The election results came in around 3 AM to 8 AM Moscow time. A bunch of Americans gathered at the various Starlite Diners(very American style diners) around Moscow. One of my friends invited me and a bunch of other friends to one of the diners where we sat for at least 5 hours, drinking coffee, tea, milkshakes, eating hashbrowns, eggs, and watching the results and cheering everytime the democrats had a success. I would not have been able to get up so early had I not been so excited- I could barely fall asleep the evening before.
I'm so glad I didn't just stay at home and hit the refresh button the CNN Election website all morning.
When Obama was announced as the next President of the United States, everyone in the room was silent, eyes glued to the television, listening attentively to his speech, and nobody could hold back the tears. It really was a beautiful moment.
Only a couple of hours later I had a Russian lesson so I left.
It was a surreal moment. Walking out of the diner that crisp morning, I felt like I was walking out into a different world than what I had last seen before those 5 hours in the diner. At 3 AM it was of course dark outside, which is when I arrived to the diner, and at 8 AM the sun was out, the streets were still quiet and the only person I saw was a street cleaner. The air was chill, the breeze refreshing, my mind a bit warped by the lack of sleep, and what I was feeling in my head and heart was indescribable. But the beautiful morning in Moscow was the perfect setting to walk through as I recalled what had just happened.
What I saw immediately after exiting the diner:
The diner:
1 comment:
I cannot tell you how many friends have similarly remarked that the day after the election felt like "a new day". That makes me so happy inside for some reason...I guess its just an overwhelming feeling to know and experience how much this election means in so many ways and the camaraderie I feel with everyone else.
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