I hope you are all well.  I feel compelled to write to you all on this historic day in my country’s history.

Last night, I watched Barack Obama be elected President of the United States of America.  Though he was ahead in the polls and most assumed he would claim a victory, his supporters have been nervous and anxious for the last few weeks, refusing to take anything for granted or showing any signs of celebration a moment too early.  As last night went on, and more electoral votes were counted, everyone I was with slipped into a state of disbelief that this was actually happening.

I do not know if I can describe the excitement when his victory was announced.  I have celebrated New Year’s Eve in New York City for the last 3 years, and those celebrations could not compare to the jubilation in the streets last night.  Cars were honking, people screaming in the streets, strangers congratulating and hugging each other on the sidewalk, everyone chanting “Yes We Can!”

I don’t think any of us expected the deep emotional reaction we would have to Obama’s election.  Every person in the crowded bar where I watched the results was weeping at the news, and when Obama gave his acceptance speech and introduced Michelle Obama is the First Lady-elect, we just lost it.  Seeing Jesse Jackson, who was with Martin Luther King Jr when he was assassinated, with tears streaming down his face, and hearing that Virginia, which was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, had gone blue, were amazing moments that I can never forget.  Hearing his acceptance speech simply seemed too good to be true.

I truly apologize for the last 8 years, when George Bush was our president (and I apologize for any horrible things he might do in the next 3 months before Obama is inaugurated).  I’m sure many of you doubted the sanity of Americans during this time, as I did, and I think that’s why I had trouble believing this could be a reality until it actually happened.  This campaign has revealed the deep divisions that exist in our country right now, and there are people here who still support Bush and who honestly think Barack Obama is a terrorist whose relatives caused 9/11.  Fighting ignorance and fear will be an ongoing battle for us, but I truly believe Obama has the ability to bring us together and start working with our neighbors again.

Today I am still letting the news sink in, and being my cynical self, feel like this will not be a reality until Obama is sworn in as president on January 20.  I am so excited to see what the next 4-8 years will be like, and I hope that Obama will restore our friendships around the world.

I am sitting here 12 hours after his victory was announced, and am still getting tears in my eyes when I think about the enormity of this.