Trumpet staffer experiences the inauguration

Attending the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington D.C., was the experience of a lifetime.

There was a crowd of about 2 million people.

Not only was this a record breaking inaugural crowd; the more surprising fact is that no arrests were made.

But at the same time, from my experience on the National Mall, I can see why this was true.

 
We all shared a common goal that day, which was to see our new president sworn into office. 

While waiting over six hours on the National Mall before the ceremony began, my friends and I (who just met a few days prior) shared food, jokes and helped others around us. 

I felt safe and comfortable being in such a large group of people, which was surprising to me seeing as I come from such a small town background.

In a way it felt as though we were in a huge group of small-town people. 

We cuddled together with some students from California and others from Maryland to conserve body heat while we waited and also shared with them some frozen Pop Tarts. 

We took pictures and tried to keep our hands warm with warmers.

By the time we left, we couldn’t feel our feet and we couldn’t find our way off the National Mall. 

The only bad behavior I saw that day was litter everywhere.  Once the crowds starting clearing off the Mall, the trash made it look like a wasteland. 

At the same time, I saw many volunteer groups such as the Girl Scouts, armed with garbage bags to pick up the litter.

All in all, aside from 12 hours in the cold, it was an incredible experience. 

Being present at our nation’s capitol to witness the swearing in of our first African-American president along with 2 million people was a day I will never forget. 

This is the type of moment that finds its way into history books; I was glad to experience the moment.

Oh and did I mention the Port-A-Potty ratio on inauguration day?  One Port-A-Potty for every 6,000 people.  Awesome!