the day the world started moving again...

i was in the tv room, on a plaid couch, stealing internet from the hotel across the street. simultaneously i was watching the counter on cnn.com and flipping between fox, bbc, and cnn because those were the only news channels available. from 730pm when i got home from my first english class until 1130pm when the final speech was given i sat in that room, chatting to the united states, explaining the us electoral college process to my brazilian roommate (in spanish no less), and eating a ridiculous among of candy because when i get nervous i need something in my mouth (get your mind out of the gutter). i watched the tickers as they rose and got über excited every time i heard the cnn projection music come on. when they called pennsylvania, my heart skipped a beat. when they called ohio, that oxytocin-induced comfort came over me, because then i knew that was it. it was all over, or rather it was all beginning anew.

this is where i was when centuries of uncomprehensible hate and prejudice took a backseat to the pursuit of peace and fairness and justice. this is where i was when the united states behaved in a way that made me proud to call myself an american. this is where i was when barack obama became president of the united states of america.