I’ve never felt the need to speak publicly about my political leanings… Besides, when we’re not in the middle of an election, Americans don’t usually discuss politics on a daily basis, at least not like my European friends do. It’s a cultural thing…

But yesterday was like no other day in my life… and the enormity of this perceived massive shift in American consciousness was not only inspiring, it instilled such a sense of calm and a genuine feeling of oneness that I felt compelled to express it in this blog. I’ve never thought of Barack Obama as a “black” candidate. I wasn’t oblivious to the haters, but that didn’t have any meaning for me… I saw an eloquent man; thoughtful, intelligent, precise, a poised speaker, someone, who we could depend on to make important and rational decisions on behalf of our ailing country and someone we could proudly call our leader, if elected. As I watched the crowds listening to Obama’s speech last night it hit me really hard that all of the people (both leaders and civilians) who have spent years struggling and fighting for suffrage and civil rights in this country, have just received the ultimate validation with this victory… and I’m so moved by this and so grateful that this has happened in my lifetime.

To know that we will finally be represented in the global community by a man of this caliber, after years of a leadership filled with incompetence, denial and lies is a huge relief to me. Clearly I’m not alone as friends from all over the world have been calling and writing to send impassioned congratulations… it’s just incredible.