Yes We Can

Until now, I've avoided discussing politics here, mostly on purpose. I didn't want this to be a referendum on my ideology, didn't want this to become a discussion of one candidate versus another, didn't want to evaluate my Peace Corps service through the lens of political dogma. But tonight, I feel it's worth touching on.

No matter who you voted for, how you felt about it back in November, Barack Hussein Obama is now the 44th president of the United States of America. It is a historic moment for all the reasons we know, the list we've heard a million times. And as much as I don't want to be cliché, I have to admit I've never felt hope like this before.

I've had the unique pleasure, and responsibility, of experiencing this moment in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. America's influence on the developing world does not come only through pop culture and foreign aid, but through leadership and action. People here watch our country's every move, and they want to know why America changed. They are disappointed in us, question why we're isolating ourselves, ask how we can turn a blind eye to massacre and suffering, want to know, frankly, just who the hell we think we are. I'll readily admit that these opinions are generally uninformed and not representative (at least in Lesotho) of the actual policy and action of the American government, even during the past eight years. None the less, it is chilling to hear.

But these same people still believe in hope. Even before the election, I met many Basotho who wanted to go to America because they still believed that is is the land of opportunity, a place where anything is possible, where anyone can do anything. And Obama has proved them right. We know he is a symbol of the American dream. But he's also a symbol of the African dream, a dream that through hard work, a free man or woman can achieve great things.
I got goosebumps tonight, sitting in my 'M'e's living room in Africa, watching via satellite my country inaugurate a president who echoes my belief in hard work, public service, compassion and freedom. I held a mini civics lesson with my ausi, explaining to her how our elections are conducted, how Congress works and how that compares to government in Lesotho. Her response: “You mean you voted for a man who looks like me?” Leave it to a kid to boil it down.

I'm quite sure that, for the rest of my service, I will continue confirming that yes, our president is African American but has a very diverse heritage, which is quite representative of what America is about. I will keep explaining that no, Obama was not born in Kenya but his father was (and here they will insist that that makes him Kenyan too). I will keep clarifying the role of our president, that he is not some mythical creature, that he cannot perform miracles. But I will also say that I believe in what he stands for, that together, we can.