Dawn of a New Era

January 20, 2009. A marked day to go down in history.

At around 9:30 in the morning, I and many of my fellow schoolmates gathered together in our school's dining hall to watch the live feed from CNN covering the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, the first African-American to become president, the man who shines as a beacon of hope to millions, billions of people all over the world. Barack Obama.

Two of my state mates sat to my left. An Israeli sat to my right. A Honduran joined us, along with a friend from Massachusetts. Around us, behind us, were an Iraqi, Welsh, Mexican, Italian, and a Singaporean, to just begin to name a few. Surrounded by students from all around the world, all here together to watch the ascension of this man into one of the most powerful positions in the world, there was a feeling of suspense, of hope, of expectation.

We prayed the prayers, we heard the speeches, we listened to the musical performances, we cheered the cheers, we stood to sing the beautiful song of the national anthem. Even without being a part of the 2 million present in Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration, we were there. And it was something magical. In that moment, in that event, there was a feeling that all over the United States, all over America, all over the world, people stopped for at least a second in acknowledgment of this great occasion, and in that brief second, there was something that united us all.

Even though the world keeps turning and moves on, even though people continue to suffer and there are still many conflicts and issues to address and attempt to resolve, there is a new note of hope in the air. People are looking up.

Obama has a tough task ahead of him. I don't expect him to solve the world's problems, but I do expect him to be considerate of his people, and put their best interests as his priority. He should be honest and diligent. He should remember his status and duty not only to the people of the United States, but to the people of the world. God bless, and Godspeed.