Proud to be an American

Decades from today, regardless of their vote, my generation will look back on November 4, 2008 and share with their grandchildren how the world reacted to the election of Barack Obama. Some people will remember watching the election returns on CNN, others will remember walking home on a college campus to the sounds of cheering across the dorms, but I will remember how one school and 47 different nationalities came together half a world away to support one country-my country.

As Americans watched the the states go red and blue in their pajamas Tuesday night, students and teachers alike huddled around the flat screen TV in the ASB cafeteria watching CNN with bated breath. For the past few weeks, ASB has been on American election overdrive, which seems normal except for the fact that Americans make up only about 25% of the ASB population. The middle and high school history classes paused to learn about the American system of government so that everyone would be on the same page when it came time for the electoral votes to start adding up. 5th grade students spent their recess time on Monday making "Go Obama!" buttons out of paper and tape to sport around school. A group of girls came over to show them off to me during lunch, and one of them demanded, "Who did you vote for Ms. Hogg? If you didn't vote for Obama, I'm not talking to you anymore!" This little girl happens to be Scottish. All around school, students, parents, and teachers all seemed to be buzzing about one thing only: Who would win the American election?

In talking with Marie, I shared with her my surprise at the interest level over the American election. Between the excitement around ASB, the constant reporting on Indian newscasts, and the newspaper articles Barrett and I read in the local Cochin newspaper covering the campaign trail, I felt like I was hearing just as much about the election as I would have been back home. Marie explained to me that the President of the United States isn't just a leader for the US, but a leader for the whole world. "I wish that I could put a vote in," she continued, "because the policies that you all make affect what happens in Denmark. We have over a thousand troops in Iraq right now supporting your war; and seven of them have died!" She makes a great point; it's not all about US.

When CNN declared Obama president on the morning of November 5th (Indian time), I was working with a student in my classroom but could hear the cheers from all the way downstairs. Curious to see what had happened, I climbed the steps to the cafeteria to see elementary school children giving up their recess to sit captivated by Obama's acceptance speech, surrounded by middle and high school children who had been let out of class to witness this historic moment. On the outskirts of the students were teachers from dozens of different nationalities, glued to Barack Obama with tears in their eyes. As America sat on the edge of their seat listening to Obama's inspirational words, so did we. As the crowd in Chicago cheered, "Yes we can!", our internationally diverse crowd did the same. And as the Obama's and the Bidens took the stage as a family, and the US officially entered countdown to Obama's inauguration, I looked around the room with chills all over my body over what I had witnessed. I suppose that one of the effects of my experience over here has been to have shed my egocentric American ways, and observing the microcosm of ASB's reaction to the election only made me more aware of our responsibility to the rest of the world.

In discussing the aftermath of the election with family and friends, I've noticed that Barack Obama's promise of change means different things to different people. For some it's an opportunity to rebuild foreign relations, for others it's a chance to end a war, while for some it's just downright scary. Although I'm still trying to figure out what all this change means for me, I will be forever touched by what it meant to a 1st grade student at ASB who comes from a bi-racial family. As the crowd cleared to return to their classrooms Wednesday morning, this little girl ran past me to pick up her lunch box and paused to look at the TV one last time before scurrying off to Library. "You know," she said with pride before turning to leave, "his skin looks like mine. It's light on the TV, but my Mommy says it's really dark just like mine." The little girl skipped off to Library, clueless to the effect her profound words had on me.

With the dawn of a new president, the world is watching our country in a new light of respect. An Indian newspaper article commented on America's unbelievable progress for electing an African-American president less than 200 years after the end of slavery and challenged the Indian people, "If that doesn't sound impressive to you; when was the last time you were kind to your servants?" It's an exciting time in history, and as I make my way through life in India, I do so with a deep and genuine pride for my country. Way to go, America.