Western Hills student pens essay about trip to Inauguration

My voyage to President Trump’s Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., from Maryland was quite exhausting yet exhilarating for me. The early start to our day (4:30 a.m.) didn’t stop my excitement of seeing our new president in person.

We started off to the Capitol on a very slow train (Penn Station in Maryland). After the hour-long ride crammed between protesters, supporters and other excited people going to work, we entered Union Station in Washington, D.C. There we grabbed a quick bite to eat and left for the “Yellow Gate,” which is where we were supposed to enter the ceremony. On the streets, immediately we ran into more unhappy people, but for the rest of the day we didn’t see them at all. The Yellow Gate was an entrance checkpoint where people got their bags checked and then got patted down by the Secret Service. From that half-hour-long wait we could actually see the Lincoln Memorial and of course the U.S. Capitol. Other than mass sections like yellow, green or blue, seating was a free-for-all. Luckily though, we got to our seats early enough (8:00) to get practically front-row seats in our section. Green was the closest seating group not on the stage. Then yellow, us! So our seats were exceptional compared to the people standing in the grey or blue section.

By the first few songs played by the Marine band we were taking pictures in front of the stage. After the announcer told everyone to sit down all of our excitement was shown by the ear-piercing screams of joy and of course the chant “Trump, Trump, Trump!” There was a lot of standing up only to sit back down again throughout the inauguration. The entrances of all the important officials was neat to see and amazing because they all stood “united” no matter what party they were and just to see all of the officials on one stage! After everyone got sworn in (which was one of the best parts) and the “booing and yay-ing” of the crowds stopped, Trump gave his speech, I had been waiting to hear this speech literally all day. I could see him standing at the podium as he began, but gradually the crowd shifted in front of us. I personally loved his speech and how there was really no discrimination of any sort, but what do I know. Anyway, overall this once-in-a-lifetime experience was amazing and unforgettable.