Woohooooooooo! I don't have to leave the United States now! I can stay! There is HOPE now! I can't believe I am having the pleasure of typing these precious words. But here it is-this country made me proud tonight, finally. I think this is the first time I have felt proud to be an American since I was a little girl, before Kennedy was shot.
When the clock hit 8:00 pm here in California, I knew our polls were closing. I thought that after a few hours, we'd know the results. I was glued to my laptop, watching MSNBC. About 30 seconds after 8:00, Keith Olbermann's face appeared and I heard him announce that Barak Obama is the new president elect. I thought I was hearing things. But the words were on the screen!
Tears welled in my eyes and I felt like this must be a dream!
After understanding that this is indeed real, I realised that now I can stop worrying about where to go...now I can stay here and not worry that our president will attack every country that has oil, or that inconveniences somebody's selfish endeavours.
I can stay here in the country where I was born and have always lived, without feeling embarassed and ashamed of our nasty, unfair foreign policies and Imperialistic attitudes.
I loved Barak Obama's acceptance speech. It reminded me very much of Kennedy telling us "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". It might sound a little smarmy, but it is true that we are the ones to make it happen. I feel so happy tonight, to be one of the ones!