It was just one of those nights that you don't ever want to end. And, technically, it really didn't. I didn't slip into my bed until well past 8h30, the sun already having risen and morning commuters already having taken to the streets. The occasion for this all-night affair was the election of Barack Obama as our next president.
I stepped out the door a little after midnight to go meet my friends for an election watch party in an American bar, the "Frog and Princess". When we got to the bar, we were greeted by a formidable crowd, loud music, and at least 5 or 6 flat-screen TVs mounted to the walls -- all broadcasting CNN. We ordered a couple pitchers of locally-brewed beer, found an open booth, and settled into the election coverage. I was reminded how ridiculous CNN can be at times. Let's just say we all got a kick out of the special reporter appearing "live via hologram." Seriously? We need holograms now?
Anyway, having made the choice to stay out until we knew the name of the next president, we got comfortable in the Frog and Princess. It was quite amusing to watch all the Americans and politically-minded Europeans throughout the night. Any time Obama was declared the winner of a state's electoral votes, the bar erupted into a frenzy of cheers, applause, and O-Ba-Ma! chants. Whenever McCain took a state, though, it was more like a collective groan of disapproval mixed with the occasional Merde!
The night slipped by quickly, and before we knew it the clock struck 4 and the bar sent us packing. The big question was still left unanswered, so we knew we had to find another bar where we could watch the conclusion of the historic event. After much debating, direction-seeking, and walking in the drizzling rain, we found our way to "Breakfast in America", a diner near the Sorbonne. It had taken quite a while to find the place, so we had missed quite a bit of the election coverage.
As we approached the diner, we saw a fairly large group of people huddled on the sidewalk against the building's main windows and front door, all peering inside the packed restaurant. When we joined them, everyone started leaning in closer to the diner's windows for some unknown reason. The crowd began letting out shhh's, and one girl uttered, "He's about to give his speech!" Since we had been gone for so long, we didn't know what she was talking about. Had a winner been declared already?
We pushed in closer so we could hear the TV hanging by the open window -- the reason for the crowd on the sidewalk. We then heard what we had been waiting for: the beginning of John McCain's gracefully-delivered concession speech. As soon as he admitted defeat to Obama, the crowd went wild. It was electrifying. Eventually everyone calmed down, and we listened to the rest of the Arizona senator's speech in attentive silence. Standing on the parisian sidewalk, feeling the rain softly falling on my face, and knowing that history was being made -- it felt like a scene from a movie.
After McCain's speech, the diner's owner made room inside so as many of us as possible could come in from the rain to watch Obama's victory speech. We packed our way in sardine-style, jockeying for the best positions for viewing the TV screen. Then the speech began. It's kind of hard to describe exactly what it was like. I mean, the speech was incredible -- definitely inspirational. The general feeling in the diner was a mix of relief and excitement. Everyone in the room was united in a kind of international hope -- for the 15 or so minutes Obama spoke, we all breathed together, cheered together, and some even shed tears together. For once, I felt totally comfortable as an American in Paris.
You know, there's something really nice about knowing that your president is a good man -- an honest man -- someone you can trust and actually feel hopeful about. And there's something really nice about knowing that the world is looking at us in admiration. It's been a while since America has felt like this.
After Obama's speech, we wound our way to another small restaurant for a well-deserved 7 in the morning breakfast. Fighting the urge to pass out into my plate of Francfort frites, I thought back on our epic election evening. And while I sorely wished I could have been in Chicago to witness Barack in person that night, I realized that my evening was simply perfect. I got to experience history in the making -- a history that I touched with my own two hands when I signed my ballot weeks ago -- and I experienced it in the context of an international unity that served only to amplify the fact that our decision affects not only us, but the entire world. It was a night I'll never forget.
Happy Travels
-- Cody
edit: I think I'm famous. Not really, but there was apparently a journalist at Breakfast in America. Click here to see the pictures. Hint: I'm in the last one.
1 comment:
First of all, those holograms were awesome. But yes, they were ridiculous.
Peter actually made it out to the rally, although he was just on the street outside of it. But, he got to hear the speech live. It was an awesome night - glad you had such an amazing time there.
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