Where Were You in 2008?

I almost have to force myself to write in this thing now. Life has been happening, for a change. It's that cliche thing, get involved with someone and the angst-o-matic quits, the writing stops. I'd love to talk about the relationship, and I will, in due time--but in a big way it's a story that's still being written day by day, and I'm figuring out the plot with each passing moment.

I'll get to all that in a while. But first: the election. I am a foreigner and cannot vote, but all the world was watching and so was I. I am very happy that Obama won. There's the practical aspect, of course, which is that I prefer him as an avowed leftist (though he could be even more liberal in my opinion), but there's also the symbolic aspect, which I didn't fully realize until the victory had been declared: somehow, Obama winning the election has made me feel as though I had a stake in this world, a say in the direction of history, whereas before I had none. I embody many things that caused me to believe I'd never see this country's trajectory reflect my personal one: immigrant, minority, hyper-educated, overthinking, etc. Now it seems none of these things might matter. It makes me believe my best friends might actually just save the world. Why should all this and more not be ours! Why should our province be only that of critique and concern! Why should we not be so bold as to remake it all in our own image!

M. and I held hands last night and skipped down the street. We passed kids packed into a station wagon spilling out the windows all waving and whooping and we waved and whooped right back. We weren't at Golden West where they popped the champagne but we saw them outside CVP, on the sidewalks, rushing from their porches with no real place to go. After we came home and went to sleep they rioted on 33rd so much the police had to come take them away. And it wasn't a hundreth of what my friends in DC say went down there.

Things are different. Caring and trying are once again valid activities. So is being responsible.

I might just stay here, after all.