Sometimes we forget what it was like to live in normal times. It was easy in some ways and there were things we disagreed with...but things always leveled out. You could breathe, without smelling sulphur.
I was staying in a small hotel in Kigali, Rwanda the morning that Barak Obama was elected president. I awoke to cars honking, people cheering, and a feeling of celebration in the air. My friends and I decided to enjoy breakfast at the Hôtel des Mille Collines, the very place that gave refuge to over 1,200 people during the 1994 genocide. On the street and in the hotel, many of the local residents mistook me as an American and congratulated me on the election results. Although I am a Canadian by birth, I shared in the spirit of optimism embodied by President Obama. As an aside, I always loved the musical concerts that happened in the White House when he and Michelle hosted an array of artists.
My husband and I were staying in Montreal, we're Canadians but were far from home. When Obama was elected the city exploded and people were dancing and singing in the streets. It has been hard to understand how a country can go from that to this. Trust me, there is no dancing in the streets in Canada now. I felt so much hope for the future then, but that is gone too.
So true. I inhaled this morning and said to myself, "Sweet Jesus, there is a path forward."
It felt so good
Sad, but true.
Sometimes we forget what it was like to live in normal times. It was easy in some ways and there were things we disagreed with...but things always leveled out. You could breathe, without smelling sulphur.
I was staying in a small hotel in Kigali, Rwanda the morning that Barak Obama was elected president. I awoke to cars honking, people cheering, and a feeling of celebration in the air. My friends and I decided to enjoy breakfast at the Hôtel des Mille Collines, the very place that gave refuge to over 1,200 people during the 1994 genocide. On the street and in the hotel, many of the local residents mistook me as an American and congratulated me on the election results. Although I am a Canadian by birth, I shared in the spirit of optimism embodied by President Obama. As an aside, I always loved the musical concerts that happened in the White House when he and Michelle hosted an array of artists.
My husband and I were staying in Montreal, we're Canadians but were far from home. When Obama was elected the city exploded and people were dancing and singing in the streets. It has been hard to understand how a country can go from that to this. Trust me, there is no dancing in the streets in Canada now. I felt so much hope for the future then, but that is gone too.
"The kind of cool that only comes from genuinely being human.".....he's maybe the coolest person that's ever lived!!
Good piece. I share your reflections on our Nation's finest president.