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Friday, February 16, 2018

MAX BECOMES A US CITIZEN!!!

In September of 2001, Max was at the grand finale of his path to immigration in America. His children were American. His wife was American. He resided full time in America. We had both decided that the best thing to do was opt for dual citizenship. He is Brazilian, of course, and having a US passport would be a realistic goal, given his lifestyle. Nothing would ever replace his Brazilian roots and nothing would replace his love for both countries.



Some people are of the belief that it is an easy process, but it isn't. Number one, it is costly. It isn't a small matter. I honestly don't know how many people could ever support their family and pay the legal fees to immigrate, at the same time. We had a fantastic lawyer, Joanne Stark-Trujillo, who walked us through the process. Keep in mind that we married in 1993 and this citizenship journey was completed in 2001, 8 years later. There is a tangled web of appointments, investigation and fees that everyone must complete. It was much different than when my Mother was naturalized in the 1950's. She had to study for a massive test, which she passed easily. Max did not have to do that. I am not sure when the law changed.







To make a long story short, Max was super happy when he received his certificate and eventually his US passport. Our whole family went to the ceremony and celebrated with him. A week later, 9-11 happened and he wrote Downstroy, Call to Arms and the other tracks on Soulfly 3. Celebrations were forgotten and destruction took charge. Music was the answer.


Class dismissed......