Tuesday night really was extraordinary. Historical, of course; a major victory, yes; and also a really good time. The turnout at the Union Pub was unbelievable -- at its peak close to 300 people. Interestingly, I'd guess that only slightly more than half were American, and the non-Americans were just as pumped up and enthusiastic as the Yanks. Actually they were really funny, because they (understandably) didn't have a concept of what states were guaranteed to go to either candidate, so they booed every time McCain won any state, including shoo-ins like Kentucky and Tennessee. But it was really interesting to see how involved and invested in the election everyone was, regardless of nationality, and to see the outpouring of absolutely overwhelming relief and joy that came with the announcement of Obama's win. It was really wonderful.
Fans of staying up late in pubs. Oh, and the election.
Speaking of which, here is a video I took that has since become a Facebook sensation among my friends here. It was just sheer luck that I decided to record at this moment. It was 4 AM, and there were still at least 200 people in the Union Pub. On CNN they were doing a countdown till the west coast polls closed (we're 8 hours ahead), and everyone in the pub was counting along, so I whipped out my camera. As the countdown ended, suddenly the "CNN Breaking News" graphic popped up, followed by the words, "BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT." And this is what happened.
Fans of staying up late in pubs. Oh, and the election.Speaking of which, here is a video I took that has since become a Facebook sensation among my friends here. It was just sheer luck that I decided to record at this moment. It was 4 AM, and there were still at least 200 people in the Union Pub. On CNN they were doing a countdown till the west coast polls closed (we're 8 hours ahead), and everyone in the pub was counting along, so I whipped out my camera. As the countdown ended, suddenly the "CNN Breaking News" graphic popped up, followed by the words, "BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT." And this is what happened.
I really could not be any more pleased. It's going to be really hard to leave England at the end of the semester, but I now have one more great thing to look forward to!
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