Happy New Year to all of you. Let's hope 2009 will be the year we begin to see real change in the way we treat the world. I'm still reeling from yesterday's inaugural hul-dula. What a great day for our country. I am cautiously optimistic, extremely excited by Obama's potential, and very relieved that I can stop pretending to be Canadian.

It has been a rough eight years to live overseas. I think most Europeans have been able to separate the ideals and values of ordinary Americans from those of our fearless (and feckless) leaders, but still. The fact that so many Americans voted for Bush in the first place was bad enough. When they did it a second time, I began to look for rocks to hide under.

I realized about three years ago that Europeans were starting to feel sorry for Americans. I'd mention my nationality in a casual conversation, and find a sad and concerned face staring back at me—the sort of expression I'd expect if I told someone I hailed from Bangladesh or Siberia or Myrnamar, one of those other places with crooked politicians, inadequate or no health care for many of its citizens, penalties for being homosexual, and a crumbling education system.

It's a lousy predicament, being forced to defend a homeland that you can't believe in any longer. But just when I was about to claim Montreal as my hometown and start speaking with a vague French accent, Barack Obama, with a lot of help from his Democratic competition, reminded us that we could reclaim our dignity by speaking out, organizing our options, and getting out the vote.

Now? I feel like America has a chance to be the comeback kid. I believe in President O. Having read Dreams from my Father, I understand that President Obama's steep climb to yesterday's summit  had nothing to do with magic or miracles. His experience uniting people explains everything. Numb as we had become, we still knew what we craved. He told us how to get it. We listened. He listened. That's no smoke and mirrors political trick, it's human communication.  After eight years of free-for-all-fuck-y'all-we'll-do-what-we-want government, we finally have a leader with open ears, intelligence, and the energy to harness the good will and dreams of his supporters.

I know that the history books have been opened to a new page. I understand the importance of Obama's race to so many of our citizens. But to me he is the color of self-recognition. I look at him and see who I am, who I might be. I see who I used to be, too, before the last eight years of greed, mistrust, and despair kicked my ass and replaced my hard-won idealism with hard-edged scorn.

Bitter swill, indeed.

I thought we had run out of options. Now the day is new. My name is Robin, and I'm an American. Again.