Most Americans don't know what it feels like to become an American, because they were born citizens.

But based on the facial expressions and body language of nine adult Mercer County residents as they were naturalized as American citizens Friday at the Mercer County Courthouse, becoming an American must feel awesome.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have lived legally in the United States for at least five years and successfully completed citizenship classes to learn the Pledge of Allegiance and the basics of American history become naturalized American citizens.

This year, all nine of Mercer County's naturalized citizens smiled widely as they were handed their certificates of citizenship.

Their chests puffed out and their chins lifted as they said the Pledge; it wasn't necessarily a flawless recital, but it was a heartfelt one.

And they received numerous flags, patriotic mementos, pats on the back, rounds of applause and Girl Scout cookies.

"I'm really excited," Hermitage resident Anjali Patel, a Toronto native with Indian-born parents, said after the ceremony.

Ms. Patel, who said she travels often, said, "Around the world it is priceless to have U.S. citizenship."

"And," she added, "I get to vote, which is great because I'm really into politics."

The number of people seeking U.S. citizenship has skyrocketed since last Sept. 11, but the government -- placing a greater effort on weeding out terrorists -- has taken longer to approve applicants, The Associated Press reported last month.

The AP said that larger numbers of immigrants are seeking the prize of citizenship, both to show their patriotism and to avoid being caught in a federal dragnet that has detained thousands on immigration technicalities in the last year.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service received about 520,000 applications for citizenship between Oct. 1 and May 31, up from about 315,000 during the same period the previous year. Yet, the number of people granted citizenship dropped 10 percent in the past year compared to the previous year.

Melanie Myers, a Pittsburgh-based immigration examiner for western Pennsylvania, said numbers haven't soared in the region but the cross-section of applicants has changed. "There haven't necessarily been more applicants as a whole, but there has been an increase in applications from people who have had their green cards for years," Ms. Myers said.

Some of the county's naturalized citizens said the events of last Sept. 11 were not the reason they sought citizenship.

"If it had not happened, I still would've sought citizenship," said Taimur Akram, a 20-year-old Lahore, Pakistan, native studying neuroscience at Allegheny College in Meadville.

Akram said he is most excited about voting and traveling more easily.

His mother, Riffat Saltana Akram, also was naturalized Sept. 6.

Both went to the county Prothonotary's Office after the ceremony, handed in their certificates of citizenship and applied for passports. Mrs. Akram said the family plans to travel to Pakistan later this year and more easily across the Canadian border to see family there.