scheduled ceremony, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address or call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.

Naturalization Applicants: you will receive your certificate at your oath ceremony. You can expect to be scheduled for an oath ceremony within 45 days of receiving your recommended approval. Many offices schedule approved applicants for the oath ceremony on the same day as the day of the interview. Please check the local office profile page on our website to determine if the office where you will be interviewed schedules same day oath ceremonies.

[TBoneTX 45,302]

Sheesh, man... this report does not sound auspicious in regard to taking little Mini-Bone, who will probably be 2 years old by that time. He's already super-active.

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Sheesh, man... this report does not sound auspicious in regard to taking little Mini-Bone, who will probably be 2 years old by that time. He's already super-active.

Ya! I know right! And its crazy how fast time flies! He was just a little tot when we met ya'll!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Sheesh, man... this report does not sound auspicious in regard to taking little Mini-Bone, who will probably be 2 years old by that time. He's already super-active.

Doesn't matter. I thought it was loud and crazy with kids so one more wiggling, screaming toddler won't be a big deal, except to drive you crazy.

Check-in indeed starts at 7am, but they will be naturalizing maybe 1600-2000+ so it takes that long to get everybody processed individually. We made our plan to arrive at 8 am. The lower level seating was already full, with the section closest to the front on either side blocked off. I think the latest arrivals got those seats. Maybe go for 9am would be a better plan, except the parking lots may be full by then. Only show up prior to 7am if you want closer parking and and to sit on the lower level of a basketball arena. We could see fine from upper level. I was bored arriving after 8am, and then we were unlucky enough to draw the red (?) card which meant we were about the last group to be dismissed to the exit tables to pick up the certificate. Ugh. Can you tell I'm not one of those who cried and found it moving? We didn't even bother to get in line for a photo op with the judge. We just wanted to leave. I found it way too massive a crowd to feel emotional, but maybe it's because my attention span was used up before they finally got started.

[TBoneTX 45,302]

He was just a little tot when we met ya'll!

Wait a few months, and you have a whole new kid, see man.

Check-in indeed starts at 7am, but they will be naturalizing maybe 1600-2000+ so it takes that long to get everybody processed individually. We made our plan to arrive at 8 am. The lower level seating was already full, with the section closest to the front on either side blocked off. I think the latest arrivals got those seats. Maybe go for 9am would be a better plan, except the parking lots may be full by then. Only show up prior to 7am if you want closer parking and and to sit on the lower level of a basketball arena. We could see fine from upper level. I was bored arriving after 8am, and then we were unlucky enough to draw the red (?) card which meant we were about the last group to be dismissed to the exit tables to pick up the certificate. Ugh. Can you tell I'm not one of those who cried and found it moving? We didn't even bother to get in line for a photo op with the judge. We just wanted to leave. I found it way too massive a crowd to feel emotional, but maybe it's because my attention span was used up before they finally got started.

Ufff, man. Maybe we'd better have Mama T. watch her darling grandbaby-Bone while I & Mrs. T-B. brave the masses.

What time does the thing end, worst-case?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

What time does the thing end, worst-case?

I asked Mr. N-N and he said 1 or 2 o'clock. He must have really been tired of it if it seemed that long. I looked at my photos and I snapped one at the certificate pick-up table at 11:44. We also were trying to wait right by the exit and avoid the security guards saying to go back and sit down until our color was called, so we kinda got the jump on our group. We were one of the last groups to be dismissed, so maybe just after noon would be worst case unless it's a much bigger group. We had about 1650 take the oath in May.

[renlovesjesus 1]

I asked Mr. N-N and he said 1 or 2 o'clock. He must have really been tired of it if it seemed that long. I looked at my photos and I snapped one at the certificate pick-up table at 11:44. We also were trying to wait right by the exit and avoid the security guards saying to go back and sit down until our color was called, so we kinda got the jump on our group. We were one of the last groups to be dismissed, so maybe just after noon would be worst case unless it's a much bigger group. We had about 1650 take the oath in May.

yup, ours was around noon... we were SO happy not only to get the certificate, but finally getting out of there... yes, lots of screaming kids.. more wouldn't matter lol

[TBoneTX 45,302]

Holy mackerel. Thanks, si man.

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

^ And congrats to you & the Mrs. how exciting!!!

[KhunGary 0]

Another Houston report, the ceremony for my wife was on the 19th of September.

Even having read everything above, we decided to get there at 7:00AM as directed. The ceremony was up near the airport, and we're out in Sugar Land, and had to prepare our three year old, so that meant waking up at 5:00AM (did you know there are two five o'clocks in a day? I didn't. LOL).

We arrived a few minutes before seven, and the parking lot was half full and the line of people snaked half way across the parking lot. So the missus jumps out to get in line while I find a place to park. Little one and I catch up to Mom well before she gets to the head of the line, which is moving quickly. She goes to her assigned line and we enter the arena to find seats. It takes her another half hour to join us, and as reported above, we still have hours until the ceremony starts.

While waiting, we discover around us are soon to be citizens from England, Trinidad, Ireland and Poland. A precocious four year old waiting for her grandfather (from Mexico) to be sworn in decides our daughter is her new best friend. She can't figure out how to get to her, though, as we were in the front row of of the upper level, so her grandfather hands her up and over the railing to us and the kids have a great time playing.

Finally the ceremony starts. A color guard (JROTC) presents the US and Texas flags. As stated above, it is a court proceeding, and starts as such. "All rise... Present your petition..." etc. We learn that there are 1207 soon to be citizens in the crowd, from 105 countries. The soon to be citizens are asked to stand and take the oath. I try to get a decent photo of my wife as she's sworn in, but the front row of a balcony isn't a great spot to get a good angle. The oath completes. The new citizens sit down.

We then all say the pledge of allegiance to the flag. The welcoming speech is given by a rather famous attorney. It runs a bit long (he's a lawyer after all) but he makes some powerful points about his immigrant grandparent's journey to citizenship. We had been handed the lyrics when we entered the arena, and now we all sing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." This is followed by the national anthem. The best part for our little one is waving the small flag her mother was given during the cheering. The Judge informs us that he and the attorney will be available for photographs with the new citizens. My wife initially wanted to do that, but within moments the line has wrapped around the arena.

She had received a colored paper when she checked in, and the citizens are called by the color of the paper to collect their documents. England and Trinidad had gray and went first, with congratulations all around. Then green was called and Ireland (imagine that) went. Then pink (us!). Poland was holding yellow. I don't know how many more colors there were. My wife collects her certificate, and says to me "I did it." I was too proud of her to speak. Her long study, not only of US history and government, but also our language and alphabet, had succeeded. Our daughter and I did it the easy way, being born here. The line to the judge was still wrapped around the arena, so she decides she'd rather go to lunch.

A couple of photos outside holding the certificate and a car load of Americans head off to lunch.

Edited September 21, 2012 by KhunGary

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Omgosh this is so exciting! Congrats to you all !!! We are still waiting on Beaumont to schedule his oath ceremony!