NEW YORK -- I became an American citizen on March 31. The steps for citizenship were simple and easy, and the process took an unexpectedly short time. I experienced neither "the law's delay" nor "the insolence of office."

In early October last year, my young lawyer friend filed an application for naturalization for me. A month later, I received a receipt of the application from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Though it said I should expect to hear about the date and place of my interview "within 540 days," a week later another notice came summoning me for fingerprinting. The date was December 1. The fingerprinting was followed by another notice -- this one giving the date and place of the interview: March 16. The interview did not take more than 10 minutes, or so it seemed, and the citizenship was granted on the spot. The ceremony took place two weeks later.

So the whole process took less than half a year. That length of time could exasperate some, I know, but I was in no hurry. After all, I arrived in this country nearly four decades ago. And the officials who dealt with me were kind and pleasant.