I have a confession to make. I am a cultural snob. It's not racism or xenophobia I just have a tendency to believe that my culture is better than yours. By my culture I mean British or European, and by yours I mean American. It honestly feels good to make that confession out loud though I suspect it won't surprise people who know me. Those people are sort of used to me turning up my nose at iced tea, or rolling my eyes at domestic American beers. I laugh at what is considered a compact car and roll my eyes (again) when people complain about gas prices, because I know in Europe people are paying twice that number..per litre..in Euros. And don't even get me started on "antiques" and old buildings (the oldest building in Reno was built in 1872, the church in the village where I grew up has parts dating to the 12th century, that's a seven hundred year difference) I've never even tried biscuits and gravy. They just look nasty, and biscuits are supposed to be sweet buttery things you dip in your hot tea.

Here's the problem with my snobbery, well maybe not the only problem but certainly the biggest problem. I have at this point lived in the US for more time than I lived in England. I have an American child, an American car, a (partially) American education, an American accent. And, I have an American green card. I as American as I can be without actually committing. Now, my actual commitment issues aside, I think that it is time to change this. This blog will serve as a chronicle of my journey to become an American citizen. I will document the trials and tribulations of dealing with a lot of government red tape and I hope I will try and find some answers to what it means to be American.

I do offer an apology for my snobbery, I doubt it will go away in a day or even a year. I think I can safely say that there are parts of it that will never leave (I've seen the Rockies, and I am certain that if I were to "taste the Rockies" they would be delicious, not nats piss flavour) But I promise that the words "bloody Americans" will not pass my lips. And, to my British friends and family, don't worry too much, the first thing I learned about becoming an American citizen is that I get to keep my British passport!