He's so...human!

Four years ago I woke up on post-election day on a nearly empty beach in Panama, near the end of my Peace Corps service, shocked and discouraged that the US had put George Bush back in office. It just didn't seem plausible. While I wasn't terribly excited about John Kerry, I couldn't comprehend that anybody felt Dubya was leading us in the right direction. I felt truly out of touch with the average American, as well as the government and nation I thought I was serving. A friend and I consoled ourselves the night before with simpler gratifications: fried fish, patacones, boxed wine, tropical waters and the rebellious, socialist lyrics of McCarthy, along with vows of expatriation for the foreseeable future.


Today, I woke up and my first thought was the face of Barack Obama, and what he represents to so many people--not solely his potential as president, but more so an inspiring, progressive leader who seeks to unify Americans and other nations alike. For the first time in my life, I voted for someone who not only shares many of my political beliefs but more importantly, seems to hold his faith in humanity at the forefront of his guiding principles. I have great hopes for his presidency, and how his leadership may serve not only our nation, but the breadth of humanity.