I was approved for citizenship in early November 2025. We’re now in mid-May 2026 and I’m still waiting for the invitation to take my oath. My anxiety apparently knows no bounds.

I’ve had dreams. One where I contact the embassy in D.C. and speak with Clive. Clive remembers me from when I was a teenager hanging out at the Rabbit’s Foot, a bar in D.C. where they didn’t look closely at your ID. Another where my certificate never reached the embassy in D.C. because when the clerk in the Home Office was printing certificates, they didn’t sort by country, so they hand-sorted, and mine ended up in Uzbekistan’s pile.

I have created a playlist consisting of songs about waiting. I play it every night when I go to sleep. I choose to believe it helps.