Veronica has been in my life for about five years now. We met at an ESL class at a local church. She was looking for some private tutoring and God placed me in the right place at the right time. She had a goal of Citizenship in mind. She knew how to say, "How are you?" and answer, "I am fine." She could give her own name and address, but in very broken English. Citizenship was very important to her. She was in the US on a green card and it would expire very soon. She had a little girl, Mariana, who had been born in the US and who was, herself, a US citizen by virtue of her birth. Veronica had a job and could take care of herself and Mariana with the help of Mariana's father.
We began working together. I thought that we would first need to work on English. The test is in English and it covers a lot of government and history. It was not long until she shared with me that her first attempt at Citizenship would be in a few months - not nearly enough time for her to learn English first. It became clear that she planned to literally memorize the questions and answers without actually knowing their meaning. She worked very hard. Finally the day came for her to go to Memphis for her test. Sadly, she did not pass. For each paid fee, aliens are allowed three tries to pass and the fee is very pricey. We worked very hard once more and she was given a new date for her then third try. I was so nervous for her. Mickey and I decided to take her to Memphis for the test. It would be interesting to see the building and how the process worked. She came in from the testing center and I could tell she was disappointed. She had missed Citizenship by ONE word in her writing skills. I thought that she might give up. But no. Veronica was determined and we began working hard again. She would have to pay the testing fee again and I urged her to wait until she learned English better. She worked hard, still mostly memorizing the book. I would explain the best I could the question and the answer. I would drill her over and over. Finally the day came for her to test once again. What unspeakable joy filled my heart as she told me she passed! It was my privilege to attend her naturalization ceremony and be there when she was sworn in as a United States citizen.
I wasn't sure she would want to continue learning English when she achieved this goal, but was pleasantly surprised when she didn't skip a beat. She wanted to learn how to communicate with Mariana's teachers, with her co-workers and bosses, with her doctors, and other English speakers in her new country. She and Mario married and they became a new immigrant family. Mario obtained a green card and also pursued learning English with the plan of also achieving Citizenship. They purchased a house and settled in Batesville, both working hard for the American dream.
Each year Veronica has invited me to celebrate Mariana's birthday by coming to her party. This year I accepted, and I am so glad I did. It meant a lot to Veronica to have me there. We have gone through quite a few things together. She was my student when Lacey moved overseas. She was my student when three of my grandchildren were born. She was my student when my dad died. I was her teacher when she miscarried, twice. I was her teacher when she went to have an ultrasound on the baby she is now carrying. We decided together that we would contact the Ozark Foothills Literacy Project and use their agency to continue our student/teacher relationship. It was a great decision and we are grateful for the training, support and curriculum that we receive through them. We have become much more than student/teacher. We are friends who love one another. I am so thankful that God placed us in the right place and at the right time to share this life together.
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