It's been such an insane whirlwind over the last few days. The kids have been involved in programs designed to get them involved politically. They have done a tremendous job of meeting new friends and working with their groups or getting to know D.C. They, like me, are truly exhausted. Last night we had to meet in order to make contingency plans for our crazy inauguration experience. We went over what to do in the event of just about everything. What time to wake up, what time to leave, what time the Metro opened, etc. Believe it or not, all 29 of us were out the door at 3:45. I was so proud of the effort; I knew they could do it!
We arrived at the Metro station before it opened and when it did, watched 4 trains pass before we could find space on one. No worries, we were ready to hurry up and wait. We finally found our train and made it to the appropriate station. Once we were off the train, we got into something that resembled a line. There sure were alot of folks there. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and happy, especially when someone tried to cut in line. There were chants of "to the back of the line" and "no you can't"; the latter one, I must say did make me break out in a giggle as Barack Obama signature slogan was "yes we can". Even Ted had a few seconds of fame as I saw him across the way and yelled his name so that he could find us. He didn't hear us so 3 or so people in our group yelled his name and he still didn't hear us. Within the next few minutes, there were probably about 50 people yelling for him. He heard us and was greeted by his new fan club.
We watched the sunrise and knew it wouldn't be long before the gates opened. Once they did, we found security to be a minimal hassle. We found our spot and the kids began to huddle. It was really cold, crowded and crazy. The music program began at 10 so that broke the boredom. The stars and dignitaries provided us with a visual and it was wonderful to watch the anticipation build. The throngs of people in our area made it difficult to see and we were pretty far back but at least we had a jumbotron close by. While the day had gone so smoothly, the departure was far from smooth. The massive numbers of people made it difficult to even move. Most of us ended up making the 3+mile walk to the hotel because of the lack of Metro space. Oh well, the stories will only get better with time.
Tonight the students had teachers went off to their separate balls. I can't wait to hear their stories. My ball was great fun, filled with music, wonderful decorations and casino style play for prizes. It was a terrific finale to an already amazing day.
The inauguration will be one of the highlights of my life, for sure. We have a truly amazing system that allows for a peaceful transition of power that it steeped in tradition. It's a show that all Americans should be proud of. I truly believe that all 29 of us will return better citizens because of this experience. The best part is that we can always say "we were there!"
We arrived at the Metro station before it opened and when it did, watched 4 trains pass before we could find space on one. No worries, we were ready to hurry up and wait. We finally found our train and made it to the appropriate station. Once we were off the train, we got into something that resembled a line. There sure were alot of folks there. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and happy, especially when someone tried to cut in line. There were chants of "to the back of the line" and "no you can't"; the latter one, I must say did make me break out in a giggle as Barack Obama signature slogan was "yes we can". Even Ted had a few seconds of fame as I saw him across the way and yelled his name so that he could find us. He didn't hear us so 3 or so people in our group yelled his name and he still didn't hear us. Within the next few minutes, there were probably about 50 people yelling for him. He heard us and was greeted by his new fan club.
We watched the sunrise and knew it wouldn't be long before the gates opened. Once they did, we found security to be a minimal hassle. We found our spot and the kids began to huddle. It was really cold, crowded and crazy. The music program began at 10 so that broke the boredom. The stars and dignitaries provided us with a visual and it was wonderful to watch the anticipation build. The throngs of people in our area made it difficult to see and we were pretty far back but at least we had a jumbotron close by. While the day had gone so smoothly, the departure was far from smooth. The massive numbers of people made it difficult to even move. Most of us ended up making the 3+mile walk to the hotel because of the lack of Metro space. Oh well, the stories will only get better with time.
Tonight the students had teachers went off to their separate balls. I can't wait to hear their stories. My ball was great fun, filled with music, wonderful decorations and casino style play for prizes. It was a terrific finale to an already amazing day.
The inauguration will be one of the highlights of my life, for sure. We have a truly amazing system that allows for a peaceful transition of power that it steeped in tradition. It's a show that all Americans should be proud of. I truly believe that all 29 of us will return better citizens because of this experience. The best part is that we can always say "we were there!"
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