so for me, the night started at midnight... i slept off and on, hearing randomly in my sleep that obama won, and waking up to see if it was true. it was :) i then fell back asleep and missed his speech. this has been an interesting election to view from outside the US. i've had to watch reports from other countries reinforce american stereotypes (interviewing the oddest, largest people they can find... acting like they know what the american people are all about), while keeping up with american-based news, like cnn and nbc nightly news podcasts. i've also had to explain just how our various electoral systems work, from the primaries to the electoral college, and of course, defend my candidate of choice in a couple discussions with naysayers, to put it politely :) i also voted by absentee ballot last month, cos i wasn't gonna let a little thing like being out of the country stop me from voting! and one of my most favorite parts, which i would've been privy to whether i was in the country or not, were those lively email debates the gates family had!
i guess though, the most interesting thing i've noticed about being an american abroad on a day like today, is how lonely it feels. all day, i've wanted to chant our future president's name to strangers, share my pride about such an historic election, its stunning and exciting outcome, and how ecstatic i am about getting to return to a country that, to be honest, i've really missed! but my celebrating has been small and private, confined to my head while out in public, and my room in private, with nothing but a computer screen to catch up on the missed speech and a few american candy bars. ´
x.
1 comment:
I wish you had been here too.
All day today I kept smiling and I would think, "Why am I so happy?" and then I'd remember it's because a man that I respect and have come to love is now our president. I've never been more proud of anything. I wish I could go back to England and say, "Who wants to talk about my president now??" since last time I was there I had to explain (to many, many people) that I did not vote for G.W., nor did I support his war.
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