The New President

Not just Americans, but the world watched Tuesday night as Obama quickly gained electoral votes to win the presidency and become America’s first African-American president. I know, I know, the elections are over and we have a new president so why keep talking about it? Well, besides the fact that history was made last Tuesday, experiencing not only a presidential election, but this presidential election in another country was fascinating, disappointing and relieving all at the same time. It was fascinating to be able to talk to non-Americans about what their views were regarding the candidates and let me tell you, everyone had an opinion. Surprisingly enough though, not everyone in Spain supports Obama. There is actually a large McCain group in Spain that held rally’s supporting him throughout the country. All in all though, the majority of people are in favor of Obama and not just in Spain. Being an American while traveling to different parts of Europe and talking with other American students who have traveled has provided us with many encounters with Europeans wishing to talk politics. It was almost intimidating how upfront some people were about their opinions both on the candidates and on the U.S. itself. However, I gained a lot of perspective on the influence America has on the rest of the world, both positive and negative. The most disappointing thing for me being in another country at this time was the time difference. Spain is six hours ahead of Ohio, so at 3 a.m. I was still waiting for polls to close. And what was worse was watching the crowd grow at Grant Park in Chicago and not be able to be there. All I could think of while watching the updates online was how much I wanted to be home in Chicago. To make matters worse, I had to watch the elections online because there was no channel at the school to watch it on TV. I have truly come to appreciate technology and the Internet so much more while abroad, it’s become my source to stay updated. Throughout this emotional rollercoaster that finally came to a finale Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning for me, I was so relieved and excited for so many reasons. Being from Chicago I am so proud to have our next president from the same place and I am so happy that this campaign is finally over and we will finally have a change that so many people are ready for. What’s more, I voted in my first presidential election and although it had to be absentee, I registered in Ohio, the swing state that ended up being Democratic. As much as I wish I could have been home for this experience, I cannot wait to go back and begin this new political adventure. Yes, we can is now yes, we did.