A 20-Course Meal with Obama by Teagan

A 20-Course Meal with Obama by Teagan - October 2017 Scholarship Essay

Obama. The answer to your question is Obama. Here is the thing, I love Obama and to dine with him would be an honor beyond words. I know this may be coming off a little stalker-esc, but I am not just weirdly into Obama, my love comes from a deep appreciation of his policies, time as president, and overall political presence. I believe he was an outstanding president and with the opportunity to share a meal together, I could discover even more about his accomplishments, his take on the future of the national government, and some casual small talk, of course.
“Hey, Obama how are you? Thanks for joining me for dinner!” “Of course, Teagan, you are a bright light in this country and will save it from impending doom!” That’s how I imagine the conversation would start, obviously. In all seriousness, I would most likely dive right into something that is considered some of his greatest work while in office, encouraging environmental consciousness and taking many steps to make the United States green. My mom is an environmental scientist, so I am not exactly surprised I turned out to be extremely passionate about protecting Earth, thus making all of Obama’s work a source of inspiration to me. I would like to understand why he is passionate and what he is doing now to still encourage this behavior. I would also love hearing about what he is most proud of himself for and try to grasp the idea of what being president it like. I truly hope this dinner is like a 20-course meal because I am just going to have so much to ask, just about his presidency alone.
As much as I would like to only talk about his presidency and all he accomplished, I would be a fool to not pry his brain for his take on the current political climate. 1) It would be the opportunity of a lifetime and 2) I could gain more insight into politics and understanding them than I could in almost any other situation. As someone who is constantly overwhelmed and scared by the political sphere, that would be invaluable. Of course I won’t get into the nitty gritty of the questions I would ask (because whoever is judging this essay might not like what I have to say) I would just ask the ex-President to evaluate the situation and depending on my completely neutral views what is the best way to encourage whatever I neutrally believe in. I would also ask him what he thinks on President Trump. I imagine it might just sound like the most intelligent gossip. Despite my obvious agenda to pry him for knowledge, I also think he has much more content to share than politics.
As a dinner host (or guest, I’m not entirely certain of the situation), I would also want to know what his life is like now. Do Michelle and him just hang around talking about saving the world, while occasionally visiting their daughter at college? Do they go to bars and get drunk now? Did they get a dog? I just am truly curious what post-presidential life is like. I also would try to speak with him about some of my own interests. Maybe I would ask him about one of my favorite animals, the Anglerfish. What’s his favorite animal? There is so many things to talk about, but only 20-courses to talk over. What little time!
If you could not tell from the past three paragraphs, I love Obama. Even just shaking his hand would be something, I am not sure a young girl from Idaho, such as myself, deserves, so when you throw out the idea of a whole meal, I am over the moon. My admiration for Obama and his time as president goes to an infinite extent. Speaking with Obama and dining with him over a 20-course meal (it was never specified how many courses) is something I can only dream and write scholarship essays about. In conclusion, I love and miss Obama.