To be an International Student in the U.S. on Inauguration Day

On November 4th my German host brother, from when I was an exchange student in Rosenheim, Germany some twenty years earlier, was visiting me and my family here in Hyde Park, Chicago and he was able to head down to Grant Park to take in the sights and sounds of the celebration for Barack Obama on the night he was elected the 44th President of the United States. He was able to witness the United States in a way he had never imagined he would and certainly different than he would have from watching on television back home in Germany. He felt it was a truly special moment and one that he was thankful he could witness in person.

Barak Obama’s inauguration as President of the United States provided international visitors a similar opportunity. I watched the inauguration on television like most people around the globe. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be in Washington, D.C. to witness that event. Of the millions of people who were fortunate enough to find themselves in Washington, D.C. yesterday many were from abroad and I imagine that many felt the same way about the inaugural celebration as my German host brother felt about the celebration at Grant Park on November 4th. Insidehighered.com published an interesting story today entitled “The Foreign (Student) Perspective on America’s Historic Day” that I think many readers will find of interest. You can access this article here.