November 9th, 2016
*No Pictures*
Well this day turned out not how I expected. This election has left me with some indescribable feelings, and it’s hard to say if experiencing it abroad was better than being at home. One side of me is happy that I’m able to avoid all of the shenanigans following the election; the increased racial tensions, the foolish altercations, etc. The other side of me feels quite lonesome. Well for one, all of my exchange and local friends that I’ve made here continue to ask me “How’d yall let this happen? ” I don’t have much of an answer, and it’s like everyone feels sorry for me, which I hate. I stand out as an American here, and throughout the day whenever someone saw me I can tell the first thing that triggered in their mind was our newly elected president. A disturbing thought to most. So I felt homesick at times during the day, wanting to just be in the comfort of my home and around my family.
We often hear about the US being a world power, this is the first time I’ve witnessed its worldly affect from an outside perspective. What I mean is that, the effect of the election resonates all across the globe. People here in Hong Kong are just as disrupted as the most of us, and its quite scary. Some students had dreams of moving and working in the states, or studying abroad there, etc. and now feel that it’s all crushed. I’ve spoken with students here from all over the world, they fear the president-elects decision-making and losing the relationships their home country has with U.S. All of my life I’ve been somewhat oblivious to how the decisions made by U.S really hold weight against the world, except to what the media puts out. I now see for myself the power of the U.S and that everyone really watches America. All outsiders can do during the time of election is hope we also consider the effect our vote has on the rest of the world. So seeing that there are people who choose not to vote is quite disturbing. I guess everyone is entitled to choosing whether they use that right or not, but I now see that there are people who are affected by our country and don’t have a say. So our right to vote is truly a privilege and a responsibility.