The Start of a New Era

We decided to head to the beaches of Oaxaca after the election, because the city of Oaxaca is filled with ex-pats and other gringo travelers, so we thought it would be a good place to keep close tabs on the election.  There was a much better chance of finding a TV and an interested group of people than in the secluded and tranquil beach towns.

The day of the election, our main task was to seek out a suitable place to watch it all go down.  Our morning coffee spot, a little cafe called Los Cuilles, we were sure would have information on an election-watching spot, as the owner is himself a fellow Northwestern-er, and the windows of the little corner cafe boast Obama-Biden signs.

It was a beautiful thing: not just Obama being elected, buy the emotion, the hope, and the inspiration that it brought across the US, across the world, and even to a small coffee shop in a corner of Oaxaca.

To our luck, when we arrived, they had posters up advertising an Obama Election Celebration Party that night.  Starting at 5, when the first polls closed, it told interested parties to bring their laptops (since the shop doesn´t have a TV), and we would monitor and celebrate as results came in.  To top it off, it advertised a free shot of Mezcal for all if Obama was indeed elected.

We notified our new friends from our hostel, Jami and Christian, a couple ironically, from Portland, and who were as excited about the election as we were.  They immediately felt like old friends, and we were excited to have a good place to go to watch this historical moment.

It´s funny how anxious I was all day.  I´m not sure how to describe it.  Like waiting for soccer team try-out  lists to be posted, or how I imagine it would be awaiting the birth of a baby.   Like something huge is happening, but there´s nothing you can do to expediate finding out the result.

Finally, five rolled around, and we trekked over to Los Cuilles.  A round of drinks and a "Salud" to Obama as the first few districts and eventually, states rolled in.  As the first hour went by, the coffee shop filled to overflowing, people spilling out into the courtyard, with standing room only.  The shop had been decorated with red, white, and blue streamers, a piñata of GW´s likeness, and a whiteboard on the wall to keep a running tally of electoral votes.

It was an incredible event to watch, this gathering of people at a small cafe in Oaxaca, Mexico.  There were people from college aged to eighty-five, ex-pats and travellers, people not only from America, but from all over the world.  It became obvious to me how much was at stake in this election, not only for America, but for the entire world.  It became apparent how much the possible election of a black man to the United States Presidency meant for not only for the hope and future of the upcoming generation of leaders, but how much it meant for those who have witnessed generations of injustice and discrimination.  It became clear how pivotal of a moment this was in the history of not just the country I (now proudly) call home, but for the history of the world.

The small cafe was abuzz with laptops, people calling out results, coflicting from website to website.  The whiteboard was kept updated, cheers going out for each state declared an Obama victory, and boos for those conceeded to McCain.  As it became more and more clear that the victory would go to Obama, the energy of the room began to draw in people who wandered by.  The whole place had the feeling of a big party of friends, as for the first time in at least 8 years, many of us were proud to be sharing a common homeland: America.

There came a point when we knew the democrats had the presidential victory, as the West Coast polls would give Obama the last electoral votes he needed.  Similar to a countdown on New Year´s Eve, the shop, at this point filled with probably 40 or 50 people, counted down from 10, popping confetti poppers, cheering, and crying tears of joy as the hour of victory arrived.  It was absolutely a moment I will never forget.

After a victorious smashing of the piñata, Obama gave his acceptance speech, which in our case was projected on a small Macbook screen, and had 40 or so teary-eyed gringos crowded around it, in embraces with neighbors and friends, most of whom were just acquainted this evening, but now suddenly sharing a wonderful friendship in this moment of history.

It was a beautiful thing: not just Obama being elected, buy the emotion, the hope, and the inspiration that it brought across the US, across the world, and even to a small coffee shop in a corner of Oaxaca.