Inauguration Day

Boker Tov, President Obama!

My time at home has been wonderful. My parents and Adam have treated me well, I've eaten oh-so-much good food, I've spent time with the people I love, and have purchased some adorable footwear. However, the absolute highlight of these past two weeks was watching Obama's inauguration on TV with my family yesterday morning.

What an incredible feeling it was to watch Barack Hussein Obama become our 44th President. Even greater still was seeing how many millions of people turned out for the inauguration - filling the Washington Mall with joy, excitement, and pride. Yesterday was the much-delayed satisfaction of his winning the election in November; the gratification of a democratic system that finally delivered the result so many of us wanted. Here was also the final stroke of Bush's presidency, the end of eight years of disappointment and destruction.

Saying goodbye to Bush, bidding farewell to that smirk, that attitude, that administration; it felt really good, and totally weird. Almost unreal. Unfathomable. Our nation has suffered for so long under one person's leadership, and now he's been replaced by a man who seems, for all intents and purposes, beautifully prepared and poised to lead our country.

Even moments after the ceremony, as Obama signed his nomination papers and escorted Bush to the waiting helicopter, it felt like a dream. Is this really happening? I thought to myself. How did we finally get it right? Watching him move through the rest of his day - from a tragedy-laden luncheon to the parade to the overpacked inaugural balls of the evening, it still felt so bizarre. Who is this smooth-talking, deliciously adorable, patient, unflappable, talented, in-love-with-his-wife-and-kids, decent human being? Is this really our new leader? For me, it felt like when you have a really successful day at the mall, scoring awesome pieces that fit you beautifully, all on sale. You think to yourself, is this really for me? Did all this really happen? It's total gratification with a hint of complete disbelief.

I think it is tremendously important that Obama is the first African American president. His story is the personification of an American dream. That he is a total break from the presidential norm is a welcome and necessary message to send our nation's children. However, I think the most important thing to harp on is that this one person represents a new kind of leadership; his qualifications and his goals and the way he explains his message are all so brilliantly refreshing and needed. That he is stepping into a truly difficult situation, with everything pretty much in the shitter; well... I think, or perhaps I hope, that he will navigate this period of uncertainty in his typical unflappable style. I look forward to seeing how the world changes with him.

Though I've always been proud and felt truly lucky to carry an American passport, yesterday gave me a heightened appreciation for my national identity and the country in which I was raised. When I go back to Israel on Friday, I will take with me a renewed sense of love for the good ole US of A, and a profound interest in the political and governmental developments of my home.

With much joy,

Jaclyn