America Has a New President.
It’s hard to express, exactly, what that means to me.
America is my home. I moved here for Ben, and only for him, and at first I felt somewhat like I’d been dragged to this crazy place kicking and screaming. I missed my country, my family, and all the things and ideas and systems I was used to.
Now, though, while I still love and miss my family and my country more than I can say, America is the home I choose. This is not because of Barack Obama. It is not because of politics at all. It is because people here have made me feel welcome, and the sense of personal and national potential one gets just from living here is infectious. In America, I feel like I can be someone.
I have become an adult here, and more than just that, I have become a far better adult than I would have been if I had stayed in one small place for my whole life. This experience has opened my eyes far beyond what I would have expected.
I love my home, my town, my state, my country. Come 2012, I will be a citizen, all going to plan, and it then will truly be my country.
All that aside, this was the first election in America I have been truly invested in. I was here for Election Day in 2004, but I was not here for the bulk of the campaigning, and besides, there was a general sense that it was going back to Bush and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
This time, it was all hope.
I followed this election from the very start of the primaries, devouring information, learning whom I did and did not support, and watching with great interest the system of government in this foreign country as the people here prepared to select a new president.
It all came down to today. There was a tangible buzz in the air. At school, everyone was talking about it. I saw Obama t-shirts, pins, stickers. I heard snippets of conversations- “Obama”, “voting”, “lines”, “turnout”… it seemed like everyone was going to the polls. I felt somewhat left out, of course, but energized by the possibility of witnessing this piece of history.
I watched the results come in with my little brother. We may be in different countries, but we can still connect very easily. I love Tom so much. He is smart, politically aware, creative, and we share a sense of humor. I appreciated the chance to talk with him as the polls tipped towards Obama, and delight in our shared excitement over the results.
Ben was busily calling HIS family, too. He called his parents, his brother, his half brother and sister-in-law, and I talked to my mother and brother-in-law as well. Ben’s family is very special to me. They are quite different from my own family, but I have a close relationship with them. I enjoy the affection that comes from my MIL; her warm, loving nature makes me feel good. I like the sarcastic, teasing humor that comes out when my brother-in-law and I talk. We spend a lot of time teasing Ben. ;)
I’m glad for my friends, as well, with whom I could share this moment. The ones who worked tirelessly to make this happen, like Badger. The ones for whom this election might make a real difference in their lives, such as Heidi and KC, our wonderful neighbors.
This was a truly special, magical day for me, as I’m sure it was for many of you, but in a slightly different way. I had tears in my eyes as I watched Obama’s speech, realizing that he will be president when I gain citizenship of the United States, and how that will make me all the more proud to be able to call myself an American citizen.
America is my home. I moved here for Ben, and only for him, and at first I felt somewhat like I’d been dragged to this crazy place kicking and screaming. I missed my country, my family, and all the things and ideas and systems I was used to.
Now, though, while I still love and miss my family and my country more than I can say, America is the home I choose. This is not because of Barack Obama. It is not because of politics at all. It is because people here have made me feel welcome, and the sense of personal and national potential one gets just from living here is infectious. In America, I feel like I can be someone.
I have become an adult here, and more than just that, I have become a far better adult than I would have been if I had stayed in one small place for my whole life. This experience has opened my eyes far beyond what I would have expected.
I love my home, my town, my state, my country. Come 2012, I will be a citizen, all going to plan, and it then will truly be my country.
All that aside, this was the first election in America I have been truly invested in. I was here for Election Day in 2004, but I was not here for the bulk of the campaigning, and besides, there was a general sense that it was going back to Bush and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
This time, it was all hope.
I followed this election from the very start of the primaries, devouring information, learning whom I did and did not support, and watching with great interest the system of government in this foreign country as the people here prepared to select a new president.
It all came down to today. There was a tangible buzz in the air. At school, everyone was talking about it. I saw Obama t-shirts, pins, stickers. I heard snippets of conversations- “Obama”, “voting”, “lines”, “turnout”… it seemed like everyone was going to the polls. I felt somewhat left out, of course, but energized by the possibility of witnessing this piece of history.
I watched the results come in with my little brother. We may be in different countries, but we can still connect very easily. I love Tom so much. He is smart, politically aware, creative, and we share a sense of humor. I appreciated the chance to talk with him as the polls tipped towards Obama, and delight in our shared excitement over the results.
Ben was busily calling HIS family, too. He called his parents, his brother, his half brother and sister-in-law, and I talked to my mother and brother-in-law as well. Ben’s family is very special to me. They are quite different from my own family, but I have a close relationship with them. I enjoy the affection that comes from my MIL; her warm, loving nature makes me feel good. I like the sarcastic, teasing humor that comes out when my brother-in-law and I talk. We spend a lot of time teasing Ben. ;)
I’m glad for my friends, as well, with whom I could share this moment. The ones who worked tirelessly to make this happen, like Badger. The ones for whom this election might make a real difference in their lives, such as Heidi and KC, our wonderful neighbors.
This was a truly special, magical day for me, as I’m sure it was for many of you, but in a slightly different way. I had tears in my eyes as I watched Obama’s speech, realizing that he will be president when I gain citizenship of the United States, and how that will make me all the more proud to be able to call myself an American citizen.