The Election in the Eyes of a Foreigner

So this week was a big week for the states...the election! And when they say the whole world was watching, they weren't lying. My host family stayed up until 2 a.m. waiting for the election results, and it isn't even their country! Being in Guatemala for the election was eye-opening and fascinating. I had never really thought of how foreigners perceived America. Obviously, America is solely a dream for them. They will never get the chance to live or even see the United States.

Look who I found in their newspaper! Of all people, my representative (Steve King) and my senator (Chuck Grassley), were in the Guatemalan newspaper.

The whole world was especially watching this election, but only for one reason: Donald Trump. In America, everyone thought it was crazy because of Donald, but also because of Hillary. For Guatemalans, they get their international news from the TV. CNN, to be exact. Whether talking to some white missionaries that live here or Guatemalans, it was sad to hear what they thought. I had conversations with others explaining Benghazi, as they had never heard of it before. I explained Hillary's trial, as they didn't even know that it was happening. They simply assumed all Americans must be Hillary supporters, because that is how the media portrayed it for them.

Guatemalans did have a problem with Donald Trump. They could list off many horrible things he's done. According to them, he persecutes Christians, encourages discrimination, and will kick out any foreigner in America (legal or not). When it came to Hillary, there is nothing wrong with her in their eyes. In my opinion, I have never heard Clinton discuss religious liberty, so what makes Trump different for them? The media. Their opinion is only based off of that. After talking with some people, they realized that they might not understand the whole picture. Not all foreigners are going to be kicked out of America. If they are there legal, nothing will happen. If they are there illegally, there is a possibility, but we will never get ahold of the whole issue. I don't think Guatemalans even knew there was a difference between legal and illegal immigration.

So yes, the world is laughing at America. People claim we've joined their club: having a comedian for president. For me, this doesn't discourage me, but instead encourages me. Let's prove the world wrong. Let's prove that we can bring our country back. This does not depend on the President. This does not depend on the Supreme Court Justices. This depends on us. We were given these two choices based off of a reflection of our society and government. Let's change it.