50 Take Oath of U.S. Citizenship : Naturalization: The ceremony at the Old Orange County Courthouse was, for many, the final step in a journey undertaken in pursuit of a better life.

Jocelyn Wang sat quietly in the gallery with her 2-year-old daughter on her lap. As her husband, Tay, took the oath that would make him a United States citizen, she silently mouthed the words as she had recited them herself just two years before, a smile shining across her face.

When it was over just two minutes later, the 34-year-old native of Laos was a U.S. citizen. Jocelyn hugged her daughter, Michelle, tightly.

“I like the United States, for the kids, for education,” said Jocelyn, 32, as she looked tenderly at Michelle. “Here, they can go to school until college and not pay. That’s why I want to stay here. If we work hard, we can get ahead.”

The American dream of hard work and success was on almost everyone’s lips Monday as 50 immigrants from a multitude of countries--among them Iraq, the Soviet Union, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Thailand--became U.S. citizens at the Old Orange County Courthouse. The first naturalization ceremony in Orange County in at least seven years, the special fete marked Citizenship Day 1990 as well as the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution’s final ratification.

Citizens of countries all over the world filed into the small, old courtroom clutching their citizenship paperwork and pamphlets about the historic building. Some, especially the older people, were dressed in their native garb. Many others, though, looked more like Americans--wearing business suits, dresses or jeans.

When it came time for the two-minute oath, most stood tall, some with their right hands raised almost too high, and carefully pronounced their words. Others appeared casual, as if the words were merely a formality for what they had lived and felt for years.

Potential citizens must live in the United States for five years before being naturalized. So for most, Monday’s ceremony was just the final step.

“It’s pretty much a formality,” said Courtney Lindsey, 26, of Laguna Hills, a Jamaica native who has lived in the United States for nine years. “I guess the first time I actually vote, I’ll feel different. Right now, I feel like I’ve always felt. Happy.”

But for most, the final step to citizenship represented the last strides away from their homelands. While they spoke respectfully of their native countries, no one voiced a note of regret.

“It wasn’t that difficult for me (to make the decision to leave),” said Marilyn Patten, 35, who left Tahiti 11 years ago to start anew.

“My family is there, but I have my own family here now,” she said as she watched her 3-year-old son, Eric, excitedly shake the American flags grasped tightly in his fists. “Now I can say I am a United States citizen. Everybody envies me back in my country. They wish they were in my position.”

And for most, the dream to make life better for their children was all the incentive they needed to leave their relatives and countries behind.

“We came here because we thought it was an amazing opportunity for our children,” said Jeff Jacobson, 42, a native of South Africa who now lives in Irvine. His wife, Rene, took the oath three years ago, and now the whole family, including their three children, enjoys citizenship.

San Clemente resident Ariadna Edwards, 34, married a military man and left Panama in 1983 for the educational opportunities she thought she would find for her children in the United States.

“It’s important to be here because there is better education for them,” Edwards said of her three children. “The better living is for them. Everything is for them.”

For Nicola Bartoloni, 57, the story of how he ended up in Orange is something of a fairy tale. Originally from Italy, Bartoloni was working as a steward on a cruise ship when he met an American woman and fell in love. Though he never planned to leave his native Italy and now takes his 6-year-old daughter, Dina, back at least once a year to visit, Bartoloni said he wouldn’t give up his residency in the United States for anything.

“It’s been like a dream,” he said. After living in this country for seven years, he said he considers the United States his home. “I believe in it. I enjoy it--for the freedoms, for everything,” he said.

Monday was also special for the dozens of family members who waited patiently for their new American relatives to emerge from the judge’s chambers with their certificates of naturalization.

“Everybody should have to come down here for one of these,” said Fountain Valley resident Al Patten, 45, after his wife, Marilyn, completed the oath. “It really makes you feel proud for your country all over again.”

WHERE THEY CAME FROM

Twelve most common countries of origin for naturalized Orange County residents:

Country 1989 1988 1987 Vietnam 1,114 2,147 223 Philippines 221 425 569 Mexico 346 606 928 Korea 215 364 602 Iran 117 233 229 India 88 163 223 China 85 216 241 Thailand 179 - - Laos - 112 167 Taiwan - 327 223 United Kingdom 64 118 138 Cambodia 55 - -

- Unavailable

Source: Immigration and Naturalization Service