From TPM Reader SC …
I don’t know whether you’re still taking these submissions, but the real impact of President Obama’s inauguration had not truly impacted my life until a few hours ago, and now I feel compelled to write to someone about it.
Barack Obama has already impacted my life in three significant ways, two of which have occurred today. I’m a European immigrant who came here when I was six years old, throughout my child- and early adulthood, yet i was never compelled to become a citizen. But when I heard State Senator Obama speak at the Convention four years ago with his talk of America having a place for him too, something drove me, and since March 2005 I am a citizen of these United States.
I was a wildly enthusiastic supporter of Obama’s since he declared, as was my girlfriend of five years, and I did some work in Nevada last October for the campaign, but I never felt that I was being called upon to provide service for my country. But today I made my one of two decisions, which is that tomorrow I will send my résumé to every Justice Department opening out there, and I will work there, even if it is as a janitor, although I imagine this Justice Department will look more favorably to graduates of Stanford Law School than Oral Roberts Law School. My girlfriend supports me in this, and is going to try for a residency spot in the D.C. area hospital when she finishes Medical School in a few months to come and join me in Washington.
My second major decision, which I made today, only about fifteen minutes after the inauguration ended was that I proposed to my girlfriend of five years. It was completely out of the blue, I wasn’t prepared, didn’t have a speech and didn’t even have have a ring; but she accepted anyway. All I had was the euphoria of realizing that this is the America I want to see for my children, along with my wife-to-be, who is also an immigrant, she is from India. So after finishing my calls to everyone and mailing out my CVs I imagine we’ll be driving down to San Francisco to go pick out a ring.
Thanks for reading. Sorry if it was long, but I felt compelled to put something to words after this magical day for me, and having read some of the previous “My Takes” i felt this might be the perfect avenue.
