I am an American but have been living in Germany for the past 6 years. In all my time living here, I have never followed US news this closely. To be honest, a big part of why I left the US was because of the conservative government headed by George Bush. I was not willing to continue living in a country with a government that did not represent my views. In a way I felt I was fleeing a corrupt government with a president who was not elected by popular vote and who stood to dismantle what little progressive environmental, social and foreign policy we had achieved.

When my mother asked me if there was ever a chance I would move back "home," I typically responded with, "Not as long as Bush, or any other republican is president."

For the first time in years, with the prospect of someone like Barack Obama becoming president, I have started considering moving back to the US.

Finally there is a candidate that truly represents my views and will take the country in a direction that I can agree with, and can even get excited about!

It's hard to express in words the way I feel about this election and about Barack Obama. There is so much I don't like about the US: these far right conservatives and Christian fundamentalists who have been in control of the country under Bush.

As an American living abroad, in many ways I am an ambassador for America. People ask me to explain how things could get this way in America. They ask me why America does the things it does. This has forced me to analyze my country and find a way to explain it to people who cannot conceive of such stupidity. People literally ask, "Are Americans really just stupid?"

My answer is that that the country is divided pretty equally between the liberal and tolerant, and the right-wing, which sadly includes many racists and, in my view, ignorant people. In my opinion, the problem is not stupidity but ignorance and fear, partly due to a failing American education system and a lack of exposure to people from different backrouds. In my opinion, for the last 8 years, for lack of a better word, the "ignorant" half of America has been in power, and that's why America does a lot of questionable things.

I am overjoyed to see Obama tip the scales and bring America together in support of change. His message of change has literally brought tears to my eyes and awakened a level of patriotism in me that I didn't know I had.

When my German friends ask, as they all have, who I am voting for, I am proud to say, "Don't worry, I voted for Obama. I've done my part."

The world is watching. Now it's up to America to take a stand and vote for change.