I feel remarkably, and surprisingly, incredibly patriotic.

For months now, the 2016 election has been a gruesome, lively battle. Two opposite extremes fought for the position of President of the United States in what may have easily been the weirdest election year ever. While I was not able to be home to watch the inauguration from start to finish to get the full experience, I was able to record it and watch Donald Trump take the oath of office.

I have never been a fan of Trump or his family. In fact, I have utterly hated him from the very start. I am young, but I have done my research, and I have increasingly become aware and knowledgeable of politics in the U.S over the last couple of years. I define myself as part of the very left-leaning independent party. I dislike everything DJT has ever stood for, and I dislike nearly every vulgar, ignorant word that has ever come out of his mouth. He has offended me and millions of others personally with his mocking and offensive words towards people with disabilities and those of any other race not white. He has offended the LGBTQ community as well as nearly all of Muslim culture. I have felt very strongly about him from the start, using my voice whenever I could to speak about why a man like him is so unfit for Office. When he was elected, I was devastated and in disbelief. I was in shock, and I cried — cried for myself, my friends, my family, and for our nation.

However — watching the 45^th Presidential Inauguration has left me feeling surprisingly humble and oddly patriotic, which are some of the last emotions I expected to feel.

To watch the lively crowds, to see the Marines saluting Barack Obama and the Trump family standing side by side, to hear the patriotic music, to see the flag flying high and red, white and blue everywhere you look, to see the Obama’s and the Trump’s greeting each other with love and joy…it all instills me with some kind of hope. It reminds me that our country remains the same—strong and powerful—despite who sits in that chair.

The peaceful transition of power is something I am proud to witness. Barack and Donald have quite possibly some of the most opposing views in politics, yet despite their differences and historical dislike of one another, they were able to put everything aside and make the country proud today. I have not had an easy time accepting Donald Trump’s presidency, yet, when I watched him being sworn in, it was (shockingly) one of the first times since the 2016 election started that I have felt true and utter patriotism.

I almost feel a sense of relief. I feel as though the brutal fight is over. We democrats will never stop standing up for what we believe in, whether it be through motivational speeches or protesting marches. Yet, something about this national televised event has made me feel that we will survive — because we are better than hate. We are better than violence, and we are better than division.

One thing that stuck out to me when I watched Donald with his right hand high and left hand on the bible was his posture and vocal inflection. He slouched for the first few sentences, his face reading of boredom. When Chief Justice John G. Roberts said the words, “…protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” I noticed that Trump stood up straight, raised his hand higher, and he seemed to be paying better attention. To me, that says if there’s anything this man feels strongly about, it’s the Constitution. I knew that in his mind, he was most likely thinking “borders and guns.” What’s next? Well, none of us know. In my opinion, we can hate him all we want, but if we hope for his failure, we undeniably hope for ours, too. Whatever he may do, we the people are stronger, and we will always rise.

I thought I would have felt saddened and angry watching President Trump swear into Office. But, surprisingly, I realized that there is still hope for our country. I felt hopeful when the camera panned to Bernie Sanders and the Clinton’s. I felt hopeful to see the Obama’s still smiling and shaking hands with the Trump’s, enforcing the peaceful transition of power. This is a tough time for many of us, but if we don’t stand together, we will never get through the next 4 years. And with this, I conclude:

United we stand, divided we fall.