Obama

A hotel room in the Philippines, sitting with a group of over 70 Peace Corps trainees and staff, 2 days before we swear in as volunteers. This is my answer for the iconic question, "Where were you when Obama won the election?"

I know this was a very heated election, and I personally think that if we took each candidate and broke down everything he or she had to say, or looked at each of their styles and personalities, beliefs, and dreams of the future, we could find individual things that everyone from all parties could respect and admire from each presidential nominee and vice presidential nominee.

That being said, I can't describe the emotion and sheer joy that swept through the group as we watched Obama's victory speech. Everyone mentions how this is such a monumental moment in the history of our country, and I couldn't agree more. The only thing that I can add is that there was quite a cheer among the trainees when Obama mentioned people giving up the high paying jobs to make a difference... I just got my living allowance as a volunteer for the first time this week, it comes to a grand total of about $180 a month.

We swear in today as official Peace Corps volunteers, and I'm proud that Barack Obama will be our new leader.