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person I’d grown to be would be wiped clean. It took hours to fill and complete the application,
yet in Poland I wouldn’t be able to fill half a page. There wouldn’t be any awards to note down,
no work experiences, and no places I’d explored and learned from. It would be a blank canvas. I
would feel as empty as white space.

I arrived in Atlanta at the USCIS Application Support Center an hour earlier for my 8:00
a.m. appointment. I wasn’t allowed to bring in my purse or phone. After two hours, I walked out
with dirty hands and a thick study guide for my exam. I immersed myself in the book for several
weeks. I memorized states and their capitals, key presidents, wars and their dates, local official
names, state representatives, speeches, and an array of political issues. I studied enough to get
my mind off the fact that I wasn’t hearing anything about my exam day. How long can a
background check take? A week later my official interview date was scheduled.

November 22, 2013 had finally arrived. I opened the door to the first floor of the three-
story USCIS Naturalization building in Atlanta, and the same musty sweat smell hit me as that
fateful day it all started at the gym. My stomach was already in knots. I got in the mile-long line
to check in and hoped I wouldn’t faint. The office worker called me up and acknowledged me by
my “case number.” I felt like a criminal. No one had a name here, and there were security guards
at every corner.

I was sent to the second floor where I was greeted by about 500 people. I clutched my
small binder to my chest and hesitantly scoped out an empty seat. A guard had noticed my
desperate attempt. With a simple and stern, “Ma’am,” I was seated. I needed to look over my
study guide, but fear had overwhelmed me. I looked to my left and saw worrisome faces. I
looked to my right and saw several people whispering. Either they were saying a prayer or
studying, or even both. I noticed my leg started shaking like my mother’s nervous habit. My fear

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