Gentle Giant...to answer your question from the previous page.
I got my U.S. citizenship in 1987, two years before I started with the EPPD. I was a resident alien before that, from 1978 to 1987. I joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1984 as a resident alien and got my citizenship fast tracked by a friendly local immigration judge.
I know it can be a hassle to get your U.S. citizenship. We do have a former German Air Force officer on our Department, plus several other former German nationals, plus a couple of expatriate British turned Americans. Virtually all of them got their citizenship via marriage to U.S. citizens, though.
Our PT requirements are a joke...we also have lots of former college football players on our Department, but no professional ones that I know of. Lots of retired military folks on now, since we lifted our age limit.
Good luck, e-mail me at farewell2kings (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll put you in touch with one of our recruiters if you have additional questions or want to ask more detailed questions (they field citizenship related questions all the time since we are on the border with Mexico).
Ok, so I just got back from Italy, where I studied and lived with Italians, and I live in California, so I can put in some good info on this conversation, methinks.
Italians work to live. That's it. They don't work as their life, like too many Americans do. They work to pay the bills, and then they enjoy life. La dolce vita, the sweet life, is what it's all about. The speed of life is different. I got addicted to the Siesta, the midday break where everyone goes home with tthier families for liek 3 hours. The Italians got a great idea about enjoying your family, your neighbors, and your town, and about loving life.
They also have Smart cars. Look them up. They're cool.
Does this make them better than the US? No! Its nto better or worse, just different. Americans work too much alot, but we put that money to work, doign whatever we love. I think we stress too much, and worry too much. We do enjoy life, but we let other things get in the way. We need ot act like we do on holidays and days off everyday.
On the other hand, we have ice, and air conditioning, and good driving. And alot of other things. But we could learn a lesson in enjoying life.
You need Smart cars in Italy go down those narrow alleys. If they sold them here in the States, I'd buy one in a heartbeat...they're all over my old hometown in Germany as well.