Reflection

I can't help but write about my experience Tuesday night, the night of the election.
It began with the split second decision my friends and I made to go to the White House for the big night. We left at around 10, and after waiting 20+ minutes for the metro, we got off at Metro Center. Cheering and screaming could be heard down all the streets, all the way to the metro stop. We began to run--we didn't want to miss the announcement! My friend kept checking her phone every 5 seconds for update and we all bit our lips in anxiety.
As we sprinted toward the White House, we passed many people all on their way to the same place. They all seemed to be college aged, and were all rushing like we were. Upon reaching the crowd and immediately being sucked in, I was overcome with sense of nationality centered on that one block. People sang the National Anthem, cheered, waved flags, climbed trees--everyone was constantly in motion, and everyone was moving each other. It was suffocating and overwhelming; everyone here was gathered to support a shared cause. Everyone was cheering for the same thing. I have never been in such a powerful situation before, and I know I will never forget it.
My experience Tuesday night made me think about what it must be like to be a college student in Egypt at the time of the revolution. It reminded me of the power that the youth hold and the changing beliefs as we grow and as society evolves. That feeling of power, of the idea that you are changing things that you know in your heart must be changed, must be amazing.