2009: Looking Mighty Fine


The morning after the election, I stopped at a local depanneur on my way to school. When I walked in, several members of the Iranian family who owns it were chatting away with some customers in French. When I realized they were discussing the American election, I felt compelled to add my two cents:

"Pour la première fois de ma vie, je suis fière de mon pays...je suis fière d'être Americaine."

It was a moment I will savour always; Not only did I voluntarily identify myself as a proud American for the first time in my life, but I did it in French! Oh, the delicious ironies of life!!

I believe it was 2003 when the United States first invaded Iraq. I was in Kathmandu at the time with several Québéquois and Israeli friends. When we heard the news, I remember a general feeling of disgust and disappointment.

Later that year, I was working illegally in an Italian restaurant in London when a drunken customer became hostile and spat aggressive insults at me. Apparently he was disgusted with "Americans," too. Aware that the unpopularity of the Iraq war correlated directly to the unpopularity of Americans, I duly adopted a strategy of Zero Admission. Call me Canadian, Mexican, Indian, Moroccan...whatever you like if it means I can fly under the radar.

Time and again I was queried by perplexed travellers who mostly wanted to know just one thing: Why? Why did Americans re-elect George Bush? The first election was somehow forgivable, but it was the re-election that really pushed everyone over the edge. The only conclusion was that Americans were somehow really stupid.

From my perspective on the inside, I was stunned by the Supreme Court's power - and eagerness - to callously override the people's will by awarding the presidency to George Bush. In retrospect, that ruling set the tone for the coming domination of the Bush Administration's interests.

Soon after, media outlets seemed to change their collective tone. What seemed at first a careless failure to properly investigate official "news" eventually became a full-blown media malaise in which journalists accepted anything and everything without question. The White House Press Corps itself became as docile and mindless as a herd of Indian cows happily swallowing up plastic bags and cardboard boxes.

It was an experience worthy of the Twilight Zone and I often hoped Rod Serling would step out of the shadows, calmly and matter-of-factly explain what was happening, and reassure me that I wasn't crazy. But Rod never came.

Now, after six years of a pointless war, a collapsed economy and a squandered reputation, Americans have shown the world, once again, that there is hope for us all. It's the one thing in perilously short supply these days.

Without hope, we have nothing. Without hope, an individual will commit suicide, a civilization will wither away. Hope literally keeps us alive, and on November 4th, 2008, Americans served up a super-sized helping of good old-fashioned Hope to each other and to peoples all over the world. That's right, world, we still got it!

And I can't wait to launch myself into my next round of adventures abroad to relish this renewed faith in my country. It's a great moment to be American and I for one plan to take full advantage!

And that, my friends, is enough musing for tonight. I am tired and must prepare for sleep. But before I sign off, I leave you with a few other random observations:



On Money: Easy come, easy go; the sharp drop in the value of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar in October means I lost a crapload of money last month. Now I understand why it's not necessarily a good idea to store money in your closet.

On Love: Love is not looking into each other's eyes. Love is looking in the same direction.

On Future: The train I'm on has many destinations but no stops. Next up on the itinerary: Southwest California, USA, 3-16 December, 2008. Be there or be square.

On refining my Indian-style, single-finger nose-blowing technique while riding my bicycle in minus 7 degrees and dressed like a furry linebacker: inadvisable.


Until next time,
with affection,
LMA