Master.America
Premium Member
After getting off work, I headed straight home. My polling place was the nearby fire station, which had been buzzing with eager voters early in the morning. I decided to walk to the station to save myself some gas. As I left the house, I could see others walking to and from the fire station, leisurely talking politics or hastily rushing to beat others to the front of the line. It was the busiest I had seen the street so late at night.
When I reached the station, I was surprised to see how empty it was. I supposed most had voted earlier, as there were plenty of voting stations available when I had arrived. I was given a paper ballot and a pen. I walked to the station, took the ballot out of its sleeve, and looked at the choices for president. I followed the list down to the bottom. When I saw Barack Obama's name there, a huge grin spread across my face.
To me, this whole experience has been stunning. It was my first time voting in a Presidential election, and I was surprised to find myself leaving the fire station, stepping back out into the bitter cold, buttoning up my jacket and walking home, with that big grin on my face the whole way back. I really felt like I was exercising my right as an American citizen, and it felt satisfying. I rewarded myself by treating my girlfriend out to dinner at a local restaurant where we could watch the election coverage on TV. We didn't get a very good seat relative to the television, but I was able to read some of the larger text on the screen. Suddenly, it appeared on the screen: "BREAKING NEWS: Awaiting President Elect Barack Obama." The restaurant roared with cheers, screams, and clinks. The TVs were turned up for Obama's speech, and shortly afterwards, they were drowned out by mesmerizing chants of "Yes we can!" It was a truly incredible experience.
Around 12:30, I had taken my girlfriend back to her parents' house and was on my way home. As I entered the freeway, I turned on the radio to listen to coverage of the results. That was when BBC's host said something I'll never forget: "For the first time in US history, a black man will be elected President of the United States."
Again, a big, stupid grin spread across my face.
I'm not black. I'm not even a registered Democrat. I'm just proud of my country for electing someone like President-elect Barack Obama. The nation is growing up, and I think the rest of the word realizes it. Perhaps, I thought, it is possible for this country, in which I had long since lost faith, to change itself. Perhaps it really is possible for us to turn the country around and earn back the trust and respect of other nations. Perhaps, I thought, Obama is right: there really is hope. For the first time in my life, I really do feel proud to be an American.
When I reached the station, I was surprised to see how empty it was. I supposed most had voted earlier, as there were plenty of voting stations available when I had arrived. I was given a paper ballot and a pen. I walked to the station, took the ballot out of its sleeve, and looked at the choices for president. I followed the list down to the bottom. When I saw Barack Obama's name there, a huge grin spread across my face.
To me, this whole experience has been stunning. It was my first time voting in a Presidential election, and I was surprised to find myself leaving the fire station, stepping back out into the bitter cold, buttoning up my jacket and walking home, with that big grin on my face the whole way back. I really felt like I was exercising my right as an American citizen, and it felt satisfying. I rewarded myself by treating my girlfriend out to dinner at a local restaurant where we could watch the election coverage on TV. We didn't get a very good seat relative to the television, but I was able to read some of the larger text on the screen. Suddenly, it appeared on the screen: "BREAKING NEWS: Awaiting President Elect Barack Obama." The restaurant roared with cheers, screams, and clinks. The TVs were turned up for Obama's speech, and shortly afterwards, they were drowned out by mesmerizing chants of "Yes we can!" It was a truly incredible experience.
Around 12:30, I had taken my girlfriend back to her parents' house and was on my way home. As I entered the freeway, I turned on the radio to listen to coverage of the results. That was when BBC's host said something I'll never forget: "For the first time in US history, a black man will be elected President of the United States."
Again, a big, stupid grin spread across my face.
I'm not black. I'm not even a registered Democrat. I'm just proud of my country for electing someone like President-elect Barack Obama. The nation is growing up, and I think the rest of the word realizes it. Perhaps, I thought, it is possible for this country, in which I had long since lost faith, to change itself. Perhaps it really is possible for us to turn the country around and earn back the trust and respect of other nations. Perhaps, I thought, Obama is right: there really is hope. For the first time in my life, I really do feel proud to be an American.
