Inauguration Day

All week, I have been gleefully eyeing my countdown to Bush's Last Day refrigerator magnet. Single digits! I was wondering what it would do after it reached zero. Well, it is flashing zeroes right now. I have a new President. (And yes, one of my friends, IS a pirate!)

It is a different kind of experience to witness the important doings in the US from abroad. I feel a part of it, and so very proud, yet also removed. It makes me homesick a little. I want to be there with my friends celebrating. Going on right now in my hometown are preparations at the Rongovian Embassy for a local Inaugural Ball, where the featured drink is called, "Departing Bastard." To be fair, they also have legendary drinks called, "Bastard," "Dying Bastard," and "Dead Bastard." I hope they have a fantastic celebration tonight! Drink one for me!

I started fading around 10:00 last night and went to bed. I set my alarm for about 1:15 a.m., and surprised myself by springing out of bed when it went off. I woke in time to transport myself across the globe to Washington via CNN and to catch all the good stuff. In my opinion, the best of the good stuff was the performance during the ceremony of the arrangement of the Copland melody, "Simple Gifts."

It was arranged by:

John Williams together with Yo-Yo Ma on cello, Anthony McGill on clarinet, Gabriela Montero on piano and Itzhak Perlman on violin. These American musicians and this performance in particular struck me as a perfect and beautiful embodiment of the "patchwork" society to which President Obama referred. These five outstanding individuals who represent different cultures came together to perform a piece that is as American as apple pie. Music supplies us with such poignant analogies.

As a foreigner in Japan, the thing I miss the most about home is the lovely diversity of American people. Short, tall, light, dark, Asian, Middle Eastern, African, Latino, European...all are Americans. I love the rainbow that is America.

I am getting ready to step out my door today to attend my second International Quilt Show in the Tokyo Dome. But today I feel different. The era of being embarrassed to be an American abroad is over. I feel a little more proud, a lot more hopeful for the future. Feels good.