Proud to be American

On Monday evening, I received my absentee ballot sent to me from the U.S. Words cannot describe the pride, joy, and awe I felt holding the envelope in my hands. I was afraid that it would not arrive in time, but it did! And my local registrar sent it by Air Mail to me all the way in China! Even though I'm miles and miles away, the government still protects my right as a citizen. It's willing to send the ballot to wherever I am, be it China or Africa. That's what I love about America. Our lives are worth more; our rights are protected (or at least there's a legal recourse if they're not); our voices ring loudly and are heard by the government.

I was particularly keen on voting this election because I want to be part of this historic moment. I want to look back years later and know that I made my voice known, I took part in the vote for the first black president or the first female vice-president in U.S. history. It is such a rare privilege to be able to live in a dem0cracy where there are free and, arguably, fair elections. I want to stand up and exercise that hard-earned right.

Yet I did not have much time to get the ballot back to the U.S. California voting laws dictate that the ballots must be received, not postmarked, by Nov. 4. I got the ballot Monday evening 10/27 and Wednesday 10/29 was the deadline to get the ballot to the U.S. embassy or FedEx drop-off location in Beijing. Because I had to teach, there was no time for me to go to Beijing by the Wednesday deadline. Still, I obtained the FedEx Air Mail slip and decided to go to Beijing today (Thursday) and see if the Embassy or FedEx will still take my ballot back to the U.S. even though the deadline has passed. I went to the Embassy, and the people there were immobile: the election deadline is over and there's nothing we can do for you now. I begged them to tell me what I could do, to find a way, and all they gave me was a phone number for FedEX, and that number didn't even work.

Luckily, I did some preparation on my own before, and found out the numbers of FedEx locations in Beijing. I called one and explained my situation. I wouldn't let the guy get off the phone until he told me some place I could go to talk to someone in person. :D This is China, where there is a will, there is a way.

The FedEx office building he told me to go to was within walking distance of the U.S. Embassy in LiangMaQiao, so I walked there. After convincing the receptionist to let me speak to the person in charge of the program, this director guy came out to help me. I told him my situation, how I came all the way from Tianjin to Beijing to submit my ballot, and how I was only 1 day past the deadline. He relented after much supplication, and he found some way via Hong Kong to get my ballot mailed to the U.S. for free. Because I didn't have a printer and was only able to save the Air Mail bill printout on my USB drive, he even used their printer to print the copies for me. That's how kind this staff at the FedEX in Beijing LiangMaQiao office was.

I still don't know for sure if my ballot will reach the U.S. in time because there is no more guarantee after the 10/29 China deadline, but I think so, or hope so. At least I left in ignorant bliss, believing that my vote would be counted. It also made me believe again in the kindness of strangers. I've encountered a few mean Chinese people who are rude or even try to take advantage of you beneath their smiles, but it's nice and refreshing to meet a stranger who'll go the extra miles to help someone in need.