The US Election is over and done now and Obama has been reelected as the President. Camille and I were very proud of ourselves for going through the process of absentee voting all the way from China! I was very happy to still be a part of this process. It was also very interesting to view the entire election process from here. Being so far away allowed me to gain a different perspective on everything.
At the post office ready to mail in my vote!
Dawn had to help us, of course. Here she is writing Chinese on our envelopes headed for America.
Yay for the privilege to choose our own leader!
The week of the election, I taught my students about the election process in America and the difference between America and China and how our leaders are chosen. Most people in other countries around the world know who the President of the United States is and some follow the election. The majority of my students know who Obama is and said they would vote for Obama if they were American. When asked why, they responded that they didn't know who the "other" man was. Or if they did know Romney, they didn't like him because he doesn't like China. Not all of the students felt this way, there were always a few who chose Romney. What they know about the two men is limited, but still impressive considering he is the leader of another country and not their own. How much do you know about the leader of China? How much do I even know? And I live here! What I learned about most people here is that they chose which person they liked based solely on how they related to China. In that case, Obama won hands down, because he appears "to dislike China less than Romney" (from the words of a Chinese friend).
Personally, I was happy to be so far removed from the campaigning and election. When casting my vote and teaching my students about the election, I was reminded of how much freedom and acknowledgement we have as individuals in America, that most people around the world do not experience. Least of all, we can talk about politics openly. But, seeing all of the harsh words coming from news channels, facebook, and email from both parties, I was saddened by what has come of America. It is sad to see that our nation was so divided when it came to choosing the right man for the job. How can we improve ourselves as a nation if we constantly battle amongst ourselves. But now that is over and we can all move forward. All we can do now is respect the leader that was chosen and pr@y that he truly has a relationship with Father and will lead America in the right direction for the next four years! Try to remember all of the blessings and opportunities you've been given!
