Things got emotional, the moment I found out I was successful in my Hungarian citizenship quest.
I had let it go. After years of language study, collecting old documents, translating paperwork, submitting and re-submitting paperwork, completing two interviews with government officials, learning everything I could about my ancestor's villages, visiting Hungary several times and making dozens of Hungarian friends, I knew I had done everything in my power to become a Hungarian citizen.
After hand-delivering more requested documents to Budapest in June of 2022, the final hurdle of my complicated citizenship process, I had to accept that there was nothing more I could do. I knew I was legally eligible for citizenship, and that I had passed my language interviews, but I also knew there was no guarantee of acceptance. My great-grandparents had left Hungary over 100 years ago, and even though my family kept up a strong connection to The Old Country, I wondered if it could truly be possible that I could go back as a citizen.
I hoped for the best, of course, but after so many years of mild obsession over it all, I had to release my need to control the situation. So I did. I got on with my life. I continued to study Hungarian and keep in touch with all my friends there. And as my family always did, I kept up Old Country traditions at home, especially for the holidays.
But I let go the obsession over my citizenship. I had to.
Then, on February 1st, 2023, I went for a long morning walk. When I came in the door to my apartment, I glanced at phone. And there it was.....an email from the Hungarian Consulate in New York, with the subject line: MEGHÍVÓ állampolgársági eskütételre (Invitation to the citizenship ceremony.)
Because I had been documenting the whole process, I quickly turned on my video and recorded this immediate, very emotional reaction. I even had to edit a bit out of the video where I lose it, because it's a bit dramatic!!!
When I look back at the video today, exactly a year later, I can almost re-live that moment. While my reaction may seem a bit over-the-top, I know how hard I worked to get to there, and more importantly, how hard my ancestors worked to allow me to pursue all my dreams.
Below is the transcript of what I said, through tears. For those of you still going through the citizenship process, I hope you soon get to have a moment like this.
I've just come in the door, um, I've been out for a walk, and I wasn't checking my email, went out for a walk,and I just have an email from the consulate, the Hungarian consulate in, in New York,and uh, I, I just saw the top line, but I think it's " MEGHÍVÓ " so it's an invitation.
Alright, I'm gonna sit down and read the email properly.
I have to put my glasses on.
Okay.
They're inviting me to my citizenship. Um, állampolgársági eskütételre...Meghívó állampolgársági eskütételre. That's an invitation to the citizenship ceremony. March 24th, 2023 at 11 o'clock.
My heart's beating so fast. I have so many people I have to call right now. Um, all right, so many people I have to call. Um, but my initial thoughts are this is just that, you know, when my great grandparents came to the U. S., they I, I don't want to say, oh, they had this dream that their, you know, great granddaughter could work as an actor and filmmaker.
I, I don't think that. I think they needed to come here because they needed to work. And they thought they needed work. They needed the, the, the money. They needed to, to make a life for themselves that they didn't, weren't able to have in Hungary at that time.
And they worked so hard and never got to just relax.
But they set up. You know, my grandmother was not also able to relax. She was working out of the home as a housekeeper at 13. Later in life, she was. Then my father and then my sister and I are able to do, you know, what we want. And here I am going, wanting to go back to Hungary as a citizen. And some people think, well, why?
That makes no sense. They came here to the U. S., but that land they loved, that home. The culture, the various cultures of Hungary. And I've always felt that connection to that, and um, To go back kind of feels like a full circle, like, I'm on I'm not only honoring my great grandparents, but saying like, You did it so good!
That I can now do whatever I want, and I'm gonna go back and like, honor you, and be in this land that you loved.
And, I thank them for that. And all the people who helped me on this journey. Oh my gosh.
Thank you all!
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