Dispatch from D.C.: A day for the ages

The day started at 5 a.m. in below-freezing, dark and windy conditions. The streets seemed oddly vacant as we began the walk to the Capitol with only National Guardsmen on every corner. Yet our easy stroll was short lived.

Block by block, crowds of people gathered and grew larger as we neared the mall. By the time the Washington Monument was in sight, the few pedestrians turned into a massive wave of people crowding onto the National Mall.

Buses and barricades blocked off most streets, sirens wailed and the energy of millions generated unprecedented excitement.

“Here we all are,” shouted one man into his camcorder. “Just a few million people, walking toward hope!” Those gathered around followed his statement with cheers, and a brief chant of “Yes we can.”

The advantage of arriving at the mall as it opened was the view. We stood at the Washington Monument and faced the Capitol at sunrise. Here, in a matter of hours, one of the most anticipated events in American history would take place.

We moved our way through the crowd, which parted in beat to the rock and techno music blaring out of speakers. Beneath the 20 JumboTron screens, people danced and exclaimed “Obama!” in front of the countless news cameras documenting the day’s events.

We huddled together, sitting on the ground and shivering. I feared the worst as the brutal cold drained any sensation from my extremities. Some kind people sitting by me noticed my discomfort and gave me heat packets for my toes. I placed them in the tip of my boots and, with my toes warm, set out for the bathrooms (one for every 400 people).

It was in the process of returning to my group and getting lost in the crowd that I realized the crowd of 2 million people was mostly comprised of travelers, like myself. But beyond America, I met a couple that traveled from England and a man who visited from Argentina, all willing to go the extra mile to witness this day.

Here, people from across nations came together, to stand for seven hours in below-freezing temperatures and listen to one man speak. What won’t people do for things they care about and believe in?

As Obama took his oath, we cheered in the sun, clapped and I shed a tear or two. Strangers standing by me who shared in my emotion wrapped their arms around me, smiling and shouting, “Yes we can!”

It’s amazing how sharing an inimitable experience with a total stranger can bring you closer together than with others you meet on a regular basis. We were in this experience, a part of it and witnesses to history. It was not just powerful and moving, but extremely refreshing to take active part in something so momentous.

Obama was wonderful, stoic and focused. The crowd’s reactions to his speech were that of joy, respect, admiration and intense euphoria. There were tears, laughter, smiles and lots of cheering and jumping up and down. Parents lifted children onto their shoulders to view the man they will call president.

The crowds were massive as we all walked out of the mall. The human traffic jam was incredible, it took us 35 minutes to walk one block. However, it was not unpleasant in the least. It seemed that everyone knew we had just been to something remarkable, and that made the fact we were indefinitely standing in 19-degree weather OK.

We finally made it up the street, in time to see Barack and Michelle Obama walk the streets and wave during the parade. What a spectacular day for the world.