Its a good day for the World-Herald: Pull of Nebraska felt from Africa
In the west African country of Togo, visitors check in daily at a place with an unlikely name - the Ak-Sar-Ben Hotel.
The owner, Amezi Sedjro, loves Nebraska. That's his explanation for spelling the state backward on his 19-room inn.
He swears he loves America, too. Friday he raised his hand and took the oath, becoming a naturalized citizen.
It came on the day that the president of the United States visited Omaha, making Amezi's citizenship ceremony extra-special.
"This has been a great joy for him," said daughter Linda Sedjro, who is working on a master's degree in communication at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
The day was special for Linda, too. She had tried hard to obtain a ticket to President Bush's appearance Friday and felt lucky to get one the night before from a fellow member of UNO's Student Senate.
We Americans take democracy for granted. The Sedjros do not.
"Every day of my life, I pray for this president," Linda said. "It's my duty, even as a foreign person, to pray for this president to have the wisdom to lead this country and the world."
I'm a sucker for these types of stories. I've very pro-immigration. This country is better for having the Sedjros' a part of it. Period.
I did love this line:
America, she said, is a great democracy. And compared to Togo, she said, Omaha is "really calm."
Hell, Omaha's calm compared to Iowa.
1 comment:
Nice story, and I really like the name of the inn. It took me a couple of minutes to figure it out.
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