WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- At first, I thought my decision to leave D.C. and travel abroad came at an extremely inopportune time. But now that I'm here, I see that I am having an equally interesting experience: being an American abroad surrounded by international travelers during the election of the most powerful man on Earth. Here, I am able to see first hand just how important - or not - this election is to people my age from around the world.
I was thoroughly confused - and a little pissed off - when I got off the plane in Auckland and was greeted in the terminal by a swarm of large flat screen TVs, all broadcasting CNN. My sister assured me we were in fact in New Zealand, but I couldn't believe that the election was following me (literally) around the world.
Since I was traveling to remote places, I wasn't exposed to a lot of television or newspapers during my first month here. On the other hand, as soon as I settled down in Wellington I couldn't get away from news about "THE ELECTION 2008!!!" CNN played 24/7 on one television in my hostel and 90 percent of the time it was about the U.S. presidential election (the other 10 percent is split equally between international news and updates on the economic crisis).
Since our election will have an effect on so much of the rest of the world, most people are eager to talk to me once they find out I'm an American, and especially after they find out I've gone to school in my nation's capital.
I was surprised at first that some people had no reservations about asking me who I was voting for. Even more so that I was often asked directly if I was "voting for the right one." Who they were asking about is irrelevant, so I'll let you just guess. I had no problem telling them who I was voting for, but tried to explain why it was a taboo subject in the United States. Absentee ballots were also a common subject for discussion, and several people mentioned that I should suggest submitting absentee ballots through e-mail.
But not all people I've spoken to are optimistic about the U.S. elections. A small group of Brazilians living with me spoke vividly about how our political system was "the machine that can't change." They were very well versed and read about the ideals of the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, and wished someone more like them was running for president. They also laughed when I mentioned "change" in reference to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, claiming that even if Obama is the better candidate and does get elected, he won't be able to change anything. It was so interesting to listen to them talk about how they felt about politicians. They explained that it wasn't that Obama or Republican nominee John McCain were bad people, but that U.S. politicians had to give up a little something to be considered.
After a while, I realized people wanted to know who I was voting for as a way to springboard into a conversation about the U.S. election. In other words, what they really wanted was to follow up with questions and curiosities that needed clarification - something I was more than happy to provide - with a disclaimer that I was doing my best to have a conversation as an unbiased American.
One of my favorite experiences thus far abroad was when a group of fellow backpackers and I crammed into our common room to watch the third and final presidential debate. What normally functions as a rowdy living area and kitchen was instantly transformed into a quiet viewing room as soon as CNN's "The Situation Room" host Wolf Blitzer came on the screen.
Everyone was very respectful and knowledgeable about the candidates, but during the commercial breaks I functioned as a live Wikipedia: I did my best to clarify and explain everything from "Isn't McCain too old to run for president?" to "What is Roe v. Wade?"
About a week before I left for New Zealand I was really regretting the fact that I chose an "election semester" to go abroad. Yes, it would have been exciting to be in D.C. during the months surrounding the election, but I am learning a lot being abroad. I might even bring a few of my new friends to D.C. for the inauguration to show them first-hand if the "right one" was elected or not.
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
