From February 2009:
The alarm rang at four. The layering began shortly thereafter: three shirts, two jackets, one scarf, two hats, two pairs of socks, toe warmers, and a pair of gloves with hand warmers. We were out of the apartment at five and headed to the Greenbelt station on the Metro’s green line.
Unfortunately, we had to walk a mile to the station because the line of cars stretched for more than a mile. When we got to the station, the crowd was chaotic but the workers seemed to have it under control. We were given directions to slide our special inaugural edition metro pass (Obama’s picture was plastered on one side) into the booth and walk through.
At each stop we picked up more people donning a wide variety of Obama paraphernalia (a result of DC’s weekend of Obamania). There were rhinestone-encrusted hats and jackets. With each new person, the car turned into an Obama button galore with pictures of the first family, the first lady, or Obama himself.
Thirty minutes later and about two hundred more people, the train arrived at our destination- L’Enfant Plaza. I thought the crowd seemed reasonable until we went outside. The streets were packed. Coffee stands, breakfast stands, and Obama stands all had lines that stretched around street corners.
It was now 6:30 and I was anxious to get a good view of the Capitol. The anticipation and excitement that stifled the air was infectious. Volunteers were directing the crowd toward ticket and non-ticket gates. We headed over to the non-ticket gates; however, on our way the crowd became a horde. People were literally everywhere. After about a half hour wait, we finally got into the National Mall but not without help from the pushes and shoves of restless supporters who were also hoping to get a decent view of the Capitol.
After an hour, the warmers, scarves, and layers began to lose their effect. I had never felt cold like that before but the atmosphere made it bearable. People from all over the world were gathered around us, all waiting for the swearing in of Obama. There was a group of kids from France, a couple from Russia, a man from Africa, and people from all around the country. Groups broke out into song and later the whole crowd joined in. We sang the Star-Spangled Banner, This Land is Your Land, Lean on Me, One Love, American Pie, Shout and every patriotic song in the book.
The laughter and singing died away when the parade escorts appeared on the JumboTron. Everyone was expecting Obama, but after the third false alarm expectant whispers transitioned into demanding shouts. All around, people were chanting O-BA-MA, O-BA-MA. Naturally, we joined in.
The introduction of the House, the Senate, the governors, and past presidents made the wait almost unbearable. Minutes went by in the blink of an eye. The arrival of President Bush brought boos, a multitude of cursing, and good-bye chants. When the Obama girls were introduced, screams rang through the air. The screams got louder when Michelle Obama descended the steps towards the platform entrance, but nothing compared to the sound when Obama’s face appeared on the JumboTron.
We screamed at the top of our lungs. After six hours of waiting and braving the cold, the president-elect entered the platform. When he rose to be sworn in the crowd hushed as if under command. The silence continued as he directed his inaugural address to the world, interrupted only by cheers for his exceptionally well-written points.
At the end of his speech, the crowd went wild.
Barack Obama had been inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States of America. I felt like I was a part of history. The feeling was overwhelming, knowing that opportunities await me because of the man who stood in front of me and took the presidential oath. As an immigrant from Jamaica, I truly saw America as the land of opportunities. I have never felt so American in all my years of living here.