My experience on election day

Today is a great day.  Yesterday was an exciting one.  Though from the time that I woke up, I was nervous.  Anxious.  I was eagerly flipping back and forth between 4 or 5 different US news channels in the morning as I drank my coffee, hoping for some early sign of what was going on.  I was going to be busy and inside, without a television all day but a friend promised that there would be a radio we could access.  As it turns out, I was in the dark about the election ALL DAY.  The only radio station we had access to just repeated the same news report all day...no updates.  So by the end of the day, I had a tension headache and inadvertently had been rapidly moving my eyes back and forth at the same pace my brain was going as I wondered about what was going on.

A friend from Iceland asked me how I felt about the election.  I felt hopeful.  There were already reports about record turnouts at the polls.  Yes there was a lot of movement and activity around the 2004 election but it was a completely different energy.  It was fueled by fear and this was fueled by hope.  I know that when I have hope, I have a reason to go on, a reason to fight and a reason to do what I can to make things happen.  

At 6pm I went to a friend's house to watch the results.  At 7pm results started pouring in.  I sat hunched over staring at the television as the results slowly rolled in.  McCain's speech was honest, humble and generous.  I have a lot of respect for him after hearing his speech. He showed a lot of class.  I also loved Barack's speech.  What I loved most about it was that it was not about him.  It was about us.  He counted himself as one of us; we are going to do this together.  It was not about how great a campaign he ran or all of his success.  It was about hope and the voice of the people.  He was remarkable.  

But what I loved most was the light in the faces of all of the people that I saw on TV.  I was reminded how historic this is for so many different reasons and I can only imagine what it must feel like to be an African American today.  It warms my soul.  

I got very nervous when I saw that Virginia was a closely contested state.  I had planned to vote in VA because I didn't expect that I would be in Canada so long.  So, I sent in to get an absentee ballot and tried to get it via email.  They told me that I didn't qualify and so I had to jump through a few more hoops to get one in the mail.  I checked every day over the last week, hoping that it would arrive in time to send it in express mail.  But alas, it didn't.  I was devastated.  I feel so disconnected from this whole process and it was my chance to contribute something.  But, I did everything I could and I was relieved to see that Obama won VA making him the first democrat to win since 1965.  

So, at the end of the day, I am thrilled.  I feel hopeful.  Most of all, I am proud to be an American and for those who know me well, that is a big statement.  I also know that no matter where in the world I live, I can still be connected to my country and I will always be an American.  

Love to you all, 

Z