Fourty-four

http://www.starpulse.com/Notables/Obama,_Barack/gallery/2508518/

I have made it a point thus far not to get too political on here, since this has really turned out to be less of a "Ashlan's thoughts and opinions" blog (that's what I have a paper journal - and friends - for) and more of a documentary. However, I feel the need to break with my pattern thus far in light of recent events.

Specifically, the inauguration of our fourty-fourth president.

Though my original plan for the 20th was to watch re-plays of the footage when I got home later that night I actually was fortunate enough to be able to watch it live at the MPI. Some of my German co-workers who were equally interested in watching the event were nice enough to help me find a live feed from a German news station, since CNN.com and all of the other major American news sources' websites were completely overrun with virtual traffic. The official swearing-in took place at 6PM German time, and I tuned in early enough to catch John Roberts' botching of the oath and the lovely little John Williams ala Aaron Copland composition.

I was also lucky enough to catch the entire inaugural address, which, unfortunately, was dubbed over (in real-time) in German. I was confused about which I should try to listen to - the German, which was much easier to hear, but also much more difficult for me to understand, and ridden with strange translations of phrases like "patchwork heritage" and "dust ourselves off" or Obama's barely audible English underneath a layer of Deutsch.

As a result, though I listened to the whole speech and got a pretty good idea of what he had said, all I heard were [English and German] words. The impressive rhetoric for which our now-President is famous was completely lost somewhere between languages. So, after leaving work for the day, I came home and did what I had originally planned to do - watched a replay of Obama's address.

And, to my surprise, I started crying like a baby.

Let me explain. I am not really a crier - I don't typically cry during even the sappiest of movies and, though I was ecstatic when Obama won the election back in November, I certainly wasn't moved to tears. But for some reason, seeing that man stand there and address the nation, my nation (and the world, really), as an eloquent speaker and capable leader braced for the challenges ahead but, above all, a good man, affected me deeply.

In recalling this experience to my German friend from the MPI, David, the next day, I was able to make some more sense of my reaction. He said he got the sense that so many Americans have been living in this heightened sense of anxiety for the last eight years, with each subsequent year pushing us further to the edge of our seats. David's impression was that, without even realizing it, so many of us (and not just Americans, I should point out - almost every one of my co-workers at the MPI made a point of acknowledging the significance of Januray 20th, 2009 when they saw me that day) felt such a sense of relief upon Obama's inauguration that such an emotional response was completely logical, if not even expected.

I think that makes a lot of sense.

My country is a mess right now, and I know that Barack Obama is not a panacea. I know that there's a good chance that, despite his intellect, assiduousness, fortitude, and dedication to the task ahead, he may fail in mending our many wounds. However, the mere fact that the person representing my country truly exemplifies these traits and principles makes me feel nothing but hopeful for the future. I am once again “on the edge of my seat,” but this time it’s because I can’t wait to see what he will do next.

....

I was never ashamed to be an American in Europe, but at least now the words, "Ich komme aus den U.S.A," feel a little less awkward coming out of my mouth.