Cloudy in Beijing Blogging about my time in China

U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Man, I wish I were in America right now.

Earlier this afternoon I learned Barack Obama will become the next U.S. President. I can only imagine the cheering and excitement going on across the country. Like so many Americans, I felt this feeling come over me that can only be described when you are witnessing history being made. Only except that this was a feeling of total triumph and national pride; a feeling that maybe I've never felt before.

Damn, I wish I was there. I learned about the results around noon in China while I sat in front of the laptop at my apartment. Once the media called it, I celebrated by yelling "Yes!" a few times. Really there was nothing to think, but "Oh my god! He did it. He really did it. It's amazing! YES!!" It was a lonely celebration, but an escatic one.

Yea. That's the unfortunate downside of being in China. Just days ago I missed Halloween. It's strange to think of it, but this was the first time I haven't been in America to experience the holiday. I missed seeing the decorations, the ritual black and orange, and the bags of candy that pile up at supermarket stores. In a few more weeks, I'll then miss Thanksgiving. And at this point I'm not sure what I'll do on Christmas, but I'll probably miss that too. I know I can celebrate all the holidays here, but its not quite the same; Chow Mein on Dec. 25th, that's sort of weird.

Now I've missed another important moment, one that won't ever come back again. "Where were you when Obama won the election?" someone might ask. "Uh, I was in China," I'll say, "celebrating alone in my apartment."

After I learned about Obama's victory I had to head out to meet my Chinese tutor. But as I went down the elevator my neighbor was there with me. I wasn't totally sure what his political leanings were; this could either be a great day for him, or a not so great one. But I could sense this excitement burning inside him behind his calm demeanor.

"So how are you doing today?" he asked.

"I am doing great," I said with a grin. "I am so happy. I haven't been this happy in a long time."

He laughed. We then talked briefly about the election results, giddy at what just happened and how Obama was even winning in Montana for a brief moment.

Man, does it feel good to be an American. I've never felt this proud of my country before. U.S.A! U.S.A!