THE week after the US elections, headlines in The Guardian read "The Horror, The Horror," while another article commented on "the revenge of the confederacy," noting that the same Southern states which voted in 1861 to keep slavery legal, voted in the 2004 elections to keep George W. Bush as their president. Newspapers around the around spouted such playful headlines, many directed at the shock, disappointment, and in some cases, the horror, that America had once more elected Bush as president. I too was among those to enthusiastically throw my hands in the air, and agree that America truly made one of the world's greatest mistakes.

I never would have figured that I would have preferred to spend the US Election Day in Bulgaria than at home. November 3 was a day of mourning for my family and friends in the incredibly liberal town of Seattle. I received an onslaught of e-mails from friends and their claims about moving to Canada (the Canadian immigration web site reported six times greater traffic than its usual numbers). In Sofia, it was a beautiful day and I spent the time relaxing in the park, and then later went out to dinner. Surprisingly, my friends barely discussed the recent events that at the time, I would assume were the topic of conversation for millions worldwide. To be honest, I was grateful for such a distraction. However, angry thoughts still loomed in my head. That night I was able to satisfy my need to release my anger and frustration with my roommate, another American, towards the "dumb, ethnocentric, gay-bashing, ignorant Bush-loving hicks."

I had originally assumed that the reaction of the international community would have been difficult to endure as an American abroad, and in a way, I was right. Across the continent, Europeans, especially those in Western Europe, have been openly fervent Kerry supporters. Having travelled around Europe quite a bit, I am always wary to whom I disclose the truth about my national identity, fearful of any possible hostility and danger. Comments about "American stupidity," and how we "deserved the September 11 attacks" are hurtful. Fortunately, I have yet to feel that "anti-American vibe" from any Bulgarian.

It has been much easier than I ever would have thought to accept the defeat of the presidential candidate for whom I had voted. My friends here embraced me with their sincere apologies as they tried to comprehend my disappointment. They related their frustrations with the Bulgarian Prime Minister and his politics. The ex-Monarch, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, was forced to flee the country while only a boy in 1946, returning to Bulgaria only months before he was sworn into office in April 2001. Jokingly, my friends compared Bush and the current Prime Minister, noting how they both are unable to properly express themselves in their native tongue. However, they would not let me vent for long as we had more important issues to discuss, such as which club we were to visit that night.

Living in Sofia, I am gradually finding myself adapting to the laissez-faire attitude the Bulgarian people hold. I have found people to accept that which they cannot change, and to move on with life. Bulgarians pride themselves to be "tolerant people." Recently, I have come to understand a clash in my definition with the Bulgarian meaning of this word. An American Professor currently at the American University in Blagoevgrad explained how the Bulgarian definition of tolerance is more of a melange of neutrality, apathy and in some cases, a conscientious choice to remain distant from issues that attract heated emotion. Hence the ability to accept their Prime Minister as their leader, despite their dislike for his politics, and despite their disappointment and regret that Bush was re-elected as the 44th president of the United States, they continue to accept.

I have decided to take this redefined concept of tolerance and apply it to assuage my own frustration and discontent in the millions of Americans who consciously chose to vote for George W. Bush on November 2. Bush's re-election does not represent the end of the world. To be honest, I believe voting democrats held greater expectations in Kerry than he would have been able to deliver. With Kerry in power, Iraq would still be the complicated mess that it is today, oil prices would continue to remain high for quite some time, and the global Muslim population would not instantly forgive America the second he stepped into office. The stigmatised image of America held throughout the world is no recent phenomenon, as US presidents the past several decades have all played their part in creating the image the country symbolises today.

Granted, Kerry may have been the international community's choice in regard to deciding who would be the better man for the job, but that was not a decision for the world to decide. The American people voted and it is now time for life to move on.

I cannot hold a grudge towards those people who reside within the "red" states, regardless as to whether or not I agree with their politics. The polarisation of the country is no doubt a serious problem that American politicians must address. However, this binary opposition will only lead us towards a greater intolerance of each other. I have chosen to do as the Bulgarians do, and tolerate that which I cannot change. I will tolerate the decision of the American people and Bush as my president for the next four years. It is a waste of time to curse the republicans for believing in issues I in turn, fervently oppose. However, I hope to direct my energy to those issues where I can influence change. I will not retreat to Canada with my tail between my legs. I will not fight for my political opinions to be heard. Instead, I will embrace the opposition with the hope that I in turn, can help them learn to tolerate those issues that are just as meaningful to me.