I voted for Obama. I voted for him because he embodied the spirit and ideals that I wish more people in this country had.

As I was watching the votes come in and Obama was declared the next president, there was at first exhilaration. It was unlike anything I had seen before. All my friends from other countries IMing me, congratulating us. And not congratulating us, Obama supporters, because our nominee won; but congratulating us as a country, as a whole, for pulling off what some thought impossible.

Then McCain’s concession speech. Eloquent, respectful, and inspiring. But at the same time that I was inspired by McCain’s call for unity, I was disheartened by the booing from the audience at the mere mention of Obama. Some may say they were just disappointed. But to me it strikes a deeper chord as a reminder of just how ununited the United States of America is.

A bit sobered by the reaction to McCain’s speech, in the moments before Obama came on it was fear I felt. Fear of what if Obama can’t live up to everybody’s expectations and bring us the new united America I and the world outside of the US wanted to see. What if he doesn’t and we end up looking like fools again to the international community.

Then Obama’s speech. Historic, moving, and yet subdued. Honestly one of the most poignant speeches I’ve ever heard, and I can’t tell you how good it feels to have a president who can speak English after 8 years of “Bushisms.” He spoke to the country as a whole, not as a victor, but as a president, one who cares after the entire country, not just the people who elected him.

Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

So despite that everyday I’m still reminded of our divisions, the passing of proposition 8 in California, the bitter reactions of McCain’s supporters. For the first time in a very long time, I have hope for the future of our country. For the first time in a long time, I don’t have to be ashamed of our country in front of my foreign friends. I voted for hope. We mustn’t let this die. I would love nothing more than to see our country finally become the united singular beacon of inspiration that the rest of the world has wanted us to be. I want that future, and that’s why I voted.