With the election right around the corner, I have had many friends back home ask me how it feels to be abroad during such a tumultuous and nasty presidential election. When I sit and think about that question I realize its pretty funny how though far in distance I almost feel as if I’m in the midst of it all here as well. For instance, one day I was checking out at the grocery store and I said something to the cashier to which he responded “Oh! You’re American!? Let me guess, you’re voting for Hillary right?”
Interactions like this are frequent. Perhaps the question I get the most is “What do you think about Trump?” I don’t just get this question in an academic setting but also on the bus or the train and even out at a club. It is crazy how quickly information can travel these days. Although I am not physically in America, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and the plethora of information and opinions circulating these forums daily has reading and engaged in a similar way that I would be if I were home. I had kind of expected to “get away” from the issues of America for a year but have quickly realized that is not the case. It has been an interesting point of view to be removed from the “Make America Great Again” or “I’m With Her” signs on people’s lawns and to still feel as if I too am experiencing this election from a familiar vantage point.
