Inauguration Day
January 20th was a very cold Sunday in D.C. But, despite the cold, excitement was in the air. At the American University, and everywhere around the District, young and old worked together, to help their community, and improve each others lives, honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. And what is most important, preparing for the 57th U.S. Presidential Inauguration. Simply stated, I am the luckiest girl in the world, to be in DC, as a political science student, during an election year. Inauguration came after all the great experiences of campaigning for President Obama, hearing his speeches, witnessing his victory.
In order to see everything, I got to the Capitol grounds around midnight. Spending the night at the Capitol was the coldest, but one of the coolest experiences in my life! So many people were doing the same. And despite the cold, we kept warm with blankets, coffee, and the excitement and enthusiasm that was all around. I still do not know how I made it through the night, without sleeping, although New Year’s Eve in Times Square was definitely a good drill for this. Morning came, and we were making our way through the crowd. My friend Moaad and I made it to a perfect spot, right behind the lucky people with tickets. So we were actually able to see a lot. The U.S. Capitol was decorated with American flags, playing the national anthem- ready for big day to come. After 10 am (10h 30min of waiting so far) members of the American Congress and Senate came out. I was able to recognize some of them, as I had privilege to meet them during the campaign. The crowd went crazy when Beyonce and Jay–Z arrived; people wanted to hear one of the best voices that America has singing the national anthem. The best excitement was to see the first family, and former president Bill Clinton, with his wife The Secretary of State, Hillary.
After hearing Hillary`s speech at Georgetown University, I saw that I shared the same opinion as the crowd – she should run for president in 2016! My favorite moment was when former legendary, longest living US president Jimmy Carter showed up! What an honor to see such an important historical figure. After calling the first family, Vice President Joe Biden took an oath of office , followed by the President Barack Obama. I cannot describe how wonderful the feeling was to be the part of the crowd who went completely mad in excitement, unable to realize that I was witnessing history. After that the ceremony continued with the performance of some country singers, poets, Kelly Clarkson and the goddess Beyonce. I do not want to comment about if she lip-synched or not during the national anthem. She was beautiful as always, and her performance was a great ending to the Inauguration. Afterwards there was a parade through downtown DC that took the President from the Capitol to the White House, followed by many performers such as Far East Movement, Katy Perry and Alicia Keys.
Hope you guys got a glimpse of the atmosphere of that day. Greetings from U.S. capital, and again thank you World Learning and the Department of State, for making my dream come true.
Lots of love,
– Danka Markovic, Montenegro, American University