Hope

I remained skeptical as the results were still coming in. Calling a state with only 20% of precincts reporting just made me uncomfortable. A friend and I left our house on the way to a bar to finish watching the incoming results, when apparently the election was called. Obama had exceeded the 270 electoral votes needed. We ran into a large group of Penn students on campus with posters and balloons shouting and screaming, and walking with a seeming mission. Inspired, we ran to catch up and joined this spontaneous parade around West Philadelphia. People came out onto their porches and leaned out their windows in the neighborhood cheering along with us. Such a diverse population with people from so many different cliques came together to celebrate. The parade ended on Locust walk as we gathered into a cluster jumping up and down and cheering. The guy next to me got up on his friends shoulders and announced "McCain just conceded!" The crowd went wild. We dispersed to watch Obama's speech.

I was close to tears. The part about how our "generation plagued with being called apathetic, turned out in huge numbers to make their voices heard" especially made me so proud. After the speech a friend and I lead a group down to City Hall to celebrate. We were not alone. We were met by honking passing cars, cheered with and high-fived random people. A group was gathered outside of City Hall in the streets celebrating.

It was such a great moment in history that I will tell my children about. It was just so beautiful to see so many strangers brought together. I can't remember an election in my time where people were so celebratory about the results. Not to mention an election without controversy and recounts. I know some of you are skeptical, but you have to trust and hope. There is nothing wrong with that. That is what as brought our nation as far as it has come. As my sister in Switzerland said " You know what's great? I am no longer embarrassed to admit that I'm an American." This result resonates with the rest of the world, and for that reason alone, America has such a chance to regain the respect we once had.