*We are one*

*the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial (pic from the NYTimes)-- we were to the left, past the trees*

To celebrate inauguration, Julian and I went to the We are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial, where we got to see President-elect Obama and his family, as well as the Bidens. The crowd went crazy when Obama walked down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with Michelle, since it was a surprise appearance. Obama and Biden both gave speeches on the hard work ahead, and the need for unity in the country. Tons of celebrities were there to celebrate America, and to promote unity among the country. Actors read tributes to America and celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. and various presidents, and singers sang patriotic tunes. Altogether it was crowded (75,000+), cold and really fun!

*Julian and me with Obama in the background!!*

We were standing pretty close to one of the jumbotrons, so we got to see the action in detail, but the Memorial was pretty far away. We could see tiny figures moving around through the trees, but that was it. Some of the most memorable parts were Elmo getting the crowd to chant "we are one," after which the number one came out angrily, declaring that he was one. Garth Brooks got the crowd jumping and warmed us up with the song Shout, which was good since most of us were freezing!

*the main stage, the Lincoln Memorial*

*We're standing about 1/3 of the crowd away from the Lincoln Memorial-- there were a LOT of people there*

*Julian and Tom Hanks*


*me and Queen Latifah-- notice my Hope pin (Julian found it for me on the ground haha)*

*Shakira, Usher and Stevie Wonder performing at the We Are One concert*

*me and Beyonce, the last artist to perform*


*there were tons of police out for inauguration weekend, with these fancy motorcycles*


*on our way back to the metro, we passed a statue of Simon Bolivar, the South American revolutionary who led the revolts to free Colombia (and other countries)*


*stuck at the intersection by the White House-- we jumped up on a lampost to survey the situation-- the road was blocked off and we were trapped there with a HUGE crowd of people... we made it to the metro after shoving our way through the crowd!*

I'm employed!

*Julian took me out to dinner after my second interview, when I was unofficially offered the job!*

I got a job!! I received a call on Christmas Eve, offering me (officially) the position of English Language Acquisition Manager for a few preschools. I happily accepted and thanked God for my Christmas present (in fact, I had been praying that I would have a job by Christmas-- perfect timing, as usual!!).

So, now I'll be working for Apple Tree Institute (to go to the website, click here), a non-profit organization geared at improving education for all. I'll be working with the early literacy programs in four preschools sponsored by this organization, and will be helping parents and teachers figure out the language aspect of learning and literacy so that all of the children will be ready for kindergarten. I love the premise of Apple Tree-- instead of trying to remedy the academic gap which exists for underprivileged kids, some African-American kids and bilingual kids, they want to prevent it from starting through early intervention.

Although I'm really excited about the job, I start on Monday and now instead of the excitement bug, I'm getting the nervous kind-of-want-to-throw-up bug. I know deep down that it'll probably be ok, that the first day is always nerve-wracking, but I just want to already be at the point where I'm used to having a job and I know what I'm doing. I think it'll take some time though..... Pray for me on Monday please!!