An 'amazing day' for US expats

American expatriates in Oman have welcomed the re-election of Barack Obama as the president of United States of America. American and Omani citizens had gathered to watch the election results at an interactive session, 'Experience the US Elections', organised by the US Embassy in Muscat. An overjoyed Claire Cooper, programme coordinator, Centre for International Learning, Al Hail, said, "I feel very, very happy because I am a big Obama supporter. I am happy to see him reelected today.- Admittedly missing her home country, she said, "I do miss being in my home state. When Obama was first elected, I was still in Massachusetts. To see people screaming and crying in emotion is a great sight. It happens all over the US on the election day. I do miss out being there but I am very thankful to the US embassy for hosting this fantastic event to be around with fellow Americans and be with other invited guests who are really impressed about this event. Greta C Holtz, the US Ambassador to Oman, described the day as "important.- "Every presidential election is a very important day. It is the start of the governance, the leadership and changes in our country. We are very excited and energised by the process. We support the winner. It has been a close race but a very exciting race. So for us, it is a very big day. We are happy to watch the results and support the winner,- she said. She also added, "It is an amazing day and every American who votes for the first time, remembers it. It is an emotional experience for us. Recalling her first vote, she said, "I was 18, which was somewhere in the mid-eighties. It was a very special day. My husband's family who emigrated from Mexico and became US citizens still talk about the very first time they were allowed to vote as US citizens. Talking of the election process, Greta said, "It is part of the democratic system so we believe that it gives every American citizen an equal opportunity to have a say on how the country is run and governed. So we work hard to make sure the process is clean and fair. The election results will not change the ties between the two countries, she explained. Stressing that US-Oman ties have enjoyed a strong historical relationship, the ambassador said, "I think it will be only stronger. Oman is a good partner and the United States values the friendship. My job is to work towards deepening the ties and expand the relationship.- Omani citizen Moosa Al Siyabi, who was present on the occasion that involved participating in a straw ballot, visiting information booth, watching updates, learning about elections and following live-tweets said, "It was a great opportunity for us to come and see how the election process works in the US. Maybe we will share this experience for the different elections (Majlis Al Shura and Municipal elections) that we have in Oman. We can weigh the benefits and learn from it.- Prof. Erika Froelicher, who teaches research and capacity building at College of Nursing, SQU, was relieved that Obama got a second term. "I am absolutely delighted because earlier in the morning the fight looked very close and I was concerned, especially since Obama has done so much to rebuild the American economy. Because I am in healthcare (a nurse by profession), I can say Obama has put in place a good healthcare programme (for the first time in the US). Hillary Clinton had tried to put together the healthcare programme that is fair to the whole population and Obama put it in place. If he had not won the election there was a high risk of it being reverted to the former unfair system,- Erika said. She added, "Obama really understands women's issues and respects them. If the result had gone the other way it would have been a bleak picture for women's rights in terms of making decisions about their healthcare.- Therine Neisler, research consultant at SQU, said, "The world is a safer place than it could have been with Obama's win. I was glad, I was able to vote weeks ago.- Did she miss being in her home country during the elections? "No,- Otherine said. "If I were back home I would have had a party. We would be sitting around and enjoying the moment with friends. But I have friends here and this is exciting too. This is a different excitement. We are in country which cares about what happens in your country,- she said. US Embassy staff were providing and updating information on the election result and were available to answer questions on this 'historical event'. "It was a hard fought election. Mitt Romney did really well,- said Khalid Haribi, managing director, Tawasul. From:Times Of Oman