So as some of you may have already heard, I am now a certified Yank! I have a letter from the President, a certificate, a new passport, a handy dandy mini Constitution and Declaration of Independence and the following pics to prove it!
I got the letter in the mail in late April telling me to get myself to Hawaii post haste for an interview! I spent the next few weeks quizzing myself (and my co-workers) on US History and Government and then set off for Honolulu...(my office was glad to see the back of me and my useless trivia by then!).
I stayed at the Hale Koa military hotel in Waikiki Beach (oh the torture!). The Hale Koa actually has the largest amount of beach front property of any hotel in Waikiki. I had my interview on Wednesday, and was given the oath in the director's office on Friday. Just me an a lovely South Korean lady since we would miss the larger event the following week.
While in Hawaii, I was treated to the fantastic hospitality of Victoria, who holds my job on Hickam Air base. She and her husband and two adorable boys fed me and shuttled me around and made my trip a lot less lonely than it might have been! I was able to attend the University of Oklahoma's graduation while I was there. It really is remarkable how military members are able to accomplish all that is demanded of them to fullfill the requirments for their master's and keep up their resonsabilities to their careers and families. It's quite impressive and I'm pretty proud of being a part of making it happen for them. I've included a pic here of one of our graduates and Dr. Kondanassis, a legend at OU, head of the Economics Department, founder of the OU outreach program and just "a muffin"!
