Obama's Election

It was very exhausting watching the elections for so many months. I’m glad it’s finally over and even happier with the results.

My husband, Richard, was a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State for over twenty years, and we served in thirteen countries on five continents. We were always proud to represent America. Our job was to make friends with the local people and introduce them to all that was good about our democracy, our culture, and our people.

During the last eight years we seem to have lost our way. We were not that interested in talking to anyone, other than our friends and allies. We did very little to engage diplomatically with other countries. Our efforts were, for the most part, too little, too late, or nothing at all. We put into place a policy that said, in effect, “our way, or the highway.”

Finally the elections are over and Barack Obama is our president-elect. He will not be our president until January, but I am already excited for America. The very fact that we elected such an intelligent and thoughtful BLACK man has already improved our image in the world. Once again it makes me very proud to be an American. Now, we will use diplomacy first, rather than force, to settle our world problems. We will listen and respect what others have to say.

Editor’s Note:  Chi Newman is an accomplished world traveler and author who joins JustOneOpinion.com as a member of our group of new contributors.  Chi and her husband now live in beautiful Tucson, Arizona, but over the past sixty years, she has been privileged to travel and live in places that most of us could only dream about.  Her book Farewell, My Beijing: The long journey from China to Tucson, chronicles her life and travels in a way that makes it very difficult to put down, even for a few minutes. Literally forced to flee for her life with her sister from her home in China, she eventually found herself in places like La Paz, Athens, Brasilia, Pretoria, and Bridgetown.  At times she found herself living at the edge of poverty and then at other times finding herself in the company and surroundings of the rich, famous and powerful.    Chi has agreed to share her unique and very personal perspective on world affairs and cultures to not only enlighten but also entertain our readers. JustOneOpinion.com is very fortunate to have Chi Newman join our team of contributors. You can visit Chi’s new website at www.Chi-Newman.com.