Nov. 6.....GOBAMA Fever.......Moshi

I woke up yesterday and hooked straight into the internet to find out the results of the election. Nobody really believed me when I explained why I had yelled a big Canadian "WooHoo!" from my bedroom - I don't know how to say the words "won the election" in Swahili so I settled for "Obama is president", but I got the replies "Insha Allah" - God willing - it took some time for me to convince them that it had already happened. By afternoon word had spread throughout the town and everybody had Obama on their lips and hope in their heart. Because Tanzania is so close with Kenya they are proud to have a nearly fellow countryman in office and I think all of the African community is united in hope that their lives will somehow get better because a black man is in power. It will be disappointing for many when they find that no more help is coming from America just because the mother of the new American president made a kid with a Kenyan man. Still I think the power of the hope that has been inspired is as important as any change he will make in office. Personally I am a non political person, but had goose bumps for a total of about four hours yesterday. Hearing the news put a smile on my face all day which is difficult to do these days... I’m suffering from the blues. I know logically that not as much will change as we would hope for but to know that there is still something to believe in is a great medicine. It almost fights my decision to never bring children into this suffering, senseless dying world. Whoops! got a bit depressing there but that’s life.

People are sending and forwarding text messages to each other and to me congratulating each other on the African American in office. Some examples:
"
____@
__/ ["]\____
{_(@)______(@)\

Peep..peep.. Am coming 2 pick you 2 celebrate 4 the winning of OUR fellow black American Barak Obama"

"

"I trusted you but you have a mouth that never closes. Why did you tell everyone my secret that Barak Obama is my Uncle?"

"I received a message from America today that said Barak Obama chose me to come and visit him in the new Black House. He said I could invite one friend and I choose you."

*messages are partially edited for Canadian English speakers



Today has been declared a national holiday in Kenya in celebration of the election of Barak Obama and "They have slaughtered many cows" - good news from the streets of Moshi.