I took this picture yesterday among the crowd of people assembled next to the New York Stock Exchange. I was lucky to be next to a very symbolic building in this period in history. Years from now I can say that when our country was drowned in an economic recession, unnecessary war, and housing crisis, I was there among the hopeful, excited, tearful, and joyful crowd enjoying the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. I cast my first vote in this election and knowing that my vote made a difference in shaping the world is an honor.
I do not take my American citizenship for granted and I never will. I became a citizen in the morning of September 11, 2006 several years after I came to the United States as a child. I will never forget that moment when I raised my hand to recite the oath of allegiance- it was exactly five years after the darkest moment in American history. Yesterday, I stood among a group of Americans and tourists, young and old, wealthy and poor, comprised of all races and colors, all waving their hands and flags, shouting and hoping, crying and screaming; I stood among them feeling more American than ever before.
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