Obama Girl

I've been in New York for two days, and all I can say is the highlight of my trip was receiving a handful of red, white and blue Obama dog collars from my friend Barbara tonight. Folks in Nairobi asked me to bring back some fun and funky campaign items, but this is really a coup.

Along with the surprisingly high quality 5 dollar baseball caps I bought from a guy down near Union Square yesterday, I'lll be able to launch my own very lucrative sideline in Obama merchandise when I get back. Granted, the value of said items could plummet preciptiously on November 5th, despite an almost overwhelming belief that Fate will NOT be denied.

It has been absolutely marvelous to be back in the US, during one of the more tumultuous, exciting times in my recent memory. And I knew it would be this way, from the time I boarded the plane in Nairobi Monday night. During my round of seating, this white haired older woman standing in line behind me said, "I LOVE your hat!" pointing to the black Obama baseball cap I was wearing at the time. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up, happy to have connected with a fellow American traveler.

Walking down the aisle toward my seat, quite a few other passengers smiled and nodded. Though I didn't ask, I'm thinking they probably weren't all American. They're just people who are giddy about the prospects of what the day after November 4th could mean for the whole world.

After I settled into my window seat, the American woman who had complimented my baseball cap walked up to my seat, looked at the number over my chair and said, "Well, it looks like I'm seated next to the Obama Girl."

I just laughed out loud, happy that at 47, somebody was still referring to me as a girl. My seatmate was returning to Wisconsin from a trip to Malawi to visit her daughter, who worked in an orphanage there. Apparently, her daughter and all of her friends were ardent Obama supporters who were planning an impromptu post election celebration in the remote Malawian village, so certain are they of victory.

But, just like everybody I'm interacting with here in New York, my plane buddy shared her deep-rooted anxieties about Election Day, and the possibility that things won't go as expected. With less than 2 weeks to go, it's tempting to think that all the recent polls are right, and it's pretty much a lock for Obama.

I just know I'm happy I've been able to come back and soak up some of the energy and excitement. It is such a kick being home.