First of all, he has some really great ideas.  I know that many Republican leaning people are accusing Obama of wanting “big government” and of trying to give everybody a handout.  I don’t agree with this.  I don’t remember these same people saying anything, when President Bush ran us back into a deficit, after having achieved a surplus.  It’s no surprise that we are passing through some of the worst times in our country’s history.  I look back to the Great Depression, when one of the things that screwed us up was lack of confidence.  We cannot afford to make the same mistake again.  Although we are living in a cynical age, I do feel that Obama, if we get behind him, can be a figure to unite us and keep our heads together.  If we lose that positive direction, then we will repeat many of the same mistakes of the Great Depression.  Let us not forget the words of George Santayana, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Perhaps the biggest thing that people look at is the fact that he is “black,” “African-American” or a “man of color.”  The fact of the matter is that Obama is American. People, I think because so many can identify with him, are willing to use him as their symbol, their spokesperson.  However, Obama is like many Americans that I know in that his background is one that brings together different countries.  I don’t think that I know anybody that is “100%” anything.  So if he is supposed to represent the America that elected him, then why shouldn’t he be like them? While Obama might not “look” like America, it runs through his veins.

Lastly, I think that we need to remember that just because he was elected that there are still people that are prejudiced or even downright racist.  During these politically correct times, such people keep their opinions hidden because it wouldn’t look good to express them.  It’s also remotely possible that such people voted for him not out of the goodness of their hearts, but out of self-interest. Does this mean that they still don’t hold these convictions? The way that any individual votes or the fact that a multi-cultural man was elected does not mean that these people don’t hold these opinions.

So while big, progressive ideas, image and existing prejudice all play into what it means for Obama to be, we are still left with a loaded, complicated question that cannot be successfully resolved in this piece.  Just as with finding something about him that represents you, finding one particular explanation is entirely inadequate.  What does Obama’s election mean? It all depends.

Author: Jose A. Rodriguez (jarodriguez@miestilomag.com)

Christina, 33, met her husband, Matt, while he was then working in Argentina.  They met at a pub that was frequented by Americans.  The initial introduction was made through one of her friends and so began the adventure.

“Our first date we went to Tucumán.  I took him by myself because I couldn’t speak any English and he couldn’t speak any Spanish.  I took him to a place to eat empanadas.  I was telling him, ‘These empanadas are great.  They’re the best in the world.’  The empanadas came but they weren’t cooked enough. I told him that they were the best, but the worst came,” Christina said with a chuckle.  “As we ate, we didn’t say nothing.  He’d had them before in Córdoba.  He probably thought that I was a liar!”

At that time, the difference in language presented significant obstacles.  However, both persisted in communicating with each other.  Through a combination of sign language,  basic vocabulary and sheer tenacity, both kept going.  Somehow, they made it work.

“He kept talking about [Mike] Tyson.  He ate someone’s [Evander Holyfield's] ear. He tried explaining it to me, but I didn’t understand nothing.  It was an interesting conversation.  I didn’t understand what he was talking about.  He was using a translating machine.  He was desperate to explain to me what he was talking about.  I didn’t understand anything.”

After the initial introduction, they kept seeing each other.  However, she was still keeping a secret: her age.  It took her about a month to finally reveal the truth, which provided her a tremendous sense of relief.

“After that, my friend asked, ‘How old are you?’ I said, ‘Tell him that I’m 23.’ It took about a month for me to tell him the truth.  The day that I told him the truth, he was probably wondering, ‘Are you married?’ It turned out that it was just about my age.  He was happy, when I told him, because he was probably wondering if I had a baby, was divorced or had a boyfriend,” she explained.

Things kept progressing between Christina and Matt.  A few months afterward, they traveled to Alabama, where her future brother-in-law was getting married.  This was big for two reasons.  First of all, it was her first trip to America.  Also, Christina would get to experience her first American wedding and see how different it was compared to Argentine ones.

“At a party before the wedding, we were all in a restaurant and then everybody stopped eating and went outside.  I asked Matt what was going on and he started laughing and said that everybody went outside to smoke.  That doesn’t happen in my country because we can smoke all over the place.  Nobody was inside but me and Matt.  Eventually, I told him, ‘I gotta go.’ I was outside smoking and tried to talk to somebody,” she said with a chuckle.

Following the wedding in Alabama, Christina and Matt were invited to Indianapolis to visit his mother and stepfather.  While his mother treated her well, the language barrier, as it was with Matt, continued to be a problem.  However, none of this stopped Christina from having her first experience with American-style pancakes.  They were definitely not what she expected.

“The wedding was like three or four days.  After that, his mom invited us.  The funny thing is when we went to eat breakfast.  It was the four of us: me, Matt, Matt’s mom and his step-dad.  They invited us for breakfast.  When I saw the menu, it was my first time eating pancakes.  When I saw pancakes, I thought that it was the type like we have in Argentina—almost like crêpes.  I was thinking pancakes with dulce de leche.  When they gave me the pancakes—the pile of pancakes—I gave them a look like, ‘What is this?’ I was expecting my pancakes,” she said with a laugh.  “Everybody was looking at me.  I started eating.  Put maple syrup on them.  I ate them like a piece of bread.”

From her colorful introduction to American culture to the present, Christina views marrying an American and moving to the United States as an adventure—not something to be feared, but looking forward to the next experience.

“It was different—very different.  I wasn’t nervous.  To me, it was more like an adventure,” she concluded.

Author: José A. Rodríguez