US Citizenship Podcast

Today we talk to Annie Marie Rivera Montes, who is a native of Guam and a teacher (retired) of the Chamorro culture.

Guam is a territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point (in terms of jurisdiction) and territory of the United States, along with Northern Mariana Islands. The inhabitants of Guam are called Guamanians, and they are American citizens by birth. Indigenous Guamanians are the Chamorros, who are related to other Austronesian natives to the west in the Philippines and Taiwan. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guam)

USCIS 100:91. Name one U.S. territory. Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands American Samoa Northern Mariana Islands Guam

Learn more about Guam, the Mariana Islands, and the Chamorro at Guampedia: Guam's Online Encyclopedia https://www.guampedia.com/

Although Guamanian serve in the military at a rate that is three times higher than the rest of the country, their vets' struggle to receive medical services WATCH: America By the Numbers: Island of Warriors https://www.pbs.org/video/america-numbers-island-warriors CONTACT: VA.gov or your U.S. congress members. Tell them that you support increased healthcare services for vets, especially those from Guam and the U.S. territories.

This interview was recorded in the Kaiser Vallejo Rehabilitation Center, where Annie Marie's husband and my father where recovering from their strokes. Unfortunately my father passed away the next day. PLEASE learn more about strokes at http://www.stroke.org/

Linda Chen talks about studying for, going to, and PASSING her US Citizenship Interview. At the end of the interview, she gives tips in Mandarin and Taiwanese.

Listen to all three of Linda's practice interviews:

A Casual Citizenship Interview with Linda Chen http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2017-casual-interview.mp3

Linda Chen's Second Citizenship Interview http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2017-october.mp3 https://youtu.be/Tl2CeCaNV2M

A "Regular" Citizenship Interview (plus N-400 Part 12 Vocabulary Questions) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/november-interview-2017.mp3 https://youtu.be/_nvSEpNrD-w

Check our YouTube channel for our latest videos https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/

A short citizenship interview with "examiner" with Osman Nejat (Kabul, Afghanistan), the Citizenship and GED/HiSET teacher from New Haven Adult School. After the interview, Teacher Osman reflects on being bi-lingual and bi-cultural in America.

This interview was recorded at the 2018 CCAEstate.org conference in Fresno,CA.

Read more about Teached Osman's journey from ESL student to ESL teacher https://adultedlearners.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=studentStory&sId=35

In honor of Ramadan, my fellow teacher, Nahil Ireiqat (Jerusalem), asks questions based N-400 Application for Naturalization and requests further explanation for Part 12 vocabulary. You can follow along at:

A "Regular" Citizenship Interview Based on the USCIS N-400r (6 pgs, 75 questions) (updated 10/01/2016) pdf: http://goo.gl/Q5BhXk ppt: https://goo.gl/GUfiKY vocab pdf: https://goo.gl/PsDrG9

N-400r Part 12 Overview pptx via Google Slides (30 vocabulary words) https://goo.gl/yWvD4Q

N-400r Part 12 Overview Vocabulary (pdf of pptx) (30 vocabulary words) https://goo.gl/402lzB

Introduction to the N-400r Part 12 Quiz (20 questions) http://goo.gl/0HdOVp

N-400r Part 12 Overview Quiz (27 questions) http://goo.gl/3m3t7K

N-400r Basic Interview Quiz Part 12 (20 vocabulary words) http://goo.gl/U0aGKQ

After the interview, Teacher Nahil talks about how she prepares for and observes the month of Ramadan.

This interview was recorded on the eve of Ramadan 2018.

You can find more citizenship resources in English, Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu at http://bit.ly/citz4ramadan

In this interview, I interview Teacher Thu Ha Nguyen about her online citizenship course that she developed for the San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) which is the adult education division of the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD).

This interview was recorded at the San Diego CATESOL Conference where we also recorded five quick citizenship videos with her fellow SDCE citizenship teachers, Mechelle Perrot and Rose-Elena Lopez. The first video is up now in which I, the examiner, doesn't think that Mechelle is ready for the interview because Mechelle doesn't understand one of the first interview questions about eligibility.

Mechelle insists (politely) that she has studied for the English and Civics test and asks the examiner to rephrase the question which has the key word "eligible."

Note: If you do not understand an examiner's question, DO NOT SAY YES OR NO. Request that the examiner to use different words to ask the question.

Check back for the rest of the San Diego citizenship Inteview in the upcoming week.

San Diego Citizenship Interviews Playlist on YouTube http://bit.ly/SDcitz-interviews

If you need help on N-400 vocabulary, go to our website N-400 PDFs http://bit.ly/N400-pdfs

Part 1: Chris Norwood, Vice-President of the MUSD School Board of Trustees, conducts a mock Citizenship Interviews with Teacher Jennifer

Part 2: Chris Norwood, Vice-President of the MUSD School Board of Trustees, talks about the Milpitas Unified School District (www.musd.org). He describes our Parent University and an upcoming bond measure that will support the growth of the Ayer Adult Education Center (amongst other MUSD projects). Furthermore, he encourages adult students and citizens to make their voices heard by participating in campaigning and voting in support of schools.

This interview with Chris Norwood is also available as closed-captioned videos:

Milpitas Adult School Open House Citizenship Interview 5 https://youtu.be/66olSQErDZI

Milpitas Adult School Open House Citizenship Interview 6 https://youtu.be/RiSQWdsoEiA

Watch more interviews:

MAE Open House Citizenship Interviews Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y71_wBr3lo7Du-OMbJ5_KF-

Adult Education Matters Interview 1 with Principal Giuliana Brahim Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/g-podcast-01.mp3 Watch: https://youtu.be/ybbsB8CVw6Q

Adult Education Matters Interview 1 with Principal Giuliana Brahim Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/g-podcast-01.mp3 Watch: https://youtu.be/zuJgMq_s69k

#AdultEducationMatters Video Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y4p93yVyt-Q2hKDD5rbcONf

An interview with Principal Giuliana Brahim of Milpitas Adult Education.

First, you will hear basic 25 question interview based on the USCIS N-400. Then, Principal Giuliana describes Milpitas Adult Education and Corrections programs and the future of Adult Education.

The mission of Milpitas Adult Education is to empower, strengthen, and grow our adult learners. Learn more at https://adulted.musd.org/

For our students' convenience, we have taken sound bites from this podcast and posted them to our YouTube channel.

MAE: Paying Attention to the Adult Learner https://youtu.be/OP16LZZiffs

Challenges for the Adult Learner https://youtu.be/cEqTHYINJhw

What is a 243-funded Class? https://youtu.be/cCcveWoMnT0

Adult Education: No Wrong Door https://youtu.be/LagvDhyTmm8

MAE: Future Challenges https://youtu.be/QVonmBv2eBE Gracias! https://youtu.be/hjc5vhbeohA

Adult Education Matters Interview Part 1 mp3: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/g-podcast-01.mp3 mp4: https://youtu.be/ybbsB8CVw6Q

For more interviews, see uscitizenpod's YouTube channel-- #AdultEducationMatters Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y4p93yVyt-Q2hKDD5rbcONf

An interview with Principal Giuliana Brahim of Milpitas Adult Education.

First, you will hear a simple, 10 question interview twice: once with single words answers, and the second time Principal Giuliana answers the questions in complete sentences. Although the vocabulary and grammar become more difficult, it is important to note that both the short and long answers provide complete information. Remember: the USCIS officer wants the truth and needs complete information.

Then, Principal Giuliana talks about how her life as an immigrant from Peru has informed her profession as an adult educator and administrator. Giuliana describes culture shock when she came to the US and the pain of "casual" racism that she felt when her fellow country men confused her ethnic identity and neglected to acknowledge her cultural heritage. This led to the heightened awareness and appreciation for the cultural diversity of parents and children in the Milpitas Unified School District.

For our students' convenience, we have taken sound bites from this podcast and posted them to our YouTube channel.

Two Simple Citizenship Interviews with Principal Giuliana https://youtu.be/qN5su5aOO0Y

My Immigration and Citizenship Story by Principal Giuliana https://youtu.be/b7gyHLO_Uvc

I felt like an Immigrant in my own Home Country https://youtu.be/SHMPNLS3VaE

We Live in a Diverse Community! https://youtu.be/swyzvdka-z0

Struggle and Persistence in an Adult Learner's Life https://youtu.be/5TZO8F-OtHo

For more interviews, see uscitizenpod's YouTube channel-- #AdultEducationMatters Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y4p93yVyt-Q2hKDD5rbcONf

Today's quiz pairs ten citizenship questions with ten American Christians from the western Catholic and Protestant traditions:

Bartolomé de las Casas Sojourner Truth Aimee Semple McPherson Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin Bishop Fulton Sheen Mother Angelica Billy Graham Huston Smith Watchman Nee

This quiz is a follow up to last year's quiz about American Christians from the Eastern Orthodox traditions.

Later, dig deeper into the lives of these saints.

For example, Bartolome de las Casas was once a slave owner himself, but changed. His failed mission in Puerto Rico compelled him to take holy orders as a Dominican friar. This change eventually led to his new job as the Bishop of Chiapas, Mexico where used his power to fight for civil rights. Reading his works today, it would be easy to imagine what he would say about the Black Lives Matter movement, Puerto Rico's economic woes, or the incresed militarization of U.S.-Mexico border.

Download the bonus quiz pdf!

Also see:

Happy Pascha! A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Eastern Orthodox Christian Americans http://goo.gl/YE8yR8

GOOD FRIDAY Faith-Based Immigration and Refugee Resources http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2018/03/good-friday-faith-based-immigration-and.html

Three Passover Haggadahs Celebrating our Immigrant Nation and a POP Quiz http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2018/03/haggadahs-celebrating-our-immigrant.html

Cesar Chavez Day! http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2018/03/cesar-chavez-day.html

AND COMING UP IN APRIL

Fifteen Questions for April 15 Income Tax Day http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2017/04/income-tax-day.html Kahoot: Happy Tax Day with Kahoot! http://goo.gl/MmQgfx

Citizenship Resources for Earth Day http://goo.gl/iwygwv 10 Citizenship Questions in Honor of Earth Day http://goo.gl/SEkw48

Happy Spring! Before we begin today's interview, I encourage you to visit the updated uscis.gov homepage. Of particular note are their self-service tools under the Tool header. You can easily file your N-400 online, check your case status, check application processing times, and access many other services.

In honor of Persian New Year, we are going to revisit an practice Citizenship interview that I recorded in 2007 with a fellow ESL teacher and great friend, Nilou from Isfahan, Iran. Every year, Teacher Nilou sets up a Haft-Seen in her classroom, a special table with seven fruits. Students enjoy learning about Nowruz, a holiday that is widely celebrated in western Asia, middle-eastern communities in America, and even in the White House. Check the show notes for more citizenship resources in Farsi. uscitizenpod: A Basic Citizenship Interview with Pari Akibari (Esfahan, Iran) (mp3) This was the original recording was re-mastered for today's podcast. Note: N-400 Part 10 is now N-400 Part 12 and the Civics questions are obsolete (ex: George W Bush was the current president in 2007).

uscitizenpod: 2016 Spring Citizenship Interview with Ali Akbari (Iran/Malaysia) (mp3) A practice citizenship interview recorded in honor of Persian New Year (2016)

uscitizenpod: Citizenship Interview Quiz for Presidents' Week 2017: Hushang Ansary (Iran) (pdf) A citizenship multiple-choice quiz based on the N-400 Application for Naturalization plus 10 civics questions.

More Citizenship Resources in Honor of Nowruz

http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2018/03/citizenship-resources-in-honor-of-nowruz.html