JYA
Q&A: Students Comment on Election 2008
Catherine Gees in Hamburg. |
Gate: How
did you spend election night?
Catherine Gees: On
election night I went to a party hosted by the Bucerius Law
School here in Hamburg. I didn't stay very long though; I
spent most of the time in my dorm watching the election unfold
on CNN with some German friends. I'd have to say a lot of
the excitement (in my dorm) about
election night itself was generated by myself and the other
American students with me; everyone was very interested in
what would happen, but I doubt they would have stayed up
quite as late as they did had we not been there. Nevertheless,
they humored our outbursts of joy when a projection came
in and that really helped to quell any homesickness we may
have been feeling.
Gate: How
would you describe the interest in the presidential election
where you are?
CG: Leading
up to election night, many of the people I've met here (even
those
whom I've met only briefly) asked me about the election,
what I thought of the candidates, who I thought would win,
how I would feel depending on what happened. Many of the
students I've met have been following the campaigns (and
the ensuing jokes and YouTube videos) with an attention that
seems more than required of non-Americans.
Gate: What
was the reaction about the election of Barack Obama?
CG: Most of
them think that Obama will be a good president and look forward
to
see what he will accomplish, though they agree that he certainly
has his work cut out for him. The election has also come
up in my classes at the university, where one of my professors
used the phrase "King Obama" yesterday. He had mentioned
the election in each class leading up to it; often saying
something along the lines of "in X weeks
when the United States chooses a new president, hopefully
this time it will
be the right one."
Gate: Did
you vote by absentee ballot? When did you send that in?
CG: I
am registered to vote in Massachusetts and requested an absentee
ballot before the deadline, but I never received one. I'm
sure it will come in the mail in the next few days, as is
only fitting.
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