Days 10 & 11 (January 19-20, 2009)

From Ben Koch ‘10…

Ticket to History

A very sad thing happened yesterday…my digital camera died!  After several hours of tinkering, it was clear that there was no hope of taking any more pictures with it until after it was serviced. I guess you get what you pay for with Black Friday specials!  Well, I couldn’t simply sit back and watch history without documenting the most important day of my journey, so it was off to Best Buy for a new camera. I’m pleased with my new camera, a Kodak (sorry Samsung) that I have affectionately named Red II (because it is my second red camera…creative right?).

That being out of the way, the next order of business was to pick up the Inauguration tickets-the tickets to history.  I rode the metro with Lauren Porto ‘10 to Capitol Hill to pick up our tickets at the National Republican Club next to the U.S. Capitol.  It was here that I experienced my first metro backup. There were people crowded everywhere trying to get in and out, but not moving anywhere fast. This made me kind of hesitant for tomorrow as I am a self-proclaimed claustrophobic. But not even confined spaces are going to stop me from witnessing history tomorrow. I’d heard that some ticket holders had to wait in line for four hours to pick up their tickets. However, due to the ingenuity of Congressman Schock, the ticket pickup was in a different building than the House Office Buildings that were bogged down by security checkpoints.

Soon we had our golden tickets in hand (actually they were silver, the section we were designated to stand in). The tickets came with a very ornate program for the ceremony that I’ll treasure, and I’m sure will be a collector’s item. Lauren and I talked for a while with another family from central Illinois who came for the Inauguration. Excitement filled the conversation.

On the way out of the building, we noticed a coatroom dedicated to longtime Congressman Bob Michel ‘48 HON ‘81.  We also ran into fellow Bradley students, Kyle McEvilly ‘10 and Kamila Badat ‘10 who are spending the semester interning in Washington D.C.  Both were excited to be here for such an important event, and we are hoping to see meet up with them in the silver section tomorrow. I’m always so impressed and wowed each time I run into other members of the Bradley family when I’m out and about–especially here in Washington D.C.

Joy in the Streets

Before heading back to the hotel for dinner, we stopped by the shops in Georgetown for a little last-minute souvenir shopping.  What we weren’t expecting was to find drums and dancing filling the streets. A crowd of 200 people danced up and down the streets to huge drums. It was really quite the sight, and I found myself joining in the dancing as we passed by. This all happened in front of Manifest Hope, an art gallery that I mentioned previously. There seemed to be quite a buzz there with an “Obama” van parked in front and cameras everywhere. It was fun watching people rejoice in the streets and to join in their rhythm for a few moments. The art gallery was closed, but we received free stickers for our interest.

Later, I stopped by the Obama van and spoke with one of the guys in charge. He told me how the van drove around the battleground states, getting people excited to vote and sharing Obama’s message of hope and change. I was really impressed when he mentioned that they donated all the money they made from selling Obama t-shirts and shoes, not to the campaign, but to organizations that helped those in need. Now that is something to be proud of that our President-elect inspired. I left Georgetown and crossed the Key Bridge with excitement and joy for the coming events.

Surprise purple ticket

So as I sit here typing, it is 1 a.m. EST.  I am planning on getting up at 3 a.m., in order to be on the metro by 4 a.m. when it opens, in order to be at the security gates by 8 a.m. when they open even though the pre-ceremony does not begin until 10 a.m. EST. However, I just received a phone call from a friend who was not feeling well, offering me her ticket in the purple standing section that is quite a bit closer than the silver section. Of course, I took her up on the offer. THANK YOU, JESSICA!  This means that I will be alone tomorrow, but that is always a good opportunity to make friends…you never know where another member of the Bradley family will pop up! I’m going to try and see bits of the parade as I heard that a family friend will be marching with the Virginia Military Institute and that Bradley seniors Alex Navrotski ‘09 and Beth Hoover ‘09 will be marching with the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps. It will probably be too crazy to see the parade and the Inauguration, but I’m excited to take in the whole day–one that will be historic for our nation and an impacting experience for myself.

Alongside of the historical significance of today’s events are the high expectations of the Inauguration address. Barack Obama has been compared to the greatest American Presidents, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Kennedy among others–yet he has not taken office and completed a single act as President. His first act as President will be to address the country.

The words of FDR and Kennedy during their Inaugural addresses were rallying cries for the nation–past, present and future.  What will the new President say?  Will his significant words be instantly recognizable?  Or will they be slowly defined through his actions as President over the next four years?  It’s hard to believe that a junior Senator from Illinois could inspire a nation and set such huge events in motion. One of the greatest orators of my time is getting ready to give possibly the speech of a lifetime, but he isn’t the only one preparing. Millions of Americans are preparing to hear his message and answer the call.

Today is going to be a defining moment in our nation’s history. I can’t wait to share everything with all of you.  Here’s to the dawn of our nation’s next great era!