helen weld public health: Obama’s Heaven-ly Victory. . .

Obama’s Heaven-ly Victory. . .

Election Day 2012 has certainly been on the forefront of my mind for months. My underlying anxiety and tension mounted as the day approached, leaving me waking each morning with an inexplicable unsettledness until I focused on the cause.

At 0200 Conner (our resident Canadian), Julie, Brett and I piled into the truck with our wonderful mamas Claire, Annonciata and Naomi. Driving into Kigali to a restaurant called Heaven to watch the returns felt festive despite our fatigue.

Our arrival coincided with the first returns of the night (Vermont and Kentucky) where the open-air restaurant was filled to capacity with a large screen showing CNN. People with faces lit from their laptop screens and wrapped in blankets were spread out on sofas and sitting at tables. It was a rather tense and serious group (it seemed as though all were Obama supporters), but as the night wore on and Pennsylvania was called for Obama, giddiness and guarded optimism permeated the atmosphere.

Many in the crowd were very knowledgeable, hard-core politicos, knowing the implications of all the configurations and results of the electoral count, which added to the excitement for me. Our lovely mamas cheered as the states turned to BLUE, quickly learning that the magic number was 270 for Obama’s victory. In Rwanda there is a tradition for women to hold their right breast in order to offer strength and resilience during stressful times and our mamas did just that to help Obama go over the top. As Kigali’s hills appeared with the rosy dawn, the election was called for Obama, and cheers erupted. The relief and elation was exhilarating with ongoing hugs, hoots and hollers.

Tonight should be a good night of much needed sleep, especially since tomorrow we go into high gear with preparations for Gardens for Health’s 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Feast on Friday. We are anticipating in the vicinity of 400 people. Now the mamas are holding their breasts for all of us to have a successful event and for the sun to shine.

Congratulations Barack Obama and the USA! It’s been a euphoric day to remember.

Helen