Welcome 44th President, Welcome

I rarely write about the same topic twice in a row (in fact, I haven’t yet done so), but I felt it would be too strange to not follow up on the inauguration event I attended yesterday. So here you have it, a detailed account of a historical day. Get comfortable!

I arrived at 4pm like I was asked, only to be told that my shift was at 8pm and thus, there was no reason to get there so early. No pasa nada (no big deal). 15 minutes later, I was told I wasn’t needed, so I would have to pay for a ticket instead of getting compted as a volunteer. Yet, I was still on the schedule to work at 8pm. Hmmm…well anyway, it all got sorted, I got into the event just fine and by 6pm, I was amongst about 500 people who all shared a common interest in watching Obama become America’s next president.

When Biden and Obama walked out and overlooked the two million people in our nation’s capitol, the whole room erupted in cheers. I got goose bumps, several times in fact, but that was nothing compared to some people who were actually shedding tears! It was pretty moving though and when Obama followed with an inspirational speech, it was very clear I was not alone in my sentiments. More so, when Bush was helicoptered out, there was another eruption of cheers, as he is not a fan favorite amongst anyone here, that’s for sure. It was kind of funny, kind of sad, but ultimately, a moot issue because he is out, Obama is in!

There were also a lot of media at the event and I wouldn’t be surprised if my face is plastered on the front page of Barcelona’s newspapers today. Ok, well, actually, I would be surprised, but I think my photo was taken a few times. Likely not front cover worthy, but ya never know. AND I even made my singing debut (gulp), sort of. My friends and I got videoed singing the tail end of the Star Spangled Banner and then I got videoed again saying, “Adios Bush!” That’s all I had to say during my two seconds of Spanish fame?! Oh, Hoolia.

Overall, it was a really fun night and a special memory I will carry with me when I see Obama in action. Check out some photos…