Obama in Chile!

Today was an exciting day - the Obama family came to Chile! He came to confer with Piñera, and Michelle Obama and the girls went to Renca and saw some dancing. We went a few hours before their plane even landed, and waited in the Plaza de Constitución to see them!

Overall, the crowd was very friendly, not very intense, just curious. The was one woman who shouted ¨Go home, yankee!¨ over and over, but a lot of others shouted her down, or just mumbled that they wished that she´d quiet down. Two men next to me rem

arked that it was a sign that a democracy was present that people could shout whatever they wanted, even at the president of the United States.

I made a poster, and Ludette and I showed it, and I wore Ricardo´s ¨Hope¨ shirt, so we were interviewed by Tele13, TVN, CNN Chile, Telemundo, Television UC, LUN, MEGA, and la Tercera, which was fun but awkward - if I panic in front of a microphone in English, just think how much I freeze in Spanish!

Obama and family arrive at La Moneda!

Barack and Michelle

And the girls.

Ludette and I on the other side of La Moneda after!

On a side note, I have never felt so gringa in Chile as I did today walking around in an Obama shirt on a day when he was visiting the city. I have a great advantage for a gringa here, that I can blend in in a crowd, which is very appreciated on many occasions, as it makes me much less of a target in many ways, and I can fly under the radar when out and about, rather than sticking out merely for the way I look.