Welcome, President Obama

On Tuesday, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States - and I was there. Ever since last summer when he was given the nomination, I vowed that somehow or another I would be there at the Inauguration (I never really doubted that he would win). After his landslide victory in the Election, I was even more committed to going.

So at 4am I boarded a bus chartered by the local Democratic Party - having gotten only 2 hours of sleep, but wide awake with excitement. It was Inauguration Day! After sleeping fitfully on the bus, I awoke as we slowed down. Looking out the window, I could see why - there was a seemingly endless sea of buses, some parked and many more stretching out in front of us. The shear size of this event started to hit.

Once we parked, we joined the steady stream of people. We didn't really know where we were going, but figured that following the crowds would be a good bet. The lines for the shuttles were really long, and we waited forever. It was cold - but I was prepared, dressed in 3 pairs of pants, a T-shirt, 2 sweaters, and a sweatshirt, 3 pairs of socks, a hat and scarf! As we stood in line we encountered some interesting people - a woman from Florida who was flabbergasted by the cold, and a hippie guy with a beard and lots of bottons. Despite the long wait, though, people seemed very happy - there was an air of anticipation.

When we finally got on the shuttle, we were on it for over an hour and a half. Getting into the city was very slow - compounded by the fact that our driver didn't know where she was going! We ended up going past the Mall to the Pentagon, turning around and going past the Mall again until we convinced her to just let us off and walk. Some of the group took off running because they were afraid we'd miss the ceremony. We didn't exactly know where we were going, but asked the ever-present cops and state troopers, and then followed the crowds and signs as we got closer. There was this massive flood of people going to the Mall, and by the time we got there it was already packed! We were near the Washington monument, and after fighting the crowds (and crawling under a tree) we found a good spot where we could see one of the big TV screens.

The amps were incredible, because we could easily hear everything that was going on. It was a lot of fun listening to the crowd as we were there in the midst of it. There was a lot of booing for both Bush, Sr and George W, which made me sad. As much as I dislike them, they deserve some level of respect. There was of course a lot of cheering for Obama and his family and other VIPs. And some fun conversations were going on around us that were interesting to listen to...

You could feel the excitement and anticipation, which all came to head as Obama took the Oath of Office. (He and the Chief Justice kind of messed it up, but that's another story...) He looked very solumn, I guess as one should when you're taking on such a weighty responsibility. Very presidential. And when he finished - we have a new president, just like that!

I thought his speech was good, although I wasn't blown away by it or overcome with emotion like I thought I might be. I think what I felt most was simply relief. After all of this time, Bush was finally finished, and the country was in good hands. I could let out a deep sigh. Not that Obama would immediately fix everything - no, he is confronted with many very serious problems that don't have quick or easy solutions. But I am hopeful for the first time in a long time about where this country is headed. And he's certainly made a good start - closing Guantonimo Bay and putting an end to torture on his first day. From now on I'll be glued to the news to follow what he does.

And I feel like there's been an important shift in responsibility, too. We can no longer say that Bush is in charge so nothing will change and we can't do anything. With Obama in office, I think he shifts the responsbility back on us - we need to join with him to help him effect change.

One final thing I was struck with - as trite as it may sound, the historic significance of the moment. The majority of the people in the crowds were African-American, especially older women who may have grown up during the Civil Rights Movement. Thinking about what this means for them, what this means for our country, is pretty incredible. We still have a long way to go, but this certainly symbolizes how far we've come.