The Election Day

My poor host family woke up this morning to find their gringa in a fit of tears in front of the television.

“Why are you crying??” They asked me. “I thought you wanted Obama to win!”

"I did; I did." I said. It was difficult to explain that the tears were definitely tears of joy.

One of the three goals of Peace Corps is to share information about our culture and nation with people in other countries. It’s an act of diplomacy that as a volunteer you can’t help but pick up.
But sometimes living abroad is more like damage control than a cultural exchange. I’ve talked to Peruvians about our politics, our president and our people. But always with a guarded edge, an offensive strategy, careful to counter the many criticisms sometimes even before they’re addressed.

I love my country. But we as a nation agree that we don’t love what we’ve become.
We’re fighting a painful war with no visible end, and losing the respect and standing with our international allies every day. Our economy flops while deeply rooted social problems (education, health care, ... ) are left untouched. But more so, we as a nation are plagued by a willful ignorance and indifference that allows an immoral and self-serving Washington to thrive, while nothing changes.

It takes more than moving rhetoric and Oprah’s backing to clean the mess we’re in right now. But in his campaign alone, Obama lit a fire beneath my apathetic generation and inspired them to do something for their country. He has evoked a national pride — a sprouting seed of patriotism — that we’ve never felt before in our lifetime. We’re talking about, caring about energy independence and international policy.

Whatever your thoughts on his political policies or background, you have to give him credit for moving an entire generation of youth to become patriots.

The reason I broke down was because I felt – like many people – it was the first step in the right direction. And for the first time since I’ve come to Peru, I can talk about the future of America with hope and incredible pride in my country and leader.

Obama´s not perfect. He won´t waltz into the White House like a giant band-aid and heal us. That will ultimately be up to us. But he´s a start.