Or maybe I'm biased because I'm not an American citizen.

I moved into the Good ol' US of A when I was a wee seven year old lass. The first thought that crossed my li'l noggin when we drove away from the Los Angeles International Airport was, "WOW. America's so. . .clean!"

Yes, clean. (Or at least compared to the Phillippines). I guess in kid logic, "clean" meant "pure," much like a new beginning is pure. Apparently, I knew I was going to enjoy it here in America. She offered so much and so many. People came in all shapes and colors and culture aplenty. It reminded me of going to the marketplace back home.

When I grew older and the early nineties rolled around, it seemed that immigrants in California had begun to overstay their welcome. Many public school students had their citizenship status questioned and arguments arose as to whether non-citizen children should receive any education funded by taxpayers. This scared me. It meant that if I was caught, I would have to leave my good friends behind and find some other means of academics. But I never got caught.

The probable reason I remained a public highschool student was one of two things:

1. The proposition that favored revoking academic resources for immigrants met strong resistance on various levels. It's vague, but I remember some influential persons fighting the proposition. And when it came to vote, almost all my school's Hispanics, which amounted to about 56% of the students, banded together and walked out. They just sat up and marched out in the middle of class. Hundred's of 'em. I can also say that a good chunk of those protestors, however, cared nothing for the cause -- they just wanted to ditch school. Some of them weren't even affected by the proposition at all! Looking back, having a student strike might not have been the best move, nevertheless, the right spirit was there.

2. Another theory I like to entertain is that maybe the proposition just didn't reach me.

Either way, it imbedded a sense of duty in me. Somehow, I was riding the system here. A lot of people are fine with what I'm doing with my life, but there are also many who want me out. They don't want people like me "infecting" their homes, property, or nation even. Well, I'm not a bum. I pay back what I owe.

During highschool, I had to listen to my so-called friends drone and whine about how all immigrants should be booted out of school. It hurt to sit and listen to their opinions because I so wanted to defend myself. One of them was Marcell, a tall 6'2" individual that loomed over you like the Eiffel Tower. He mercilessly attacked Asians, particularly the Chinese and Korean, by blatantly stating that having a city named after a famous immigrant country was wrong. For example, Little Tokyo, Little Italy, or Chinatown. I tried to offer the notion that differing cultures add "spice" to the United States' "melting pot" of people. I honestly think it's what makes this country great. Unfortunately, he simply brushed off my opinion and then assured me that my flustered behavior was unnecessary -- because I was a citizen, anyway.

If he only knew.

After graduation, I hoped to pass through the gates of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. It once housed the awesome Tom Dolan, you know. He carried the pressure as one of USA's most competitive swimmers during the Barcelona Olympics. I figure that if it's good enough for him, it would be good enough for me, too. (Of course, I prefer this univesity for many other reasons, but I like to keep my thoughts and desires simple).

Sadly, this dream suffered a delay -- no money. My parents, preoccupied with making a living in a foreign land, could not possibly support a son through a major university, let alone one that's out of state. I searched for scholarships but many of them required one to hold full citizenship status. Weighing all my options narrowed it down to the Armed Forces.

What other means of living could I partake in that will help me with college and give me a chance to give back to this country what I owe? The first recruiter that hooked me was a Marine. He liked what I scored on the pretest he gave me, so he went ahead and tried to fix my papers through the Los Angeles Immigration Naturalization Service. He failed. It was never his fault, though. I just figure that the Marines are much more selective with their screening process compared to the other branches. They are "The Few," remember?

So instead I managed to join the Navy. The Navy accepted my status as a Permanent Resident, rather than a full citizen. For that, I'm grateful. The Navy lets you travel the world -- whether you like it or not. It also caters to a very wide diversity of people from various states and nationalities. I really like that.

Today you can see me trying to make an effort to do my job well. I don't think I consider it to be my permanent career choice, but I'm content. What more can one man ask for? It can be unnerving at times, especially when we're away from family, but it's the least I can do for the Good ol' US of A.