ENHORABUENA

I awoke to my mom calling me from the States to tell me the good news. 

I opened my email to stories and links of the parties going on in Seattle and the rest of the States.

I arrived at work to "felicitaciones" congratulations, enhorabuena, it's about time, viva obama.

I felt like it was my birthday and New Year's wrapped into one. One of the hard things about being abroad (amidst the amazing things) is that you miss out on moments like this when you feel such hope that things in the world, or at least in your part of the world, can change for the better, and that people can embrace their differences and refrain from using them as a device to create more hate and division. Being here in Spain makes me hyper aware of racial and cultural differences. Thursday night I was walking home on Gran Vía (a main street in downtown Madrid) and was called a "guiri" (foreigner) by a fairly drunk man standing on the corner. He continued to harass me from afar (don't worry Mom, there were a lot of people out) and said "THAT girl, you can TELL she isn't from here. You can tell by her face." I am continuously reminded that I am not from here, as though I ever forget that fact. My desire to shout back "¿Y qué?" (And so....?) is outweighed by my desire to not look like a crazy foreigner, so I quietly ignore them, and walk on, feeling a little bit more alienated than the day before.

The next day I arrive at a house party in celebration of Halloween and realize that in this one small apartment on Calle San Bernardo in Madrid, that at least ten countries are in representation, everyone having a good time, everyone so incredibly welcoming, everyone under the age of 30. Now more than ever, with our world ever more connected (for better or for worse) especially the younger generation, people from all over are meeting each other and breaking down those walls. Just think of what can happen a few generations from now...