A Day for the History Books

I am going to post the first story I wrote for Focus (Online actually), that sadly, didn't get published. But Stephan looked at it, made great suggestions that will really help me in my career already actually. I wanted to rewrite it and have him critique the revised one as well, but he said "Don't work for the trash can." Ha! Right again. So tomorrow, we're going to brainstorm to come up with subjects that I can write about for the Boulevard section... aber die nächstes muss auf Deutsch sein. Schauen wir mal!

Here you go:

Beverly McNeely-Feuss never thought she would see this day would come.
“This is a historical event,” said McNeely-Feuss, a U.S. citizen and Munich resident. “As you can see, I’m an African-American, and I never would have believed that America would vote for an African-American… Miracles do happen.”
More than 400 guests joined McNeely-Feuss at the Munich Inaugural Ball yesterday to welcome Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.
In a display of true bipartisanship, American Democrats and American Republicans came together as one during the event to celebrate the country’s democracy, said the president of the Republicans Abroad Munich chapter Michael Ricks.
“I think the entire world is committed to change … now is the time to think about the future,” he said.
The world has come to a point in time that rarely happens, said Democrats Abroad Munich chapter president Randy Caldwell.
“Eight years of disappointment are met with the hope of the next four years,” he said. “It’s a crash, and people are ready for a new beginning.”
Yet this year’s inauguration was not just a momentous occasion for Americans, but rather for citizens of countries worldwide. They, too, showed up to offer their support.
“I was actually quite involved, actually I think everyone was involved in this election,” said Tetyana Druzhynina, a citizen of the Ukraine and resident of Munich.
Held at the Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel Ballroom, the Munich event boasted to be “the only formal inaugural ball being held in Germany and one of the largest inaugural events outside the United States,” said Dave Dowdy, president of the California Association of Germany, the organization that hosted the event along with the Munich International Ski Club.
But the event was one of many. Hundreds of other inaugural events were taking place all around the world as millions tuned in to witness what was likely to be the most watched event in television history, according to AOL news.
“It’s amazing what is happening tonight around the world,” Caldwell said.
Beginning at 16:30, the guests—clad in elegant gowns and sharp tuxedos—began trickling in through the doors and made their way to the main ballroom, where they settled in to watch the events taking place in Washington D.C. on a movie theater-sized screen.
With a registration fee of 75 Euros, guests enjoyed welcome drinks, a fancy dinner and extravagant dessert buffet, dancing until midnight and a front-row seat in which to observe the festivities.
As Obama took his oath of office, the crowd was brimming with emotion and excitement.
A second after Obama was announced America’s next president, shouts of glee could be heard over the applause and smatterings of miniature American flags were seen dancing above the assembly.
Obama’s speech called for “a new era of responsibility,” a time in which every American citizen must put forth the effort in order to solve the challenges that presently face our country.
And effort he will get.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck call to get us going back in the right direction,” Ricks said. “Americans are used to public service and this is the time to jump on board.”
Obama has warned time and time again that change will not happen overnight, and it seems as though the world is more than prepared to give the 44th president the time to start accomplishing his goals.
“People are understanding of the problems and people have patience and are willing to give Obama the time he needs,” Caldwell said.
“I don’t envy him at all,” McNeely-Feuss said, “but I’ll give him my 100 percent support.”


So there you are. Mainly what Stephan said was that there is nothing really in this story that Germans don't know already or that they find interesting. He is completely right. He says as a Fulbright scholar from New Mexico, he knows I can do better and find things to write about that the German auidence will really be interested in reading. Aber es ist ganz schwierig für mich. I told him this was because I think Germans, as a whole, know a lot about a lot. It's hard to surprise them, you know? But that now, is my goal.

And I will succeed, oh yes, I will succeed...