Where Were You?

As we were putting together our inauguration coverage, we realized that there were very few original facts we could report: over a million gatherers, 44th president, hope and change and so on and so forth. Instead, we turned to our current and past editors to share their stories of how they spent this extraordinary Tuesday. From Tokyo to right here in the DFP offices come the intertwined tale of a unique moment shared simultaneously the world over.

Washington, D.C.

‘If you move your feet a little, you can kind of feel your toes again,’ my friend said as we stomped the ground on the National Mall. I shuffled my feet, numb for two hours already and heavy as bricks, then turned toward the Jumbotron about 50 feet above me. I traveled about 10 hours in a car, braving a snowstorm and New York traffic to stand for four hours in freezing weather with more than a million shivering others. We poured into the Mall to witness and celebrate the swearing-in of the nation’s first African-American president. It was almost noon, and the crowd, many of whom had been waiting since 4 a.m., was restless.

Then Barack Hussein Obama placed his hand on the Lincoln Bible and silence replaced the shivering and shuffling; excitement overtook fatigue. We stood, eyes wide, hearts thumping, until Chief Justice John Roberts said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President’ and together we erupted. I screamed and clapped and jumped with the rest, my frozen body warmed by the near-palpable happiness around me. High fives, hugs, handshakes and waving flags, tears rolling down cheeks. ‘Finally!’ a woman in front of me shouted. ‘Finally!’

Filled with hope and love, we chanted the name of the man who inspired us to believe in our country again, to believe in change again: ‘OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA!’

-Marlesse Marino, City Editor Fall 2008

Tokyo

I was sitting in the living room of the apartment I’m staying at outside of Tokyo with my host parents, Michiaki and Sadami Hirao. We were watching CNN’s Japan coverage as well as NHK, Japan’s public broadcasting channel. Reflecting their country and culture, the Japanese people I’ve talked to are warmly embracing Obama’s presidency as a sign that the United States’ global standing will be restored. The Obama paraphernalia here is even weirder than in the United States; for example, there is no shortage of Obama chopsticks.

This morning, Mrs. Hirao began chanting, ‘Yes we can!’ along with the throngs in Washington as the news panned over the national mall. I’ve also seen similar clothing with the campaign’s familiar slogan, though it remains to be seen who exactly the Japanese are referring to as ‘we.’

-Matt Negrin, Editor-in-Chief, Fall 2007

Dublin

Red, white and blue and green and white and orange

I’ve been in Ireland for two weeks now, and I’m starting to get my bearings. I’ve tanked a Guinness. I’ve fantasized about tipping a field full of sheep, and I’ve stumbled through City Center while yelling slurred obscenities at locals. Yessir, I’m Irish.

But today, I’m American. And what is my duty as an American in Ireland?

Bypass the statue of Molly Malone and her huge, heaving metallic breasts, avoid the picturesque allure of the Ha’Penny Bridge and head to TGI Friday’s ‘- where I will take as full advantage as possible of special four-Euro inauguration cocktails and three-Euro inauguration pints.

That’s right, sir or madam. Today, I watched #44 take office inside an ultra-American T.G.I. Friday’s . . .’ in Ireland. And I was not ashamed.

And when I got there, I realized, neither was Ireland. Red, white and blue balloons lined the entrance. At my table, Uncle Sam looked up at me from my menu’s cover and instructed me to make history with him. At the bar, a red-ponytailed twentysomething stuck two small plastic American flags through his face ‘- one through a gauge in his ear I could fit my fist through; the other through his septum.

The place was packed, and if it wasn’t a server that caught my attention, who stopped to wipe a single tear from her eye, it was a prodigal chef donning a blue hairnet, bustling out of the kitchen for a split second to hear one of Obama’s lasting sentiments. Either would nudge nearby buddies and point to the single plasma screen in the middle of the room while applause erupted.

And in the orgy of light and sound and cheer, I stopped for a second and it hit me.

I am a second-week resident of a different country, but I have never felt more like an American than I did today.

The time has come. Let’s do this.

-Matt Donnelly, City Editor Fall 2007

Hartford

For all its high-profile insurance companies and financial institutions, Hartford is somewhat of a paradox ‘-‘- despite its representations of wealth, it also happens to be the second-poorest city in the country based on the percentage of residents living below the poverty level. Almost 44 percent of children in the city live in poverty.

For these reasons, watching the inauguration in the city in which I have started my post-college journalism career had added meaning. Without even serving a day in office, President Barack Obama brought the promise of change. But perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects, so far, is what change the Obama administration will mean for America’s struggling cities.

Obama, the community organizer, is the first president to truly know the problems of cities like Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia and Hartford ‘-‘- cities that hold so much promise, but are chronically underfunded.

So it was easy to imagine that the 2,000 other people who also watched the inauguration in the XL Center in downtown Hartford found new hope not only for their country, but for their city.

It’s been almost 20 years since a new building went up in downtown Hartford. The city’s first major retail project has been stuck on hold for almost 10 years. There are still many roadblocks that still exist in Hartford’s quest to revitalize its downtown landscape, but based on my own observations in the eight months I have lived here, there exists a dedicated economic development network that is committed to Hartford’s growth. Why there hasn’t been more development in Hartford has been the greatest mystery to me.’

But based on the 2,000 faces watching with wonder the inauguration on the arena’s jumbotron, Hartford ‘-‘- for maybe the first time since I moved here after graduating in May ‘-‘- seemed to be filled with hope because of President Obama.

-Jason Millman, Managing Editor, Fall 2007

648 Beacon St.

Throughout our country’s history, there have been defining events that caused Americans to remember exactly where they were at a certain moment. Many of these instances were tragedies, such as the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The inauguration of President Barack Obama, however, is one of the few occurrences that we will look back on with pride instead of sorrow.

Some of us sat in class, while others gathered around television screens with hundreds of classmates, and a few watched by themselves, quietly reflecting on the occasion. Obama’s inauguration sparked a wide range of feelings, moving some to tears while causing others to wonder if maybe everyone was just a little too excited about the whole celebration. But the one feeling that prevailed on Tuesday was the sense of togetherness we all felt, a sense that we were part of something bigger than ourselves.

This generation is used to our leaders disappointing us. There is no guarantee that Obama will be a success, but unlike his predecessor, he has given us reason to hope for a better future. One man may not be able to solve the immense challenges facing our country and the world, but perhaps he can inspire the rest of us to serve and sacrifice. We do not know what the next four years have in store for us, but there is no denying that Obama has set the tone for a new beginning.

-DFP Staff Spring 2009