Inauguration Day

Well yesterday was the big day. I wish I could say it was full of all kinds of wonderful memories and fantastic experiences, but that wasn't exactly what happened. Some of the problems started already Monday night, when sirens howled and helpicopters flew constantly right around our building. I guess you win some, you lose some when living so near the Capitol. Our departure time of 7:15 was not early enough to get us a spot in the mall, so Eli and I headed to our parade entrance. Fortunately the line through security was short, but the apples I had brought along as a healthy snack were confiscated as potential weaponry. I questioned this, but complied so I wouldn't get arrested.

The weather was quite cold, but fortunately we stumbled upon a touristy place that put Obama's face on everything imaginable. They had a TV on which we watched the inauguration. Quite a crowd gathered in the store, maybe 1/4 of us were white, and of the 40 or so, I think only one was a Republican. To be honest, it was not my favorite experience. When you're in a crowd of the political opposition, it is hard to be extremely excited and celebrate with them. While there was an element of excitement of being a part of such a historic event, it was hard to know how to react to their cries of joy when I really wanted to roll my eyes. I had to exercise restraint (possibly for my own safety) when many around me would criticize Republican icons' appearance and demeanor while having only praise for those of their own party. I was disappointed by the actions of some, who booed Bush and yelled with excitement as he got in the helicopter. For supporting a candidate who wants to unite parties, some people were certainly behaving as if they didn't care about that goal of unity.

It would be unfair to classify all attenders as these type of people, and overall I was impressed with the behavior of Obama supporters-those who openly conversed with us, tried to track down an owner of a lost wallet, and exercised patience with the busyness of the city. Particularly, I was struck by reactions to Rick Warren's prayer while watching the ceremony. A few people snickered at having prayer but many people uttered "amens" and "Yes, Lords" and recited along with the Lord's Prayer. I was reminded that though we have powerful political differences, our destiny of salvation was the same-and that's really what matters. Growing up, I somehow came to associate Democrats with non-Christians, and I think today many of us dismiss them as such because they vote the pro-choice homosexually tolerant candidate. My years in college have helped me to see there is more to politics than these two issues and that two equally strong Christians can read the same bible and come to different political beliefs and preferences. But enough of me preaching....

Eventually we had to brave the cold and wait for what turned out to be about two hours because the parade was delayed. I passed the time by doing some gawking at people-and boy were there all kinds to look at! It was especially fun to find snipers on the corners of buildings. We were disappointed that after all our waiting, Obama and family were in the car when they passed by us, and we couldn't see him through the window. As soon as we could, we headed out from the parade to somewhere warm where we could regain feeling in our toes and go to the bathroom for the first time 11 hours.

Reflecting on this experience, I loved being part of something so monumental and historical right in the city. Though I watched most of it on TV, it was different knowing it was only a mile away rather than 1500 miles away. I can't wait until the tourists all ship out and the temperature is a little higher when I can go back to the capitol and walk around where all the events occurred. The election and inauguration of 2004 were events that helped cultivate my enthusiasm for politics. To be here reminded me that is it all real, not just what we watch on TV on the news. But for future reference-and my recommendation to you-unless you are related to the president-elect or have tickets where you can walk right up 15 minutes before it starts, I probably wouldn't endure the cold, the long periods of standing, and the crowds again:)