Inspiration reaches far and wide

Wow. 

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We are in disbelief that Barack Obama got elected to be our next President of the United States. BUT WE ARE ECSTATIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, I seriously was jumping for joy and dancing around and screaming "WHOOOOOOO!!!!!" 

Chris and I stayed up until around 3AM our time (so 7pm Seattle time) just so we could watch the election unfold via CNN (watched it online which was awesome - felt like we were watching TV) and I also was on www.nytimes.com refreshing a map every couple minutes to see which states voted Obama. We'd fall in and out of sleep and every time I would awake with panic - worried and anxious to see the results. 

This is such an amazing moment in history. Finally, for the first time since I've had the right to vote (which ok, isn't a long time - this is my third time voting), the candidate that I voted for is taking office. There really is a new sense of hope for us; for our generation. I feel proud of us too, the American people, and I hope and pray that Obama is given the chance to carry out his vision. For once, I am inspired by the leader of my country - shit, for once, I am proud to be an American citizen. I really can't believe I just said those words. Of course, like Obama stated in his speech, we still have a long way to go - that this is just the beginning. In fact, I thought it was appalling that California, among other states, passed a same sex marriage BAN. I mean, Christ people! Do we not see the similarities here? We as a country are finally to the point where we can look beyond race (because after all, we are all human beings) and elect an African American President, but we still won't allow human beings that love each other, the right to marry? I guess not all battles can be won simultaneously. Although there are imperfections, I do expect to see great things in the future.

Alright, I won't subject you to anymore of my political beliefs. I found it quite interesting that several of my British classmates watched the election as closely as we did. They were also hoping for Obama and when I got to class we all celebrated together. His inspiration reaches far beyond the boundaries of America. It's also interesting how much influence American politics, economics, culture, etc. has on the rest of the world. 

We longed to be back in Seattle so we could be closer to it all. And, so I could get my Obama t-shirt and wear it proudly!

-Nic