U.S. Election: Part III
Noted on November 17, 2008 by Natanya in
More interns share their election day (and post election day) stories from around the world. In this blog, Kari Graber (PSU, Scottish National Party) checks in from Scotland and Thomas Pittman (WOU, Kallari) reports from Ecuador.
Kari Graber, Portland State University, Scottish National Party Intern, Scotland:" In the weeks leading up to the election I had taken a couple of weeks off to do some traveling. In Greece we found a huge mural that said if you don’t vote Obama then you better be afraid of your mama. In Florence, Italy there was graffiti that was extremely anti-Bush, some of it unrepeatable, and finally in a church in Dublin, Ireland a little old lady came up to me and said, “I hope that you’re voting for the right man!”
"Never before had I realized how intensely the entire world was also hoping that yes, we could. Yes, we could put race aside and vote for the better man. That yes, we could, we could prove to the world that the United States was built on all the principles that they had been told, strength of character, tolerance for all cultures and the ability to come from nothing and be the first to succeed where others had only dreamed.
"In the days following the election I was asked repeatedly how I voted, not just by my work mates or friends but by total strangers, they would here my accent and know that I was American. Most of them would say, “Wow, this is the best thing that’s happened to your country in so long. You must be so happy.” This for me was somewhat of a shock. It is not customary in Scottish culture to ask people what there political beliefs are and it is very taboo to ask how they voted. However, I felt as though they were asking because they themselves wished they could have voted and that they were so happy that they were looking for someone to share in there joy, someone that was part of it.
"The headlines on the 5th of November went like this “Obama the man who will change the world”, and “The history man,” and “A new world dawns.” These headlines are very reflective of the mood of the people here in the UK. I don’t envy Obama, not only is he writing history by just being black, but he has not just his own country watching him, the eyes of the entire world are on him. Let’s hope that the momentum of support that secured him his Presidency will continue and that his ability to get people to work as hard as he did to get elected will reflect in our daily lives as Americans."
Thomas Pittman, Western Oregon University, Kallari Association, Ecuador:
"What a fantastic month it has been with the election of our new president, Barack Obama! As a staunch Democrat that proudly voted for Obama, I couldn´t be more ecstatic about the outcome of the election. Hopefully, Obama can bring big changes to our country that we so badly need, especially in the White House. The most prevailing emotion I have is what a great country we live in, where a minority kid from a poor family in Hawaii can grow up and become the president of the United States! Only time will tell if Obama will hold true to his promises of big change, but I for one have all the faith in the world in him. I love explaining to the people here in Ecuador that Bush has been replaced by a minority president that started with nothing and has risen to acquire arguably the most powerful single office in the world. This is the privilege that we have as US citizens and is the same reason why I am in Ecuador at this very moment; we live in the land of opportunity. All you need is a strong work ethic and the will to succeed and you can achieve anything you set your mind to."