Sort of an extra special day for those living outside the states. Guess I can only speak for myself, but watching the inauguration, naturally you’re forced to think about where you are, what you’re doing, why you’re here. All the things you generally don’t stop to think about. Seems we just get so caught up in our day to day lives here that you rarely take a minute to really think about things.
So today served as that reminder. That I’m working. And that I'm serving my country. (Cue patriotic music.) Serving the country that I criticize and mock so much. And will continue to criticize and mock to my dying days. But that same country is paying me to live in central america, to learn how to harvest beans and corn, to play checkers with my community's drunks, to eat and sleep and learn and just be here.
Hearing Obama take his oath of office, and seeing that ridiculous ribbon on Aretha Franklin’s head, and watching all the salvos watch it with me in that coffeeshop just made me proud to be an american. Even if it lasted for only a few moments.
Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
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Nicely said Gabriel, nicely said.
ReplyDeleteWhat has been the reaction from the local population (if any) to the new president?
Hey Scott! Great to hear from you bro!
ReplyDeleteObamania hasn't reached El Sal... yet. But it's on its way. People in my community were definitely tuned into the elections, but I think it was more their curiosity for Obama than anything else. And then there were the skeptics who kept saying "A black president? They'll never allow that." I found myself getting in lots of verbal jousts just to explain how it's possible Barack might win/be a good president, etc. People here are just very jaded when it comes to elections.
In general though, I think it's tough for them to ignore Obama's charisma and the hope he brings. And since El Sal has its own presidential elections coming up in March, it's sort of a parallel (weak economy that uses the US dollar, conservative ruling power that people are fed up with and is doing lousy in the polls). There's a lot of talk about change here but we'll see...