Walthamstow resident Kate Arkless Gray travelled to Washington to witness the inauguration of America's first black President.

I was up at the crack of dawn, it didn’t matter that I had only rolled in from the jazz club at 1.30am - this was the big day. “Obama day! Obama day!” shouted a guy in an Obama shirt as we reached the back of a rapidly expanding crowd. This was it, the big day.

It was a last minute decision to come to Washington, but I’m so glad that I followed my instincts and booked a ticket. From the second I boarded the plane I could feel the excitement in the air. Each person had their own special reason for travelling to witness this historic event and the stories flowed freely, everyone connected by a common desire for change. The inauguration buzz was even more evident when I arrived in DC and it’s hard to find words to adequately describe the level of hope, excitement, eagerness and positivity that filled the air.

Back in the crowd and people are sporting Obama t-shirts, hoodies, hats, badges, flags and banners. We are no longer at the back of the throng as several thousand people have joined just behind us. I’ve never seen so many people in my life. I’m standing with a group from all over the States, and indeed the world. They’ve “surfed” their way to inauguration. Utilising an online community called “Couchsurfing” to find lodging in the city, they’re being hosted on sofas and floors by Washington locals eager to share this moment.

It’s freezing, but there’s a warming effect from so many bodies, there’s now an ocean of people both in front and behind us. We focus on the megatron, a huge screen set up on The Mall to show us the action. As the dignitaries arrive people look at their watches, “only 30 more minutes of Bush” one shouts, another chant of “O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!” begins.

An eerie silence descends as George Bush Snr is announced, then a cheer for the Clintons. I await the reaction to Bush, and despite the pleas from the lady next to me to be respectful, a collective “Booo” greets him as he takes to the stage. Last night I happened across an enormous inflatable George Bush figure that people were passionately hurling shoes at. “I just wanted to give George the boot” says one, slinging a welly so hard it bounces back at them. Strangers are talking and laughing together, we all know that this is an amazing time to be alive.

The Obamas take to the stage, Michelle, Malia and Sasha all looking gorgeous and getting a thumbs-up on the fashion front from the women beside me, and then the man himself. Looking cool as a cucumber, I’m waiting for him to realise just what is about to happen and let a grin escape, but he holds it together in a way I would never manage.

We are serenaded by Aretha Franklin and a new John Williams composition and then the moment is finally here. He does crack that smile I was waiting for half-way through taking his oath. As he finishes his oath the crowd goes wild. “It’s okay to be American again” I hear someone say, the guy next to me is wiping away tears. What an amazing, emotional, fantastic moment, and what a privilege to be able to say “I was there”.