Yes We Can....

I am beyond happy that Obama won. I'm sorry republicans but if McCain would have won the world would not be jumping for joy as it is for Obama. If Obama would have lost, it would have been the expected and Europe and South America would be saying, "Ofcourse he didn't win. He is black!"
But he won, and everyone is so hopeful.
So here is my take on this whole shbang.

I grew up with a Hispanic immigrant family. In my family, the only people that I could be sure were legal were my parents and my grandma. That is it. So it doesn't take a genius to realize that were poor in America. There were many times that my mom should have been on welfare, but she had way too much pride for that, and instead risked having some really hard days, in which we didn't know what or how we were going to eat for dinner. So growing up, I guess my family got used to just getting by. With all the big hurtles that they had to overcome they didn't have the energy to even consider doing something big. So every time I would say, "hey when I grow up I am going to be rich". They would laugh. When I would say, "hey I want to go to Europe, to go to all the museums and see the work of Michaelangelo". They would say "thats impossible". When I said, "I am going to be a doctor". They ridiculed me. When I said I am going to get into Graduate school, my mom said, "Stop acting like if you are some white rich girl. Poor Latin people can't afford to take on jobs like being a scientist. You need a job that pays the bills that is it!"
So... It has been hard. It has been really hard to Prove them all wrong. They convinced my sister out of becoming a ballerina. Which is something I will never forgive them for because she loves dancing. And ever since then, I feel like she has just been lost....

I am not rich but I proved them wrong when I went to Italy multiple times, when I went to Bali, and finally when I got into Grad School. The rewards are amazing. The younger generation of my family is using me as an example but again. It has been such a struggle.

With Obama's victory. Now instead of having 20 aunts, 5 uncles, and my mom saying, "thats impossible. you are crazy. Women can't do that....blah blah blah".
I feel like now, there is someone that is whispering into my ear, "yes you can"... FINALLY! Someone shut my family up. It is just such a relief. I feel like 20 elephants have been lifted from my back. I can't help but get all choked up and teary about it...
At the same time, with such cynicism through out my life, you have no idea how many times I thought, maybe mommy is right. Maybe I am crazy. Maybe I should just give up. And now with this event, with Obama getting all the way from a single mom's home to the White House, now I feel like there is just no excuse for me to give up. Is this what they call motivation?

I have promised myself that from now on every time I feel like just dropping dead right before I do it, I am going to just say aloud, "Yes I can"....