Elections

It's been an interesting experience, living in another country during this year's election season. It's harder to stay informed & to lend a hand (if you are so inclined) & even to vote (I sent in my ballot a while ago, but a quite a few volunteers never received theirs), but on the positive side, you miss all of the campaign adds.

What's been interesting though, is the reactions of the Thai people. They are surprisingly knowledgeable about American politics & eager to talk about it. I have been approached by a number of people asking me who I was going to vote for. When I asked them they would smile & say "Obama! I like Obama!" I was talking to one lady the other day, and she asked me if some Americans didn't like Obama because of his dark skin (skin color is a pretty big deal over here). I told her that there were some people who didn't like him because of his skin color, but that to most people it didn't matter.

I came into the SAO today to check the election results online & I was immediately mobbed. It seemed like the entire office wanted to know who won & when I told them Obama a cheer went up in the office. They stayed around my computer for a while, intently studying the results map (you know that map colored red or blue indicating who the State voted for)...they found it fascinating.

I hope you all (if you were over 18 & lived in the USA) went out and voted! And I hope that you are as happy with the results as I am...a much needed change is coming!

UPDATE: After I posted this, I went to see my landlord to pay my rent. She asked how I was doing & I told her that I was happy because Obama won. She laughed and said (and I quote): "Yes, maybe I think now America can be good again."