Election Day

Right now I'm eating an oatmeal raisin cookie -- a legitimate, made-in-America, delicious oatmeal raisin cookie. And I'm convinced that I would undoubtedly give up that cookie for the opportunity to watch the news coverage of the presidential election. I'm continually refreshing the news websites I have open to see if any information has developed in the 15 seconds since the previous refreshing. The only live news coverage I've been able to view was the few hours in Xi'an where we were able to watch CNN. I've never been more excited to see the news (especially since the alternative is crappy Chinese soap operas).
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About a week and a half ago, my friend Phil gave a speech on the presidential race, voting system and the U.S. government. I've continued this lesson to my classrooms -- teaching my students about the electoral college, introducing them to the candidates, and discussing the "hot topics" (the economy, Iraq, health care, illegal immigration, abortion, gay marriage, and taxes). We've gone over many things and the conversations have gotten very interesting, especially when we talk about the war in Iraq, abortion (which inevitably leads to the One Child Policy), and gay marriage (Chongqing having the highest percentage of gay people in all of China). These conversations are the closest my classes have gotten to debates with only slightly opposing viewpoints.
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I go on to explain the electoral college and the requirements for voting (American citizen, 18 yrs. old...). I then ask my classes if they think that I am able to vote even though I am in China -- 6,000 miles from my designated voting location. Split between "yes" and "no", the class can never decided whether I am able to or not. Some are shocked that I can still vote while being so far away. Very interesting. But I suppose it makes more sense when you realize that you're trying to explain something that is so commonplace to Americans to a group of people who have never experienced it.
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When asked this morning if I had voted, I responded "no". "My ballot got lost in the mail and I am unable to vote...also because I was 12 minutes late registering for my overseas absentee ballot," I tell them. As I'm explaining all of this, my phone beeps. I have a text message. During break I read the following: "Julie, you have a package to pick up at the reception of the foreign students' dorm". Cool. But my parents just sent a package with my friends who came to visit from Seattle.
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Despite feeling so sick and not wanting to make the trek across campus, I went. And on November 4th, 2008 -- Election Day -- I received my voting packet. Giddy, I rushed to my apartment, Skyped my parents to verify which school superintendent is pro-Math and quickly filled out the rest of my ballot. Math Question: if you are in China and the time difference was +15 from Seattle but changed to +16 over the weekend due to Daylight Saving Time and, regardless of it's irrelevance, 2 trains are traveling in opposite directions of each other at 50 kph, what day does the ballot need to be postmarked by? ... whatever...I mailed it on the .
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So, it turned out that I was in fact able to vote from China. And now we wait to see how America votes. *Refresh button time*