since China is 13 hours ahead of the East Coast, the polls didn't close until 10 am on November 5th. Last night we all went to bed excited after attending a Naxi music concert conducted by an eccentric Chinese millionaire, who had given us a lecture that morning at his home. When he was talking about some incomprehensible aspect of modern Chinese culture, he mentioned "gaibian," the Chinese word for "change." He paused, as if he wasn't sure if we quite understood, then said, ""Obama?" punching his fist into the air. Then he pointed to Justin and said, "like you!" Justin never gets a break from being the only black man in China. Chinese people really have no concept of race. The conductor said, "my mother was Tibetan and my father was a Turk, so I was better than the stupid Naxi." We laughed uncomfortably and looked at our watches.

We asked for lecture today to be postponed so we could all watch election results. In the morning we went to some temple to get blessed by another living Buddha, then booked it to a cafe to sit anxiously with our laptops and repeatedly refresh MSNBC. At about 11:30 am Pennsylvania and Ohio were called for Obama, and after that it was just madness. I'm so happy for Jack Murtha, Eric Massa, Dan Maffei. North Carolina, Jesus Christ. Right now we're in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lijiang, filled with Chinese tourists who barely even know about the election, and who would favor McCain if they did. Everyone in the cafe was bewildered, but we kept yelling results to each other at the different tables and hugging each other and trying to stream McCain's concession speech. One Australian turned to his friend and remarked, "Obama has won the election...so I hear."

There are thirteen kids on this trip, including one Bermudean and one Swiss. Not a single person voted for McCain. I literally feel like singing the star-spangled banner right now. I wonder what the madness is like in the States; I spent the last presidential election waving signs on a rainy street corner in Pittsford Plaza, watching the results in county headquarters in wet socks with my dad, everyone ready to cry into their champagne. Now I'm in China, wishing I were storming the quad with the rest of the students at Tufts. If people are half as excited as they were about the World Series, that is.