This past fall, during one of the most exciting moments of our generation, students rallied together in Usdan and on Foss Hill. But for some Wesleyan students, the presidential election was experienced in a vastly different environment: from Spain to Ecuador, India and Cameroon.

These students were studying abroad, and their experiences watching the election results ranged from the noisy crowds of expatriate “American” bars to situations in which students were the only Americans around for miles.

“I had a really moving experience where I got to vote with my host mother watching,” said Adina Teibloom ’10, who studied in South Africa with the School for International Training with three other Wesleyan students. “We also got to go to the consulate and heard the acceptance speech.”

Students like Sara Shor ’10 however, who traveled to Ecuador to study environmental justice, celebrated the election but felt isolated from the event.

“Although I watched the debates, the night that Obama won, I was in a small village with no other Americans, Shor said. “It was sad; I wanted to celebrate, and when I found out, I had no one to share that excitement with.”

Most countries, however, paid close attention to the presidential election in the United States. Ashley Castro ‘10, who studied in Cameroon found the election to be an especially poignant experience as Cameroon has had the same president, President Paul Biya, for twenty-six years. Many in Cameroon were excited by Obama’s presidency, and some even speculated that he has ancestral roots there—Obama is a common surname in the country.

“A lot of Cameroonians were more enthusiastic about the election than some Americans I know,” Castro said. “It was clear that many were impressed and surprised that we elected a black president; my sense is that many see him as much their president as he is ours.”
Many of these students returned home having missed many of the catchphrases and personalities that characterized this year’s election. Danny Landau ’10, a College of Social Studies major, was in Argentina for the semester and returned home to an instant culture shock.

“The ‘Joe the Plummer’ thing came out of nowhere,” Landau said. “It helped me learn about three months in five minutes.”

Students abroad were often questioned about their political views. According toAlex Pfeifer-Rosenblum ’10, who was living in a Buddhist monastery in Bodh Gaya, India, there was widespread curiosity about President Bush, where he still had a fifty percent approval rating.

“I came in with this perception that the world hated us,” Pfeifer- Rosenblum said. “I soon realized that they weren’t judging me, they just wanted to know what I thought of my government. They often asked me, ‘Why did you elect this guy no one who comes here likes?’”

Director of International Studies Carolyn Sorkin was thrilled with the new perspectives students gained while abroad during the election.

“I was delighted that students had a unique opportunity to see coverage of a US election from the perspective of another country, to engage in discussion about politics with people affected by US foreign policy, and to think about the role the election’s issues – the economy, the war, race, and so on – play in other countries.”

While many students felt like they had remained updated on international news while abroad, they admitted that they were not aware of the severity of the worldwide recession when it hit.

“I’m sure it affected the Indian economy,” Pfeifer-Rosenblum said. “It was funny; I was learning about the American recession as if now we would talk about a recession that they are having in France—I didn’t get how bad it was at all until I came home and talked to my parents—I didn’t realize that people are struggling.”

According to Shore, while she personally did not feel the effects of the recession during her time abroad, Ecuador and its economy were already seeing the ramifications.

“I didn’t feel it that much until I got home,” Shor said. “I read American news and understood that it was a big deal. But because Ecuador uses the dollar, they are definitely affected by what was going on in the American economy. Ecuador hasn’t felt the full effects of the recession yet, but the dollar needs to be strong in order for their economy to thrive.”
Ultimately, students echoed the sentiments of Castro, who said she could not have chosen a better time to reflect on their country from abroad.

“Although I did miss being here at one of the most exhilarating moments in modern American history, I am glad I was outside of the country because I got to see an American election from another perspective.”