My Stunning Experience in the Inauguration Day of President Barack Obama

Today, the campus center has been neatly managed with chairs, large screen TV, and attractive banners with the slogan written “President Inauguration of Barack Obama”. Suddenly, students of the University of Hawaii enthusiastically cheered, and stood and sang the national anthem along with President Barack Obama. Everyone here looks as proud as Hawaii is the birthplace of their 44^th President Barack Obama. As a Cambodian student, I was excited in goosebumps in such a fever.

Barack Obama has a unique background and his political career has been totally shaped by his personal background and charismatic leadership. He is a son of Ann Dunham who was a former student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii. She was the fellow of East West Center at that time. In that period, Ann met a charismatic Barack Obama Sr. They both married and had Barack Obama Jr. in 1961. Obama Sr. left his family for Harvard and then Kenya. Ann remained her life in UH and married another international student from Indonesia.

Obama had spent his younghood in Indonesia with his mother and he returned to Hawaii when he was 10 to study in a local school under the caretaker of his grandmother. Not only diverse from his family blood, Barack has significantly experienced cross-cultural society ever since. So his ascent to be the 44^th United States President intensified his uniqueness.

Since the election campaign to his presidency, most Americans I met said the same phrase that “America will change its history. She will change from White House to become a Rainbow House”. In the past decades, color and race are sensitive in America. But Barack will be the first American president who can clear the path for other bi- or multi- racial Americans to become President.

In his political rhetoric, Obama has repeated and stressed that he has a dream, in that dream he wants to see the “change” in America. His eloquent speech of change has attracted millions of Americans and the world population particularly the address he made during his Presidency Inauguration. It absolutely made me like in a daydream. That moment, my though crept back to Cambodia. Domestically, Barack sees current American economic downturn could be solved be the unity of all Americans and political parties. Internationally, Barack publicly declared that “to those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history”.

America is a multicultural society that the rule of law has firmly blossomed and deeply rooted. Every President including Barack Obama has repeated this same phrase “to respect and to protect the national constitution of America”. Power mandate and its power transfer have been outstandingly peaceful. It is haunting my heart to recall backs my beloved home that she should be shared this peaceful politics.