¡¡¡¡eeee!!!!! obamanos! ... i am so damn proud to be an american.

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¡¡¡¡WOOHOO!!!!

God watching freaking Nica television Canal 2 last night during the noticias at 6pm was kiiiiillling me! They showed a brief picture of Obama and McCain and then went to their reporter in Miami who was just going on and on and on about blah blah blah and then they went to a LIVE broadcast of the American ambassador to Nicaragua, Robert Callahan, who was also blah blah blahing and I just kept yelling, to the amusement of the Nicans watching the TV with me in Nita´s house - the abuela´s - QUIERO NUMEROS! NUUUUMMMMMEROS!¨ Or, for the español-challenged, I WANT NUMBERS! NUUUUUUMMMMBBBERRRS!

I woke up at 5.45 with the house radio blaring the news that Obama won and my sister Xochilth banging on my door ¨¡¡¡ÉL GANÓ!!!

I woke up smiling like an idiot.

And then, as I was sitting on my stoop drinking coffee waiting for my brother Winder to get out of the baño so I could bucket-shower, I started thinking about how long I´ve been waiting to hear ¨President Barack Obama¨and the first conversation I had about him. I was at a house party in Beijing in the winter of 2006 and started discussing Barack with some American studying abroad. And I remember going to the Bookworm in Beijing and reading ¨The Audacity of Hope¨one chapter at a time because I didn´t have the money to buy the book, but wanted to read it.

And remembering all of that, while still smiling and drinking my coffee on a stoop on a mountain in Nicaragua, I cried. I cried for happiness, for finally having something go right with politics in the USA, for the audacity of the American people to choose change, to look beyond the lines of racism, to pick the best path for America and for the world.

After I showered my new madre called and wanted to talk to me, as she´s been in Somoto campaigning for office of the Alcalde here in San Lucas, and she was soooo happy and wanted to congratulate me on my win, and on the win for the world. She said the Sandanistas are very happy to have Barack Obama in office!

A couple of minutes later, one of the professoras that I met yesterday afternoon who works in the local elementary school came to my porch to congratulate me and to tell me how happy she is that Obama won.

I´m still smiling like an idiot, and waiting for youtube.com so I can watch his acceptance speech.

10 minutes later... Am watching his speech on youtube.com and crying and smiling much to the amusement of the Nicans here. Today also happens to be the PLC rally here in San Lucas and there are songs and fireworks and, well, a rally. And it´s super hard to hear Obama´s acceptance speech.

Going to go meet the other volunteers in the area in a bit but first want to get through his speech.

20 minutes later... Wow. Just. Wow. I am so damn proud to be an American.

Also, Missourah was 49% for Obama and 49% for McCain.... and that is more than I ever dreamed possible.

.......

3pm. Well, I am now in Somoto, the department capital, with another PCV, Kadesha HE ´43. She works in San Lucas and is a Health Volunteer. Went to a meeting of hers with her NINE youth groups, went to the police station to get the phone number for all of the forms I have to fill out, and then we took a taxi here to Somoto. There are FSLN rallies here, PLC rallies in San Lucas, and generally the whole damn country is obsessed with their upcoming municipal elections.

We have visted the bus station to get all the bus timetables written down, as I leave to go back to Esteli tomorrow, and to see the lab where I will go for tests, to a great cafe for liquados, or smoothies, to the post office so I could mail a couple of letters, to see where my ¨consolidation point¨is in case of a PC emergency where we have to get someplace quick, and here, to the cyber to check my email for the 2nd time today, how lucky.

I think I will get more internet access as a volunteer than as a trainee.... because I will be free to travel down the mountain to San Lucas or even further down here to Somoto. And there are like a million and a half busses back to Esteli that I can catch tomorrow, too.

Okay going to load McCain´s concession speech now.

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Comments

[Mom]

YES,...HE DID!
Yep, I believe that, in the very end, McCain won out in MissourI; but it WAS very close. Even yet the 'morning after' on the nat'l TV channels, MissourI was still just gray (i.e. undecided). I'm so proud of my fellow MissourIans, ....you being one of them! Think I'll send your blog to Pres.-Elect Obama!