bā lái kè • ào bā mǎ

“And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world…”

Big screen projection, basement of the history department in the long-forgotten city of Beijing. Then again, I don’t think Obama was necessarily addressing Americans studying abroad.

I’ve always felt a bit strange when hanging-out with other expatriates. We’ve found life abroad too arduous, turned our backs on China, and instead cling helplessly to our perfectly fluent English conversations. So I usually keep this kind of thing confined to the weekends.

But on November 5th, general rules of engagement were thrown-out the window. We had an election to wrap-up, so I went to hang with the expats. Though I’ve been an Obama supporter, but (almost) always restrained, imagining only a few social improvements sprinkled here and there, with a modest respect for the environment thrown-in to round out an Obama presidency. Maybe some foreign policy improvements, but then no, that’s just getting greedy.

On this day, all skepticism was trashed like tainted milk. We were a jubilant, silly-happy group of Americans. Americans- I like the way that sounds.

My memory’s not so hot, but there’s some things I know I will remember forever: Dad lowering his head in silent disappointment when the first report of the Iraq invasion flashed across the screen in 2003, my first wedgie (date lost to history), and the feeling of ridiculous, unstoppable hope that I finally felt when Barack took the stage (If we met, I’m pretty sure he’d want me to call him Barack).

“I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you.”

I don’t know why this resonated with me so, but at this point I thought of all the friends and family who worked to make an Obama victory a reality.

My grandma Dorothy in Ohio, who went door-to-door for the campaign in a battleground state and worked the polls on Election Day.

My friend Oki, off somewhere in Florida acting as a ‘regional campaign director.’ Truth be told, I have no idea what he did, but it worked.

Friends back in Berkeley campaigning like crazy.

In short, thank you my fellow Americans.

We’ve got something on the horizon, and I can’t say what it is, but from that moment it seemed that if he promised to put an end to global climate change by late February, I’d buy it. Though that feeling has worn-off, a pride in my country endures. An international symbol that is not wrapped in brand-name packaging, bearing only promises of consumption. A symbol who seems to stand for life rather than war. A man who proves that America can change, if only a little.

Happy trails, Dubya. Without you, America could never have known what the pits feel like, and what looking up to change means. We’ll even let you keep the office warm for us til ’09.

Things to keep in mind- “two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century,” and a rejection to grant our homosexual brothers and sisters the same rights that everyone else enjoys. After all, America’s still a piece of work.

PS Happy 19th birthday Dan!