Inauguration Festivities 09: Obama's Swearing-In Ceremony

what a wild day! it has been difficult, both physically and mentally, to get back into the swing of my normal daily responsibilities. this whole weekend was just so wonderful!

I had planned on going to the Mall to watch the swearing-in ceremony with the estimated 2 million people, snow or shine, sickness or health. I was determined not to have any excuse to miss such a historical event. all weekend, my housemates and I had been checking the Secret Service website to know how to effectively get down to the Mall, what was allowed inside the Mall, and how to out-smart the natives and tourists all trying to attend the event. with my housemates and house guests riding bikes downtown, I left the house a little earlier to be able to walk down with enough time. wow! even at 8am there were THRONGS of people out, all making their way down to the Mall. it seriously felt like a mass exodus: everyone had the same goal, all determined to get there and not be left behind. though it was pretty cold, everyone was happy, shouting to friends walking along the street. some of the downtown streets were blocked off to car traffic, which added a great sense of empowerment for walkers. the whole street was ours!

I met my group at the 18th street entrance to the Mall, the same place where I had watched Sunday's concert, but looking in a different direction! we settled in front of a jumbo screen just north of the Washington Monument along the White House street side. in front of us was 2 more miles of people and grass, all looking towards the Capital. while we waited the 3 hours before the ceremony, we were getting radio updates as to the whereabouts of Obama. it seriously felt like we were stalking a celebrity, so obsessed about his activities, which is a much different interest compared to our last president.

finally it was time for the ceremony. it was great to watch the screen footage of each senator and representative behind the scenes before they were announced to the crowd. most didn't know the camera was on them! the people gathered around us were very vocal in support for different people. everyone cheered to see the past presidents arrive and the adorably-dressed Obama girls. when Obama walked through the hallway, he gave a different kind of energy in the crowd. one could sense the anticipation in air that this day had finally come! walking down the hall, it looked like Obama was trying really hard to keep a big smile from coming around his face, almost like he was trying to keep his cool, to not be too overwhelmed by emotions. while he was trying to stay serious, the crowd instead had gigantic smiles! many in our section were singing and dancing together, jumping around for warmth and energy.

the whole ceremony itself was like a dream. we all were so glad this event was actually happening, finally happening. we were so thankful that the change of power in our country was a peaceful transition, that millions of people were able to come together and celebrating civilly without major commotion. Obama's speech was uhMAEzing, so powerful and direct. I appreciated that were was no hiding to the American people that there are many things that need to change in our country, but not without Obama's emotional pledge to personally see to it that those changes would become reality. it was incredible to witness such a historic event first hand. even with the cold, wind chill, and tired legs, I am so thankful that I was there for the 56th Inauguration day, witnessing the 44th president of the United States, our first African-American president take the oath of office and pledge national renewal. so incredible!