Obama-jitters on Inauguration day

Woke up at 6:30 - upset that the sun was getting more sleep than me, but excited. I went through my morning routine in a slow daze. My shower took slightly longer than usual. My outfit-picking wouldn't satisfy me, and I couldn't be bothered to put on makeup. BUT at the same time, I was bursting with energy inside. It felt almost as though I was on some kind of speed, where everything around me seemed to go really slow and I was jumping around like crazy on the inside. I like to call it the Obama-jitters. It was contagious - everyone had it! People had been waiting for a long time for Obama, and yet, when it came, I couldn't really pinpoint why I was feeling so energized.

We left the house at eight, as did about two million other people in the city of Washington DC. So we decided to walk from our house the Tenleytown neighborhood uptown, all the way to the Canadian Embassy on Pennsylvania avenue in Judiciary Square, a grand total of 5 miles. It was amazing to see how many people were walking in the direction of the Capitol. We started off pretty far away, but as we got closer more and more people were oozing out from every street, joining our parade to the capital. We passed my favorite Lebanese restaurant on the way, Byblos, and I went inside to wish the owner – Marco – a happy inauguration day. He offered all five of us a ride. So we climbed up into his BMW sports car and off he rode, at around 70 mph, to Dupont Circle. The girls thanked him, and Dad gave him a manly and appreciative handshake.

Off we were again. But we needed a caffeine fix, so we stopped at Starbucks for a quick latte. We saw a ton of army men, all on standby for any terrorism. They were gorgeous, proud and cold. It was freezing that day. Thankfully, I was wearing my big down coat, but my feet were getting cold and I was starting to doubt my choice of Converse shoes. In the streets, people were handing out free Obama gear – i.e. buttons, pens and nametags – as well as the entrepreneurs selling ridiculously expensive shirts, sweaters and such with the perfectly brand-able face of Barack Obama. A tiny cup of apple cider that day cost $5.

We arrived at the embassy at 10:00 am. Staff and media were busily trying to get everything in order for the big party. The Beavertail (a fried Canadian pastry) tent wasn't ready yet, nor would it be for another 2 ½ hours. So I walked around, looked at the crowds and listened to the choir from Toronto that was singing inspirational songs…ironically some from Cuba. But I guess Obama's whole slogan has revolved around change. Maybe his foreign policy on Cuba will change too!

At around noon, the Embassy ground floor was packed. And people were crowding near the Jumbotron – the big TV – to watch CNN's live coverage of the inauguration. We saw George W. Bush and his wife; we saw Michelle Obama dressed in a yellowish gold outfit and her daughters in the brightest and happiest pink outfits. Joe Biden was sworn in as vice president, then Obama was sworn in. There was some kind of confusion because the John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, misstated the oath, probably because of nerves, and Obama stumbled and didn't say the right thing. It was embarrassing to watch, but Obama managed to pull it off with that cute little smile he has. Then he gave his speech. It was relatively short but incredibly concise and to the point. He touched on internal affairs such as the economy, health care and education. He also addressed foreign affairs, like the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Afghanistan and Iraq. What I loved is that he told his "people" that it would be impossible to fix the problems in a day or two, but it would probably take around eight years to do so. It was good because I feel people have forgotten that he is only human, that he is not some godly being sent to "save" the world. People expect him to do the impossible. Out of the 2 million people there, no one uttered a word! It was silent, except for the occasional "yeah"! There is so much respect for this man. He is a celebrity and many consider him to be the world's savior. Poor guy, that's a lot of pressure.

When his speech was done we quickly went to the Beavertails tent and started stretching the dough. We got a system working where two people would stretch, one person would flip the dough in the oil, another would lather the fried dough in butter and put sugar and cinnamon on it, and another would greet the customers and ask what they would like on their Obama-tail. To make the beavertails special for the inauguration, they put a big O on it with whipped cream, maple syrup and chocolate syrup. It was delicious…and I helped make 1,600 of them. I was so tired, and I WAS COLD. I had gotten some hand warmers but Americans obviously have no idea how to make them, as they were not warm! But somehow I managed to survive by jumping around, letting loose my Obama-jitters.

A ton of celebrities were supposed to come to the embassy party, but because there was so much pedestrian traffic, only Jammy lee fox and Sherri Shepard – co-host from the View - were able to come. Even the rich and famous that had bought prime tickets couldn't get out of the jam. I liked it! On Obama's inauguration day all were equal. The Embassy served sausages, soups and alcohol. Everyone was well fed and happy at the outcome of the day. Oh! Except for the cold. … Did I mention it was cold that day?

When the parade started everyone piled up around the best places in the embassy. I didn't get to see him wave, but I saw his limo. And I was amazed to see how happy I was just to see a car! The parade was cool-ish, if you're the kind of person that likes watching marching bands.

All in all the day was a success. I worked my butt off, and I proved to myself that I could work in the food industry. Obama didn't let anyone down, nor was he assassinated. (Many were afraid white extremists would try something like that.) I got home around 9 at night and went straight to bed, exhausted, but content.