Obama!

I know for a fact that not everyone who reads this was pulling for Obama to win the election, but I do want to express the excitement I feel about his victory!

Last night, Matt, Molly, and I stayed up a little later than usual and watched CNN to get some preliminary information about the start of Election Day in the US. Because of the huge time difference, we couldn’t really get any information about any of the states before we went to bed, so we decided to get up at 4AM, and see who our new president would be.

Though I was pretty exhausted, the three of us got up to walk to the Headmaster’s office where there is a TV hooked up to a satellite dish. When we first arrived, things were looking promising for Obama, but nothing could be confirmed yet. Then, when the polls closed on the West Coast, CNN announced Obama as the winner, and the three of us rejoiced!

While I’m sure that Obama will not solve all the world’s problems, and I am confident that he will make some decisions that will not be good for everyone, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say I’m excited about the American president.

And being here in Africa puts a whole different perspective on things. Though many people may question Obama’s experience and ability to deal with the rest of the world, I have witnessed the immense optimism the world outside the US has for Obama. Furthermore, because of Obama’s unique background, he will be able to represent the United States to the rest of the world in a way that no president ever has in the history of the US. In our ever-increasingly globalized world, and from what I’ve witnessed in populations outside of the US, this is quite possibly the best step the American people could have made in electing a new president. I feel safe in saying the world would have been bitterly disappointed if Americans selected Obama’s rival, and I don’t think many advancements in foreign relations would have been made, or at least, people from this end wouldn’t have been very open to it.

I know my hope in Obama is rather audacious, but I am very excited to see where he will take the American people and the world. Here we go America; let’s see what is possible!