Citizenship

[aggienaut]

   This past Monday I attended the Australian citizenship ceremony. Cristina came with me of course as did my good friend Billie whom I had met about 22 hours after arriving here 10 years go.



   The ceremony was shoritsh (half an hour?). When taking the oath we were instructed to make sure our mouths weren't covered which had me wondering are they literally watching for anyone not taking the oath and what would they do if they saw someone not saying it. And I'd imagine they must have some kind of special accommodation for mute people.



   Most of the other participants looked to be from around Asia in general -- whether that be Afghanistan or India or East Asia. The woman sitting next to me was from Germany, had been here 13 years but had had to wait until the German citizenship laws changed, which, coincidentally, is actually the exact reason I'm also doing it now rather than a few years ago (I have German citizenship, would have lost it if I voluntarily took another citizenship until they recently changed it). No "other" latinos (not that I'm latino but with Cristina's friends I'm pretty immersed in the group), though we did see one acquaintance there a Nigerian fellow we knew through friends.



   Then we went to a restaurant by the esplanade (of Geelong town) named Sailor's Rest and I ate a great big parmi (I had been joking that now I have to order parmis every time I go out). And Cristina surprised me with a cake when we got home.



And Just a Funny Slice of Life From The Other Day
   The other day I was putting laundry in the laundry machine when I looked up and Cristina was giving me an inexplicable look. So I said "for what reason?"
   She proceeded to wollop me with her bundled up sweater (so it didn't hurt just gave a big wallop). So I exclaimed "for what reason!" and she walloped me again and I repeated "for what reason!" while retreating.
   Finally she said "you don't say 'for what reason' in English!" while walloping me. You see "for what reason" is literal transliteration of Spanish phrasing, thus a phrase of hers that technically constitutes bad English that I should be teaching her not to do. But like many of her phrases I think it's cute and frankly more to the point than "why are you giving me that look" which I tried to formulate as she walloped me again ("for wha-- wh -- why ... are you hitting me!" I managed to piece together even though it was known by then).