Egypt for Obama.

Gentle readers and compatriots—

A happy, bipartisan post-Bush greeting to you all. I have to tell you—to be in Egypt the day after Obama’s election was an incredible thing. Without any exaggeration, the world has fallen in love with the American dream once again.

My election all-nighter began with a VIP party with the American embassy and select Egyptian invites, such as my department at my internship, Amideast, and the Egyptian government’s Ministry of Information. I was invited as part of the entourage for our three-member North American File. On that front, my job was to smile and shake a lot of hands and seem generally pleasant. For my co-worker, though, this was something of a Diplomatic Debutante ball, as she only recently took over the file and had yet to meet many of her American diplomatic co-parts. So, power-dressed in lipstick and heels, I spent the first half of my night as a wingman for her, munching on loaded potato skins and cheesecake bites (God bless American food!). There was free alcohol being served, but that’s a little touchy when 75% of the guests in attendance don’t drink alcohol due to a prohibition from their religion. I waited until my diplomatic responsibilities were over to sip a glass of wine before returning home to my apartment to watch the results come in.

The plus side of such functions is that there are fascinating people in attendance—I spent a half hour or so listening to the Minister of Information discuss Egypt’s historical transition from a Mediterranean orientation to an Arab orientation. A director at Amideast regaled us with stories of rescuing trampled students out of mass demonstrations in Cairo that had turned ugly once riot police had arrived on scene. Another diplomat wanted to discuss the history of interpretations of Islam, and how the Muslim Brotherhood did not represent “true” Islam.

I returned to my apartment around 1am, happy to kick off my heels and dig into the pan of Obama cake with my roommates. We switched between Al Jazeera and BBC world for coverage of the election, since CNN and other American news channels don’t come in on our satellite channels. Al Jazeera provided stunning election coverage, actually: with 30 correspondants from all over the globe, the theme of the night was, “The World is Watching.” Suddenly I felt the weight of this election and all of its significance for the 6 billion inhabitants on earth. The whole world was watching—staying up all night, from TVs in Cairo to radios in Ethiopia and internet cafes in India, everyone was waiting to see the results. Text messages started flying across international borders as soon as results began to be announced.

After Pennsylvania was called at 3, I decided to take a nap, figuring it would be hours before the votes from Florida, Ohio, and other swing states would be tallied. I woke up at 6am, just as the sun was rising over Cairo. Moments after I turned on the TV, McCain announced his concession in what I thought was one of the most eloquent and stirring speeches of the campaign season. Obama’s speech had me teary-eyed.

But what stunned me is that, arriving at the office a few hours later, my Egyptian co-workers told me that they had cried all the way through Obama’s speech. “Why?” I asked, a bit perplexed. “You’re not American—I mean, I can understand you’re excited. But crying?”
They searched for words. “America is great again. We always used to believe this about America, but we lost faith during Bush. But now, we know it’s true.”

All day, co-workers burst through my office door, offering me congratulations with big kisses on both of my cheeks. My English students started clapping (for me? For Obama? It wasn’t quite clear). I'm not sure there really is proper protocol for such a moment, really. So we shared our relief and excitement with exchanges of hugs and congratulations, and, while difficult to articulate, we understood what was meant.

It was a proud moment to walk through the streets where, in 2006, graffiti near my apartment used to read: “U.S. out of Middle East.”--where now, I was now being congratulated by complete strangers for the greatness of my country and the ideals that it inspires. Tomorrow will be for analysis and real politik, as the promises of the campaign season undoubtedly transform as the ideal meets reality.
But today, it's for change the whole world can believe in.