Inauguration Day

I hope Obama’s Inauguration Day will become one of those events for which we say, “I remember where I was when…”

I was crammed into Wally the pharmacist’s single person trailer with about 15 other people. Wally is the only person on the hospital premises with a satellite television.

Wally is a bit of a CNN junkie. As a South African, he identified more of the celebrities and Obama’s relatives than most of us Americans.

When Obama mentioned in his speech that he would support people from poor nations everywhere, Wally clapped the loudest.

As usual, Obama inspired me. It felt great to be able to sit with Wally and say, “See? We will be in solidarity with you!”

As the crowd filtered out of the trailer, I stayed behind to chat with Wally. He told me of his trip to New York to sit for the TOEFL and oral English exam so that he could work for Rite Aid in the US. He nailed the TOEFL with flying colors, but several times he has failed to pass the oral exam. His English sounds great to me, but maybe it was the computer that struggled with his accent. I told him to hang out with us, and he will soon sound like an American.

Though I should probably encourage Wally to stay in South Africa, where good pharmacists are much needed, how can I deny him the American Dream? Like many, I want to be proud of my country again, and welcome him with open arms.