By Rachel Chaikof
“I’m so jealous that you’re going to be away during the election hype,” my mother told me shortly before I left for my travels in Europe.
Actually, I didn’t really get to escape the election hype at all. Every time I walked into a newspaper shop, I saw Barack Obama or John McCain on the cover of many of the newspapers and magazines in Lacoste. During my visits with my French friends and host families, we watched the news, and coverage of the presidential race was always on the air. They all asked my opinions about the election, and they expressed theirs. When I went into stores and a cashier recognized that I was American, he or she would say, “I hope Obama wins!”
My Facebook news feed was filled with political debates and status updates from people saying to “Vote for…” and many proudly posted an image of their preferred candidate as their profile picture.
My e-mail inbox was flooded with e-mails from family members and friends discussing various election topics. My mother sent me an Obama T-shirt. A journalist from a radio station in France interviewed me and a few other SCAD-Lacoste students about the election. One of the top conversations at the table in the dining hall was about the campaign.
The only thing I missed was the television ads, which I would still have missed if I were in U.S., as I hardly watch TV.
I voted on an absentee ballot and I certainly did join the election hype on Election Day. I was in the computer lab all night long with another SCAD student until just past 6:30 a.m., glued to the election coverage on New York Times, CNN and ABC News. I also was on Facebook, communicating with friends about the election.
The minute Obama’s victory was announced I joined the celebration along with other people around the world by simply screaming “Yes! We did it!” in the computer lab. I certainly did stay glued to the computer screen until I heard Obama’s victory speech, which was like watching a New Year’s Day celebration. Seeing the camera flashes was like watching fireworks popping into the air.