President Elect

So last week I went to Denmark for work.  On Monday I had a demo in Copenhagen, and Tues - Fri I had training with a client in Bornholm.  The people there are great… super nice, always say hello to you, and everyone speaks English, which is terribly convenient.  I do take for granted how many people speak English in the world… it’s really great for us that grew up speaking the language. It seems more and more that it’s the universal language. (Other than music, which to me is the obvious universal “language”…that and maybe XML? :-P )
Anyway, I was there when the President Elect Obama was annouced.  I was thrilled, as I voted for him (I sent my absentee ballot in a couple of weeks ago.).  It’s amazing how many people would have voted for him as well, here in Europe.  It’s really cool to see the support of people outside of America (and I can’t really compare it to how it would be home in New York since I’ve been living here in the UK for about a year now).  The people at the TV station in Bornholm were saying “Congratulations!” to me… which I found odd.  Perhaps it’s because we don’t say congratulations to each other in the States, or we don’t congratulate each other for example here in Britian when PM Gordon Brown was annouced or anything… Perhaps it’s because everyone wanted such a change in the American Presidency as it affects so many other countries in the world.  I still don’t realize exactly how much the world is affected by my home country…perhaps it’s just unintended humbleness, or perhaps it was my ignorance because of growing up in America, and not realizing the world’s view on the country was just that big. It’s definitely a proud moment for me, and I only hope that things will change and be better.  It’s already a huge change, and a refreshing one at that. 
What are your opinions?