President-elect Barack Obama steps aboard a military plane at Chicago Midway Airport January 4, 2009 before flying to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington. Obama is moving to Washington 16 days before being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20.

Barack Obama is not afraid to admit it -- he got a little emotional before leaving Chicago for Washington where he will soon become the next president of the United States.

"I've got to say that I choked up a little bit leaving my house today," said Obama, who will become the nation's first black president when he takes office on January 20.

Obama, who will soon be dealing¹ with a major economic crisis², two wars and renewed Middle East violence, took a moment to reflect before shutting the door of his house and heading off for his new life.

He said it hit him as he flipped³ through a photo album for his 10-year-old daughter Malia, which was given to her by one of her oldest friends.

"I just looked through the pages. The house was empty. It was a little tough. It got me," he told reporters after boarding the Air Force Boeing 757 that would take him to Washington.

But after his sentimental⁴ farewell to their home, Obama headed to the airport to fly to Washington and join his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha, 7.

They arrived in Washington on Saturday to settle in to a hotel without the media entourage that follows Obama everywhere. Malia and Sasha start school on Monday.

Asked if he was excited about the move, Obama alluded⁵ to the grueling presidential campaign when he said: "Yeah, although living in a hotel for two weeks -- we kind of did that for two years."

The Obamas will stay at the luxury Hay Adams Hotel across a park from the White House until January 15 when they move into Blair House, which serves as the official guest house and residence for presidents elect for several days before the inauguration⁶.

Obama was already beginning to experience what it will be like to be a president.

He traveled aboard the military aircraft often used to fly Vice⁷ President Dick Cheney around.

Although the airplane was not called Air Force One because Obama is not yet president, it had all the trappings of the real thing: the presidential seal at the front of the plane, name cards with the presidential seal and cups and plates emblazoned with "Air Force One."

美国当选总统奥巴马不久将走马上任，他坦称自己在离开芝加哥前往华盛顿之前有些伤感。

奥巴马说：“坦白地说，今天离家前我有点哽咽得说不出话。”奥巴马将于本月20日就职成为美国历史上的首位非洲裔总统。

奥巴马就任后将面临严重经济危机、两场战争以及新一轮中东冲突等各种棘手的问题。关上芝加哥的家门，走向新的生活之前，奥巴马陷入了沉思。

他说，在翻看10岁女儿玛利亚的一本相册时有些伤感，这本相册是玛利亚的一个老朋友送给她的。

他在飞赴华盛顿的空军波音757飞机上接受记者采访时说：“我只是翻了翻相册，房间里空荡荡的，让人有些不舍和难过。”

奥巴马恋恋不舍地告别芝加哥之后，立刻赶赴机场前往华盛顿与夫人米歇尔和两个女儿---玛利亚和7岁的萨沙会合。

米歇尔和两个女儿已于上周六抵达华盛顿并入住宾馆，没有受到记者的“围追”。玛丽亚和萨沙已于本周一开始上学。

在被问及搬来华盛顿是否激动时，奥巴马暗指让人精疲力尽的总统大选说：“是啊，尽管我们要在宾馆住两周---不过我们似乎已经住了两年。”

奥巴马全家将在与白宫一街之隔的海亚当斯豪华酒店住到本月15日，之后他们将搬至“布莱尔国宾馆”，按照惯例，历届当选总统就职前几天都住在这。

奥巴马已经开始体会到当总统的滋味了。

他所搭乘的军用飞机之前常为现任副总统迪克•切尼所用。

尽管奥巴马尚未正式就职，这架飞机还不能称为“空军一号”，但它与其相差无几：机身前部的总统标识、带有总统印章的名片、有“空军一号”字样装饰的杯盘等物品一应俱全。

Vocabulary:

choke up:噎住；堵塞