Day 14, Year 4: We Were Watching
Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Weather: Rainy, Rainy Day; Sun in Late Afternoon
Location: One 15 Marina, Sentosa Island, Singapore

After months of not seeing or hearing any news other than what we received from family in emails, we sat in front a TV screen for almost five hours this morning watching the US election results. This was after starting our early morning watching CNN Live on one computer and listening to New Hampshire Public Radio on the other. We then moved to the plush lounge located above the pool. Big screen TV, very comfortable chairs, ice water served to our little table at no cost, and the general manager
of the One15 Club visiting to watch the election returns. The GM is a Canadian who was in Hong Kong and has been here for two years. He was an American political science major in college and was very interested in the election returns. So we had a great setting for watching the returns. No matter what your political leanings might be, I would think you would have to have been moved by the fact that Barack Obama has been able to energize the youth of our country. He gives hope to so many people
from all around the world, especially the young, and that is so exciting. The fact that the American people elected an African-American, an African-American with a white mother and a black father from Africa, to its highest office sends the message to the people of the world that the United States really means what it has always said. We do embrace all and we are the melting pot of the world. It is so wonderful that Obama can be claimed by Kenya, by Indonesia, by Hawaii, and by Chicago. He exemplifies
the best and brightest in today’s world and let’s just hope he can continue to energize all American people to meet the challenges ahead. From this side of the world, it was a proud day for the USA.

After watching the election results we hurried to the Immigration Center to extend our Singapore Visa. Otherwise, we would have to leave here in the morning. But we were successful in getting the extension. We also learned that we will not be able to leave here on Monday because we have to check out with Customs twenty-four hours before leaving and that office is not open on the weekend. So Tuesday is the new date of departure which gives us five more days to enjoy Singapore.

While we were in the lounge watching the CNN election coverage this morning, we met a young couple from Essex, Massachusetts. They were as captain and mate on a really big sailboat that came in here yesterday and is the home of twenty college students each semester. They are not connected with SEA in Massachusetts, but their organization is SEAmester. It’s always great to meet people from back home and they invited us to visit their boat for a tour. The boat is only two years old and I’m anxious
to take a look. And when we got home late this afternoon, we saw the boat Matairea on our pier. That boat is also out of New England and is captained by Danika (a woman) and her partner Sten. Danika and Sten worked in Boston but kept their boat in Rhode Island. We met them in Darwin but haven’t seen them since. So tomorrow we will connect with some “fellow Americans.”