Our Inauguration Experience

Raquel Santiago-Martinez, '79

One of the parents from Wintergreen School (my daughter, Ariel's school) asked if I would share our Inauguration experience. So I have decided to share our 3-day experience with alumni as well. Ariel and I were definitely there ... and it was truly amazing. We left Friday night and drove to Wilmington, DE where we spent the night. Our hotel was teeming with federal and secret service agents. Their luggage consisted of long, black cases, which we presumed were meant for the protection of the VP- and President-elect.
 
Saturday morning, we were up by 5:30 a.m., had breakfast, and arrived at the Wilmington train station at 6:45 a.m. There was already a very long line waiting for an opportunity to see a close-up of Obama and Biden on their journey to the Capital. We waited in frigid temperatures with wind chill factors of below 10, in a line that snaked around and beyond the entire train station, before the doors opened at 9:30 am. It was so cold, I purchased a hat that had the wrong date (2008) to keep warm, but who's stressing? We had to go through metal detectors, and then walked into the Harriet Tubman Park - next to the station. Despite the long line, Ariel and I were four rows in.

From the corner of my eye, I watched as a suited gentleman briefly spoke to Ariel. Of course I immediately called out to Ariel, and as I moved toward her, he looked at me and asked, "Are you her mother? Would you like to sit on the bleachers behind the podium to watch the event?" I very calmly responded, "Of course." But that was just an outward show of "cool."  You all KNOW I was absolutely SHOUTING for joy in the inside. (People were selected randomly.) I just couldn't believe that we had just been afforded the miraculous opportunity of sitting behind the podium where Barack Obama and Joe Biden would be speaking. If you are interested, a photo of the crowd appeared in Sunday's Washington Post (A14) and there is Ariel wearing a pink hat looking ecstatic as Obama walks up to the platform. After speaking, he came around to shake hands and I was one of the privileged to shake his hand, say hello and wish him luck (interestingly, but not surprisingly, his concern was more for people getting hurt than anything else - he kept saying "please do not push"). Our section sang Happy Birthday to Michelle as she walked up to the podium, and she graciously turned and acknowledged our tribute with her million dollar smile, then thanked us, visibly moved. Ariel and I then went on to Washington, DC where we stayed with friends.
 
Sunday, we decided not to attend the concert on the Mall because it was mobbed and very cold; we were still tired from the previous day. We visited some friends and watched the concert on television.
 
Early Monday morning we went to Senator Dodd's office in the Capitol building to pick up our tickets and were the first two Connecticut residents to sign a book that would be gifted to the President-elect. In her note, Ariel invited the President to come visit our school. Then we visited the Holocaust Museum, standing another two hours in line, but what a moving experience.  We saw folks from every state imaginable, including a group of students from Alaska who were only wearing t-shirts and wondered why people (who were bundled up) were staring at them.
 
At 5:00 a.m., Tuesday morning, we left to go to the Inauguration ceremony. The sheer mass of people was just tremendous. It's impossible to accurately describe the flow of humanity on the streets. Some of the little kids were scared because it was scary - and there were times when folks really pushed - which was not pleasant. Trying to get to the sitting area was very difficult. It was especially difficult for me, since I suffer from claustrophobia. And we walked! It had to be at least three miles each way to and from our point of entry. Thankfully, Ariel and I had hand and foot warmers.
 
But the feeling of victory and celebration was tangible.  All races, colors, creeds, genders, young and old, bicycles, wheelchairs, foot traffic ... people were breaking out into dances - in unison - others would begin singing or chanting and everyone would join in while they waited to be screened to go in. As I looked around, everyone - and I mean everyone - was smiling.
 
The ceremony was exceptional. The music - from traditional to jazz (Aretha jammed) - was simply amazing. The prayers and the poetry readings were moving. But when Barack and Michelle Obama stood for the Oath, you could hear a pin drop - you could see tears of pure joy on so many faces. The ROAR of approval and SOUND of applause was indescribable. I was lucky to have an unobstructed view of the stage, but Ariel had a more difficult time seeing because there were many more people where she was located. We couldn't move due to the sheer number of folks, but there were large monitors everywhere and she heard everything. Besides, she was busy trying to see if the ice from the Reflection Pool would break with all the people standing on the ice. (You could actually hear it start to crack - but folks kept standing on the ice).
 
It was indeed an experience of a lifetime. And we were there. Now, the traffic coming back home is another story for another day.

 

 

 

 

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Thank you,

MBA Program, School of Business
Southern Connecticut State University