Pride and Joy

For the first time in awhile, I am proud of my country.  Now, before you go accusing me of being an unpatriotic anarchist or something, don’t think that means that I hate all that America’s accomplished.  I’m not proud of the direction America’s headed since at least the time I started voting.  I haven’t been proud of the international reputation we’ve acquired, or much of anything that our current administration has done.  

First, a recap of election day festivities:

On Tuesday, I could hardly concentrate on anything, but of course nothing had even begun in America yet for most of the day here.  After work, I headed over to Karen’s to help her bake and cook for the party on Wednesday, and I was pleasantly surprised to catch the election day Diane Rehm show while we were puttering around the kitchen that night.  If anything could make me feel at home and not like I was missing out, it was Diane talking to guests and listeners about their individual voting experiences etc.  We made pesto dip, 3 carrot cakes, 2 chocolate bundt cakes, and a giant vat of chili.  Once that was done, I began work on my Obama tank top, and continued listening to NPR election pregame until about 1:30 AM.  I got up around 5AM, and turned on NPR in time to hear them call Ohio.  Karen, the girls, and I headed to her satellite TV friend’s house with muffins and coffee just in time to see them call the whole election, and then to see both speeches.  I thought McCain’s speech was nothing but elequoent and gracious, and despite some nasty campaining he really took the high road.  It was a shame that his crowd booed everytime he congratulated Obama on anything.  

We watched the footage of Grant Park, eagerly awaiting Obama’s appearance.  During his speech, we all had tears streaming down our faces, along with much of the live audience.  It was moving on so many different levels…  Of course we especially appreciated his address to those of us in “forgotten corners of the world, huddled around radios etc..”.   After the speech and a little more footage, Karen and I went into town, high on the adrenaline to buy supplies for the party.  (because at that point, the party was on for sure!)  I then went to work to set up my computer to download footage of the speech to project onto a big screen at the party (which took about 4 hours, but did actually work!).  I got a notice from the post office that I had a package, and when I picked it up, what did it contain, but an Obama t-shirt from Patrick’s parents (along with some sweet treats)!  How perfectly timed…I also got a card from my parents, so that made it just a little more like Chirstmas day!  After picking up the package (which was SO much easier than I expected… the customs guy didn’t make me open it in front of them, and I only had to pay 11,000Ar, which is nearly half of what people have sometimes paid), Maia, Brendan (a peace corps volunteer who was in town) figured out how to get the video footage working with the projector etc, and we started decorating for the party.  It’s best described with photos I believe:

 

the banner we hung in the garden

 

the voting booth - you had to vote to enter the party - karen photocopied her electronic absentee ballot!

 

the t-shirt that arrived just in time...thank you medlands!

 

my hack embroidery job, started before the t-shirt arrived...

 

carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting (all American food at the party)

 

was it too much to decorate ella the pet tortoise? i think not!

Despite all of the hope about change that Obama brings, and the confidence that I do have in him to govern our nation, from an overseas perspective, it’s not a new president immediately rescuing us from all of our current problems that makes me the happiest.  It’s our global reputation.  At the victory party, there were a few Americans, and many French and Malagasy people.  They were all just as happy as we were.  Rivo received a text message from a friend in France – “On a gagné!  Vive l’amerique!”.   The whole world seems to have been pulling for Obama, and even before he takes office, they already have a different view of America.  Our global respect has already been restored, and to have every French person I’ve encountered since the election offer words of congratulations and excitement has been quite something.  I don’t naively hope that the financial crisis or war in Iraq will disappear with Obama’s inauguration.  Those are incredibly difficult problems that aren’t going away any time soon no matter who’s in charge.  But, I do believe that we can now be part of the world, rather than an independent entity seen as not giving a shit what allied nations have to say.  America has stood up and declared that they are fed up with the way our country has been managed in the last 8 (or even 20) years, and that we want to evolve.  We have declared in one voice, that race is no longer an issue here, and that the hard work of so many black Americans has culminated in breaking the final race barrier.  And all of these things, my friends, makes my eyes brim with tears, and my heart swell with pride.