Election Day

I have not updated this blog in a long time and had somewhat forgot about it, but the events of yesterday make me want to share my experiences and thoughts. Yesterday was a historic moment for the United States and for the world and I want to share what the election was like for those of us outside the US and halfway across the world.

When I got out of class I had stayed a couple minutes to ask the teacher for extra help explaining some basic grammar points. When I got downstairs therefore I found McKinley impatiently waiting. “Obama WON!!” she screamed, running up and throwing her arms around us. I felt shocked, I hadn’t expected any results for several more hours, and now it was done. America had picked its new President and had in the process changed history. We were giddy with joy. We probably looked like silly school girls jumping up and down and giving everyone hugs. The crowd of other foreign students gathering outside the school was confused by our antics at first, but hearing the news many of them were thrilled as well and came to congratulate us. The energy and joy we felt was enormous, just as I’m sure it was for many of you. We got a phone call that a crowd was gathering at the Irish bar across from the U.S. embassy to watch the CNN coverage. We stopped by our apartment to drop off our school bags and then caught a taxi across town. I felt this enormous need to call my parents. It felt like such a momentous occasion that I wanted to share the joy and excitement with them.
When we got to the bar it was already full with Americans and other expats. I had never been there before and it was fun to walk in and find a very American bar in the middle of Chengdu, China. The two TV’s up on the wall were tuned to CNN and soon after we came in and settled into a booth at the far side of the bar the entire bar began to cheer as Obama walked onto the stage to deliver his victory speech. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.” Obama began, prompting another huge cheer. Then as Barack Obama began to deliver his beautiful and well crafted speech the entire bar went silent, captivated by the true power that come from the gift of oratory. I will probably never forget the next half hour. The entire place listened in rapt attention as Obama spoke. Occasionally people would cheer, many people began to cry or give each other hugs. What was so amazing about this experience was that the crowd was as mixed of a bunch as they come. There was a tall young guy with dreadlocks brushing tears out of his eyes, while on the other side of the room a middle aged redneck shouted out affirmations like she was in a church revival. There were people from all over the world, people of different ethnicities, different nationalities, different age groups all coming together to celebrate this feeling of hope and change for the future. It was truly a microcosm of the world, and it felt so good to be standing among all of them, enjoying the moment together and feeling extremely proud, for the first time in a long time, to say that I was American.