Obama's Effect

Hongera Sana (congratulations) Obama! And a great effort to John McCain, who I believe is a good man who has been through a lot of hardships, and tried throughout his career to be somewhat bi-partisan, but the race for presidency turned him into something he is not. It became a black vs. white, republican vs. democrat, Christian vs. (Christian, but people think he's Muslim) event.

I got together in town with a few volunteers to watch the election results. We found a guesthouse that had great satellite t.v. and comfy couches . .. and warm showers! :) We were able to pick up BBC and CNN international services and watch the results, in and out of sleep, bleary-eyed from 8pm at night until 7am the next morning. We were all Obama fans, and jumped through many hoops to get our absentee ballots mailed to us and back to the states. You could only imagine our enthusiasm (even on a few hours of sleep) when he did indeed win!!! This was a pivotal election for everyone, but being in East Africa seemed to make it even more of a milestone event. Most people here know of Obama, and are all rooting for him because he still has family in Kenya. The BBC station had coverage from the small Kenyan village where Obama's grandmother still lives, and the whole village was celebrating his achievement . .. I could only imagine the pride in his distant village (which he did visit last year) . .. and how they were all saying they were so proud of "their son." Living in a small village myself, I can't imagine the pride they feel right now. They never dreamed of having a person of African descent to become the president of a country so highly respected, loved, or loathed by Africans. Many people here have the misconceptions that he is Muslim (but then again so do people in the U.S.) or that he is full African (not acknowledging his white, American mother.) But I use this as a learning tool- to teach people of Africa that Americans are all different. We are a nation of immigrants. And maybe I won't have as many people asking me why I'm not blonde, blue-eyed, or tall if I'm American? I explain to them that my parents are Italian, and that they emigrated to America, and they begin to understand. However, many people see pictures of volunteers or their family or friends who are African-American, and they ask, "If they are African, how did they get to America?" Which lead us to realize that the majority of people here don't know about the slave trade. Those who are able to be educated at the college level or higher secondary school know about slavery, but many do not. Some are more aware of the Arab slave trade off the island of Zanzibar, but it makes me feel responsible for telling them of the history of the Americas as well . . . and yet, at the same time i am afraid to say anything. Is it because i don't want them to know of the cruelties and hardships endured . . . or perhaps because I'm afraid they will look at me differently? As much as I believe in Obama as a person, and as a great representation of Americans today, i also hope that his influence upon the rest of the world will help people perceive Americans differently. Maybe we still have a long way to go, but I am proud to say that I come from a nation that is diverse in its people, all descendants of immigrants or indigenous tribes, where we have the freedom to think, feel, and act independently. We care about the rest of the world, because we are the rest of the world, and hopefully other countries will begin to see that as well. Change will not happen overnight, but I will be happy to come home to a country that I believe has hope. lots of it.

Again, thank you all for your support and interest. Go Obama!