Obama's Visit

I was really excited to see Obama's visit to MIT. Every day I walk by the auditorium he was supposed to speak in. And it was really crazy today - I passed by a fire truck, an ambulance, and a bomb squad car, and lots and lots of police! There were many Obama protesters (Americans are against the healthcare plan, and the war, among other things), and the entire block of Mass Ave was fenced. I hoped to see the secret service, but I guess they were closer to where the president was. I kind of felt bad for Obama though - I couldn't imagine having so many people around wherever I went...

The Kresge Auditorium holds about 1000 people, but apparently only about 200 were able to see the president in person (they were mostly professors and undergraduates). And I think there were live broadcasts all over the campus. Being Canadian (hence I don't swoon over Obama like everyone else, although I think he's pretty cool), and not really caring about the energy stuff he was talking about, I just went to my classes and seminars, but everyone was definitely talking about Obama all day.

This reminded me of the time when I went to Ottawa, and I was doing the tourist thing outside of the Parliament hill, when someone familiar was walking towards me. After a while (after he had walked past me), I realized it was Stephen Harper. Then I noticed four men in black suits around him, forming a protective square of some sort, although I wonder how much good it would have done - he came within an arm's reach from me. I guess this is one of those incidents that remind me that I'm now in US, and not in Canada.