Rugby and Obama

WELL, I hope you are all excited for this blog post because as you can see by the title, it was one helluva good weekend. I had no plan on it turning into the eventful weekend that it did, but I was fortunate enough to experience an event that most people will not be able to in their entire life. Let me break it down for you. Here we go.

Friday: Friday was a very chill day. I woke up not feeling too good, so I called into work and they told me to stay home and feel better. After sleeping in and feeling a little bit better, I got up and went to get some food with Caitlyn at a place called The Blend, which was a little local cafe that served breakfast. We both decided to branch out and order something a little different, and we ended up getting two pieces of toast with baked beans, tomatoes, and a pesto sauce (it was fantastic!) After eating, I came back and napped again because I was still not feeling good. A few hours later, I woke up and felt a lot better. After showering and deciding to go out with everyone, I found out that everyone had signed up to volunteer to help out with President Obama's speech at Cape Town University. We all signed up, and while everyone received a follow email within thirty minutes that read "You're in," this guy didn't get his. Hoping to receive one before training the next morning, I got ready and went out with everyone.  We went to Sideshow again (free vodka from 10 - 11!) and it turned out to be a really fun night, but to make it even better, I checked my email at about 3:00am and saw the email that read "You're in." Onto Saturday.

Saturday: We woke up on Saturday bright and early because we had to be at CTU (Cape Town University) for our training for the speech on Sunday. The campus was absolutely beautiful and it was empty. We all walked around for a little bit, then met some people from the White House and listened as they explained what our duties would be. Our group was split up into different sections, and Kory, Luke, Nicole and I were assigned to usher guests into the room before the speech. It was about an hour or two and we left to go get ready for our first rugby game at 7:00pm. We got on the train to Clairemont (we almost missed the train but made it at the last minute) and got there around 5:00. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to the game. Turns out it was a pretty big game and there was a ton of fans. Our seats were AMAZING and we were only about 6 rows back. The game was really interesting because fans from both different teams sat together and jokingly taunted each other. The game turned out to be in the Stormers favor (the team we were rooting for) and it turned out to be a great evening. We came home and all went to bed since we had a big day ahead of us, and now onto the big day!

Cheetahs vs. Tigers

MSU Gang

 

President Obama!!

Sunday: Sunday was the first day that I have actually slept in. I woke up at around 10:30 (I could have slept for another 4 hours, but decided that I should get my day started.)We all ironed our clothes and suited up for the big event. When we went down to the girls room to get them, everyone looked really nice in their dress clothes. We got in the cabs and headed to Cape Town University around 1:30, and arrived at the very bottom of the hill to the university at around 1:50 (the police had the entire campus shut down, so we had to walk up a huge hill to the Jameson Building where the President's speech was going to take place. We got to a road and saw a bunch of press and volunteers at the end, and none of us noticed but we were all walking in a line next to one another and the wind was blowing (we all looked real bad ass.) When we got to the end of the road, the woman in charge of the event (she worked for the White House) was taking pictures of us and referred to us as the "Superheroes" (I don't know if it is just me, but having someone from the White House call you a Superhero is a pretty big deal.) After waiting around for about an hour, we were escorted in (before the media and the guests) and were told to take our places. Over the next few hours people began filing in for the event, and let me tell you, there was a TON of people. After everyone was seated, a few singers came out and sang (they were excellent) and then a group of African drummers and xylophone players performed a few songs (including the Lion King.) At 6:00, excitement and tension filled the air as everyone wait for the big moment. At once, the secret service began walking out and a woman's voice came over the P.A. and said "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama." The crowd went wild and I was in clear site of the President entering the stage. The feeling that runs through your body in a moment like that is indescribable. Seeing someone of such high importance less than 100 feet away from you was not only an experience that I will never forget, but an experience that I might not ever experience again. I am so grateful that I chose this time and place to spend the Summer of 2013. Never had I EVER expected to A.) Experience the emotional roller coaster of a nation watching Nelson Mandela, one of the worlds most influential people, encounter life threatening health problems and B.) be invited to volunteer at my own President's speech and get to watch him speak from such a close distance. I am TRULY grateful for the experience that I am having and now know that it is a once in a life time opportunity (literally, this will NEVER happen again.) I hope you all enjoy the pictures and my blog and are looking forward to future ones. Peace and Love!

The room before Obama arrived

The Amazing Ushers

Picture from the White House woman

My "VIP" Pass

The Superheroes