"The best is yet to come"

As I sit in my Lao office I am reminded of where I was four years ago.  Sitting around the Washburn tv, we anxiously awaited the announcement that Obama had won the election.  Only five days after I became a legal voter, I felt that I had contributed to something bigger.  The announcement was made and we all rushed outside to celebrate, scream and run around campus like chickens with our heads cut off.

Today is different.  It's not just about the presidential election but about the change and progress that our country is undergoing.  Women are standing up and taking charge: Mazie Hirono from Hawaii will be  the first Asian-American woman (born in Japan) in the U.S. Senate,  Tammy Duckworth from Illinois will be the first disabled woman to be elected as Congresswomen, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin will be the first openly gay senator to be elected (Not to mention she's a SMITHIE!!!) and Mary Gonzalez of Texas will be the first openly pansexual state Representative. Same-sex marriage was legalized in Maine, Washington, and Maryland, meaning that my friends will have the right to marry and love whoever they want in their own home states. AND, Puerto Rico voted to become the 51st state by a 65% majority.  

Welcome to America. 

Laos is a world away, and amidst the hustle and bustle of third world development its hard to imagine change happening any time soon.  America, tonight you showed the world that change and progress is possible.  I'm proud to be an ex-pat and even prouder that America is home.