Four More Years!!!

By now, I'm hoping everyone knows that President Obama was re-elected. If you didn't know that, well...I don't even have a witty response to that lack of knowledge.

Had to represent! 

In any event, while 50.7% of the U.S. population was raucously celebrating this lovely (and I do mean lovely) victory, I was across the pond glued to my laptop getting real time updates via ABC News, since CNN completely fell down on the job this time around. I mean, my goodness, they called Pennsylvania a good 10 minutes after every other news station, including Fox, did. There will be no awards for their coverage this time around. But I digress. While everyone was watching, praying, cursing, and what have you, I was in my bed, bundled up under my covers, having some FaceTime with my roomie (hi Alexis!), and updating Twitter and Facebook with my every (sometimes mundane) thought, while struggling to stay awake, since I am six and nine hours ahead of the East and West Coasts, respectively. Add to that the fact that I also had a throat infection and was doped up on drugs and you have an interesting night.

Fast forward to when Ohio was called for President Obama. Who lets out a shriek that probably woke all of her neighbors (since it was about 4:00 a.m.)? Yep, I sure did! Then started blasting "My President is Black." After all, I was trying to figure out how to convince Tulane Law to extend my deferment for four years so I could remain in Spain during Mittens' Reign of Terror. Thank God that (or volunteering as Tribute for The Hunger Games) wasn't necessary!

Some of my kids

After Ohio was called and Robme made the entire country wait while he wrote his concession speech and came to terms with his epic loss, I made it until President Obama gave his traditional, "...and God Bless the United States of America," and Mrs. O, the kids, and the Bidens came out before I completely crashed...for all of 63 minutes. See, I had to work the next day. So, I had the world's quickest sleep--with the lights on, since I didn't want to get too comfy in bed--got up, put on my celebratory Obama shirt, and dragged myself to school, where everyone I saw for the rest of the day decided to congratulate me on Obama's victory, which I loved. They also seemed to think that I was semi-catatonic because I just went out in the middle of Madrid at 4 a.m. to pop a few bottles and Beef It Up instead of having held a one-person watch party all night and been drowsy from the throat medicine. If only...

Some of my kids and I the day after the election

So, I go to one of my last classes of the day and my students finish their presentations and decide to ask election questions. Not just your basic, "Are you happy Obama won?" questions, either. Things about the differences between the electoral and popular vote, the importance of swing states, who (finally) won Florida. I was impressed by their knowledge and proud to be their teacher and the representative of America in that moment. It gave me joy to see how interested and well-informed they were.

So, I make it to the end of the day (thankfully), go to two private tutoring jobs thereafter, go home, and, finally, pass out.

Was this the same raucous celebrating that I did four years ago with the rest of SpelHouse on Westview Drive all night until Public Safety made us disperse? No. Did I miss being able to celebrate with people who shared the same amount and type of joy that I did? Yes. However, it was still a great night/day and I'm glad to have been able to share my joy with my host country.

This is what happens when you throw shade (see dictionary) at the 47% and Big Bird...