After the relief of finally obtaining our long-awaited
permanent residency status in Australia, we had 2 years to prepare for our
Citizenship interview. Back then there were no exams however we had to be
interviewed to show that we have assimilated into the Australian society and
prepared to make a commitment to serve our country through voting, jury duty
etc.
At that time, it was only my mother, my brother and I taking
the step to become citizens of this great country. Although I was nervous, I
knew that my mother and brother were a little anxious about being interviewed
fearing that they will get too nervous and not being able to answer the
questions properly. My mother was worried that if we did not do well, we would
not be able to get our citizenship.
In order to prepare them and myself, I put together a folder
for each of us containing important points and sample questions and answers.
The Department of Immigration provided enough information so that we can be
prepared. However, I reminded both my mother and my brother to take their time
and ask for the question to be repeated if they are unclear or unsure. Having
an interpreter defeats the purpose of showing that we are able to communicate
fluently in English so obviously that was not an option for my mother.
Fortunately, she had been working for a long time at that stage and was able to
speak English at an adequate level.
We would regularly revise the contents of that folder and
took it with us when the day of our interview finally arrived. I prayed that I
would go first so then I could tell my mother and my brother what to expect. We
nervously sat in the waiting area at the Department of Immigration and my
prayer was answered when they called my name first. I told my mother and
brother that they may be called whilst I am still in my interview but
re-assured them that they have had plenty of time to prepare and that they will
be fine. Most of all I told them to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance whilst
they wait.
The interview area was basically a room with teller style
booths and I was seated across from a female interviewer. We greeted each other
and after our introductions she asked me about my background, where I was from.
As I was telling her that I was born in East Timor, my eyes caught a book on
her desk and it had a title with the words East Timor on it. So I asked her
whether it was her book and why she was reading it. We spent most of my
interview talking about the book and her interest in the conflict between East
Timor and Indonesia. She found it interesting that I was a child of an East
Timorese and Indonesian couple and wanted to hear my story. We spent 95% of my
interview discussing life in general and 5% briefly going through the
citizenship requirements. She then asked me if I was here alone and I mentioned
to her that my mother and brother are also here for their interview and that they
were very nervous.
My interviewer told me to wait as she called over her
colleague who was assigned to interview my mother. He came over and said to me “I
am interviewing your mother and I hear that she is very nervous?” I told him
that she is and my brother is also nervous. He told me that I was to go and get
them and he will do their interview together and it will be very quick and they
need not worry.
I called my mother and brother into the interview area and
sat them down in front of their interviewer. I told them not to be nervous and
they were relieved that I was permitted to sit with them during their
interview. They introduced themselves and the man interviewing them confirmed a
few details. Then he said he will just go through some points regarding their
citizenship and that will be all. My mother asked if she was able to refer to
her folder if she was unsure. The man interviewing them and the lady asked me
why we were all holding a folder and I told them that it was a folder full of
points and interview questions and answers I put together so that we can
prepare for today. Both the lady and the man looked at us and said that they
were amazed and had not seen such commitment and preparation. They were
impressed. I then told them and we are very committed into obtaining our
citizenship and wanted to ensure that we were able to get through this
interview as best we can. On that note the man said he was satisfied that my
mother and my brother have fulfilled all the requirements and all three of us
were granted our citizenship. My mother and brother were relieved. When we
exited the interview room, my mother and brother asked me what happened during
my interview and why things turned out better than they had imagined. I
reminded them how much we prepared but most of all how much we prayed and how
we knew that God would be there with us and we can only surrender to him.
It may seem like nothing to a lot of people however I often
wonder how the interviews would have gone if the lady wasn’t reading that book
or if I didn’t prepare those folders or if my mother and my brother had to do
the interviews separately or if the interviewers weren’t so understanding.
I believe that God places situations before us where His
blessing seem to come out of nowhere yet it is what we need at the right time
and all we have to do is surrender, have faith, do our best and let God do the
rest. He’s got your back. God bless you all.
