The Inauguration

“OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA!” were the first words I heard as I opened my eyes, that morning on January 20th. My sleepy eyes slowly adjusted to focus in on the glowing television where I saw thousands upon thousands of people cheering for the soon to be president. It seemed as if I had woke up right before Obama first appeared on screen because as soon I got down from my bunk, I saw the man who is now our president. Obama was ecstatic, there was gleam in his dark brown eyes that promoted his extreme excitement for the day that would change his life forever. As Obama smiled, the camera panned on the crowd, each and every member mimicked his giddy smile. I glanced over at my roommate and she was smiling too. It was as if Obama was in the very room with us, spreading his patriotic pride. At this moment, I was proud to be an American.
As the entire first family climbed onto the stage, my stomach dropped. I suddenly realized that I had a class in 30 minutes and that I would miss Obama’s entire speech. It pained me to think that I would miss this historic moment to be in some Insignificant class. I entered the elevator and many people were expressing the same grief as I was. “I can’t believe we have class on inauguration day. It should be considered a holiday”. I internally agreed and proceded outside.
The day was clear and bright which directly reflected the mood of the day. As I ambled across the quad, trekking through the thick sludge that covered my boots, I had a mini epiphany. Just because I couldn’t officially watch Obama get inaugurated, it didn’t mean that I had missed it. For one, I had seen the man himself on live TV. I had also experienced my classmates reactions and heard their thoughts. And finally, I had reflected to myself about this day and how important it is. Just because I didn’t see the inauguration doesn’t mean I missed the entire day and first and for most, it doesn’t make me Un-American.