The election is the ultimate icebreaker in the remotest of villages, buying us easy entry into conversation with big men and bystanders alike.
We passed a taxi on the road with a hand-painted windshield: “Obama will change the world.”
And the 400 ex-combatants at the reintegration center we work with? They stayed up the whole night watching the election on DSTV and sport Obama hats and t-shirts.
My favorite experience so far: the nation’s leading imam gripping my hand, looking me in the eye: “Thank you for electing Barack Obama.”
One Response
Same here. I’m in Indonesia and since the election pretty much all my interactions follow the same pattern:
“Where are you from?”
“America.”
“Obama!”
Followed by a shared meaningful look or a smile. It happened about 50% of the time before the election but almost 100% of the time now, with people of every socioeconomic class and all across the country.
It’s kind of amazing.