Historic night...

I don’t plan for my blog to be particularly political as I have friends and family of all colors (you know, red and blue)-- But I do feel compelled to tell you how I spent my evening out of our great country, looking in during this most historic night! Most of you know I’m quite a liberal but I try hard to see all sides and not be too partisan. I have been supporting Obama´s candidacy since February, well before he was the Democratic nominee. It’s been fascinating for me to watch as things have unfolded this year and I’ve spent way too many hours in front of the TV watching all the gory details. So, ironically, at the very end I am not in my own country but Peru, watching from an ex-pat’s point of view.

I went to my friend (and boss) Pamela’s house to watch as she is also an American. The two of us sat on her rooftop overlooking the city. She had run her cable line up there and we sat watching two stations, CNN in English (with a very bad picture) and CNN in Spanish (with a great picture) but, of course, I’m not fluent so it was a bit of a challenge. Thank goodness for graphics which transcend language! We munched on Peruvian junk food and drank beer. As the night wore on and it was clear Obama had won, periodically, we’d hear shouts and cheers coming from other houses as I assume they had just tuned in and gotten the news. And just as Obama started his acceptance speech, a rooster crowed over and over, something that had not happened all evening! The Peruvian’s love Obama and are they are quite thrilled for us both!

I can’t help but say that I was touched, not only by Obama´s words, but Mr. McCain’s, as well. This had been a difficult choice for me as I’ve always liked McCain and know full well he would make an excellent president. He was truly gracious and humble--it reminded me that these two men and their actions are why I’m most proud of being an American. The truly peaceful process of transferring power and the understanding that they were opponents, not enemies, is what makes us a great people. As I’ve spent time out of the country in the past 5 years, I’ve found myself often trying to defend various USA political positions with people who didn’t quite understand where America was heading? As I move forward I will be most proud to call Obama my president! Where ever I go, I’m confident I will be well-received.

Thanks for letting me comment but I promise to keep the political views to a minimum in the future. I want all my family and friends to continue tuning in so don’t be afraid to do so. In a few days I’ll write a bit more about some projects I’m getting involved in down here...I think you will be most interested....and if I can figure it out, post a few photos, too!