Obama’s inauguration was historic and definitely a global event. Being in Bo was proof of this phenomenon. We were given an invitation to watch the inauguration at, our landlord, Mr. Idriss’s house. This was a very special invitation since TVs in private residences are very few and far between.
We departed the office at the hospital at
Being up to 32 years older than my companions, I realized that other than 9/11 and the Iraq war starting, they had not really experienced any other days that fit in the category of “a-day-in-which-you-will-always-remember-where-you-were-when-it-happened-days”. However, being here in
We all had front row seats at the Idriss household and we were gathered with about 15 people. We cheered, clapped, wept and laughed together. The closing of the final prayer was great “…black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.”, was especially poignant as we represented most of the color spectrum in that room.
Watching Bush depart in the helicopter was grand. I usually cry at farewells, but not this time! When anyone departs from the ward, there is a chorus of “Bye-Bye”, so this time it was “Bye, Bye Bush!”
Driving back to the guest house there were throngs of people lining the streets as spontaneous parades formed with people dancing and playing music in the back of pick up trucks. Pretty wild and crazy. . .
Waking up to the morning prayers from the mosque in the predawn hours was a bit different this morning. The call seemed less mournful and definitely tones of joy. It’s such a relief to feel the hope of new leadership.
Love from, Helen
(a.k.a. “Obama Mama”…my nickname from WAFF staff)
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