YES WE DID!

Our experience with being in Asia during the United States Presidential Elections has been overwhelming. Here's a few examples of what happened to us in the days leading up to the election:

In our classrooms, students ask us if we voted for Barack Obama and compare American politics with Thai politics. Travis brings his absentee ballot into one of his adult ESL classes and they smile approvingly at Travis as he fills in the box next to Obama's name right on front of them.

In Indonesia, locals stopped us on the streets to make sure that we had voted for Obama- it was important to them that we were casting our votes for 'the right man'.

In Thailand, people we've never seen before randomly walk up to us and say, "Obama? Yes?"

T-shirts declaring “Bangkok for Barack” are made. T-shirts with Obama’s name are printed in Thai and sold at street stalls from Chiang Mai to the capital. People have buttons and bands.

On election night we went to a club in Bangkok where Obama footage was projected onto a big screen as a backdrop for breakbeat and hiphop music. At one point in the concert the DJ had half of the crowd cheering, "OBAMA" and the other half of the crowd responding "YES WE DID!".

What's striking is that Obama has captured the attention of people from many different age groups, religious affiliations, and ethnic backgrounds in countries all over the world. Our new president elect not only had overwhelming support from Americans in this election, he has the international community rallying for him as well. Asian people especially, understand that the American economy, political leadership, and business trends is constantly setting the pace in their own country.

It appears that most Asians we've met, if given the opportunity, would've also voted for Obama on the 4th. And even though it was a close race leading up to the day that Americans went to the polls, our countrymen finally came around to realize what the rest of the world already knew: YES WE CAN.

PS- Travis and I have decided to come home to the USA now that hope is back in the air (tongue in cheek). ;) ;) ;)

See you in December.