Proud to be an Ammarican

My friend Ammar became a U.S. citizen last week. Ammar is married to Jen, one of my best friends, who works for the State Department. They met and fell in love in Damascus, Syria, where he was born; they were married two years ago. I knew from the first time she talked about him that she was a lucky woman to have stumbled into his antique shop, and so I know that we are an especially fortunate country to be able to claim him permanently.

Jen wrote this to me: "I just can't tell you how relieved (and exhausted) we are.... months of gathering and preparing paperwork, and Ammar's studying for the written and oral exams. They played a video of Lee Greenwood's Proud to be an American with images of newly naturalized citizens celebrating after they were all sworn in. I teared up....I know the song is cheesy, but it was, nonetheless, somehow very moving."

I wanted to hear the song, so I went a'Googling. I couldn't find the video Jen and Ammar saw, but I saw another one that some random person made, setting the song to images of Hurricane Katrina. Somehow that works, too. America both inspires me and depresses me,it contains beauty and squalor effortlessly, and there is no place else I would rather live.

I too am proud to be an American. (Mostly.) Ammar, welcome to my country. May it be worthy of you.