Waking up only a few hours after going to sleep yesterday (was it yesterday?) was the easiest part of leaving China. The hardest might have been the goodbyes... to the country, the way of life, the Olympics... the people I've spent the last couple months with.
With some great help I made it to a taxi and said farewell to the south gate of CUC... the very gate I had climbed so many times. Drove past the popsicle man I came to love... and looked back at the subway station I cursed so many times... only to wish I wasn't leaving it all.
As soon as I found the note from Megan in my bag I lost it. I can't imagine not waking up in the 801... cracking the door open to see who else is already awake... and then going and bothering them, without even thinking twice. I know we're not dying... and the Beijing Summer08 reunion is already in the planning stages... but there's something about that mosquito infested dorm that you can't find anywhere else.
After sitting in the airport for hours and napping on the leathery recliners looking out over the runway (quite nice, actually) I looked around and realized I was the only white Westerner where I was sitting. I realized it would be the last time in a while that I would be that only one... again, almost lost it. I've never thought I would feel so at home somewhere so different. I never thought I'd feel so lost heading home... but then again, a year ago I never thought I would be in China at all.
Soon the others came filtering in... the Puerto Rican boxers, track and field athletes from Guyana, Canadian wrestlers... all of us wearing our Olympic accreditation still. Boarding the plane, I realized I could probably take mine off... though I didn't even want to. It seemed like the last little bit of Olympics I could cling to for a bit longer.
Several hours of drifting in and out of sleep and I was arriving at JFK. The first American flag I saw was outside the Port Authority building... I don't think I'll ever forget it. And as soon as I stepped off the plane and into an airport full of English signs and voices over the loudspeaker I knew it was real... no more China. Through customs I took the "US Citizens" line... strange... and was asked the series of "why are you trying to get back into this country" questions by Ryan the customs man. He asked if I had a good time, I said "the best." To which he said, "I'm going to do you one up today... you're getting a kiss going through customs." Before I could even process what he was saying, he smacked a Hershey's kiss on the counter and smiled. I laughed out loud... especially happy to have some English-interaction again.
While at JFK I met a great family who had their share of traveling too... I was talking to their young son who was marveling at the pins on my backpack. I told him I had even more pins in my bag and pulled out the panda pin I had gotten from my Newsweek photographer friend. The boy's eyes lit up as he told me that he and his sister LOVE pandas. His sister, who wasn't feeling well, perked up as soon as she heard the word panda. I fished around my bag for the Fu Wa panda keychain I had too and told them they could have them. Not only did I make these kids' days... but their parents gave me that silent "Thank you" and smiled. They were all fascinated with my trip to China and the Olympics... and I was so happy to just be able to talk to strangers again. I love human interaction... and although it happened occasionally in China, it was never a guarantee that I would be able to strike up a conversation with people I didn't know, just because of the language barrier.
And then it was home to Chicago... where it all seemed to real to be home.
Then the reverse culture-shock set in. I saw American money and freaked out. I felt scared riding in a car on a highway with semi trucks. I keep forgetting that I can flush toilet paper here. I looked for bottled water until I realized I can drink from the sink again. I washed my face with cold water... out of habit. I woke up after sleeping from 2am to 2pm today and immediately got on my computer to see who else was awake on Skype... only to remember that we're all in different places now. I'm still a little our of sorts, but it's staring to sink in that I'm back. Mom's food and my brother's hospitality (I shack up in his room on a futon when I'm home... spreading my stuff out everywhere... and he never minds) are helping me feel like I'm "home."
But even more than that, I feel like fall is always a crazy time for me... I always get wrapped up in all the changes that seem to take place this time of year. Being back in Lowell is even stranger than usual. It's been four years since I haven't had to be at Purdue right now. Crazy amounts of things are happening... coming home from China just brought it all to my attention.
And so here I am, at the end of a summer of adventures. I will miss everything about China... even the things that seemed so annoying. I'll answer "Xie xie" instead of "Thank you" for a while, I'm sure. I'll especially miss having my eyes opened to a new culture.
Thanks again to everyone who has kept up with my trip through this blog, it was a great experience to write it all down and I've really enjoyed sharing it. Believe me, I'm sad this is my last post... for this journey at least.
Thanks for the comments, the feedback and the e-mails regarding posts. It made my day whenever I saw that I had comments waiting.
Thanks also to the NWI Times for featuring our blogs on their Web page, and for featuring the three NWI bloggers in a print story as well (the grandparents are bringing it over so I can finally see it!).
Take care, all the best,
Zai jian,
Alysha
26.8.08
odds and the end.
Last night we got the whole group together for the last time. Early in the afternoon we began what would be a marathon journey to the northwest corner of Beijing. Tan, a Purdue alum, had invited us to her home (very very nice home) for a barbecue and to watch closing ceremonies. She roasted an entire sheep for us... no joke, I cut my meat from the loins of a sheep on a spit.
We enjoyed our last meal together, sharing it with someone who is a part of the Purdue family. We watched closing ceremonies with mixed emotions about the next day or so. And we headed out, one last time, into the streets of Sanlitun.
It wouldn't be a good "last night out together" if we didn't come home as the sun came up... and then wake up just a few hours later to start saying goodbyes.
The day moved in slow motion. The streets were so quiet. Hardly any Westerners were out. It was a perfect late summer day... and it felt like the people of Beijing were happy to have their city back. I was glad to have it too, for one last day.
I can't really even explain this feeling right now. For a lot of the people on this trip, they're headed back to Purdue and will get to see each other. For a few of us though, this is it. It's my last official moment as a Purdue student. I'm on the threshold of my post-college world. It's scary and wonderful; it's hard to break it all down into words even.
So now it's 2am, most of us are still awake... packing, trying to figure out how we feel about leaving, saying goodbyes. I have to be out the door in about six hours. And all I know is I'm waking everyone up to say goodbye once again. I feel like we shouldn't even sleep... or we should all pull our beds out into the hallway and all talk about the trip. Maybe that's a little childish, ha.
I guess I'll wrap up this scattered post and try to get a few hours of sleep. I'll be sure to get my act together a little bit and write up some great end of the trip reflections. It might take a day or two to decompress, but it will be great and glorious.
See you on the other side... of the Pacific, that is.
I was hoping to have a more focused "end of it all" post... but maybe this is more appropriate.
We enjoyed our last meal together, sharing it with someone who is a part of the Purdue family. We watched closing ceremonies with mixed emotions about the next day or so. And we headed out, one last time, into the streets of Sanlitun.
It wouldn't be a good "last night out together" if we didn't come home as the sun came up... and then wake up just a few hours later to start saying goodbyes.
The day moved in slow motion. The streets were so quiet. Hardly any Westerners were out. It was a perfect late summer day... and it felt like the people of Beijing were happy to have their city back. I was glad to have it too, for one last day.
I can't really even explain this feeling right now. For a lot of the people on this trip, they're headed back to Purdue and will get to see each other. For a few of us though, this is it. It's my last official moment as a Purdue student. I'm on the threshold of my post-college world. It's scary and wonderful; it's hard to break it all down into words even.
So now it's 2am, most of us are still awake... packing, trying to figure out how we feel about leaving, saying goodbyes. I have to be out the door in about six hours. And all I know is I'm waking everyone up to say goodbye once again. I feel like we shouldn't even sleep... or we should all pull our beds out into the hallway and all talk about the trip. Maybe that's a little childish, ha.
I guess I'll wrap up this scattered post and try to get a few hours of sleep. I'll be sure to get my act together a little bit and write up some great end of the trip reflections. It might take a day or two to decompress, but it will be great and glorious.
See you on the other side... of the Pacific, that is.
I was hoping to have a more focused "end of it all" post... but maybe this is more appropriate.
24.8.08
top 5s.
It's all coming to an end... only two days left. It seems only fitting to give a recap of some of my favorite moments and I am obviously going to do it in my favorite format of Top5 lists.
Top5 Things I Have Missed From Home
1. Dairy products. Milk and cheese especially.
2. Being able to run outside without getting sick from breathing in smog.
3. A shower where I have some say over what temperature it is. I'd love to have a non-ice-cold morning shower.
4. Text messages. Yeah. Call me silly and ridiculous, but what I'm really saying is that I just miss being able to communicate with everyone on a daily basis.
5. Mom.
Top5 Things I Will Miss About China
1. The friendliness of everyone. I'm not sure if it was because we were Americans, or if it was because we were Olympic Volunteers, but everyone was so happy and intrigued by us.
2. Being able to get lost in a city where I know about three phrases, and still make it home thanks to inventive communication and a smile.
3. Living at CUC with people I now consider to be great friends. I haven't lived in a communal living situation since freshman year, and had almost forgotten how fun and hilarious it is.
4. Every adventure to find something. Getting lost has never been so fun.
5. Conversations with Chinese friends, talking about differences together and suddenly finding similarities. (Like when I found another girl who knew just about everything there is to know about Sex&TheCity.) Makes the world feel a little smaller.
Top5 Things I Won't Miss About China
1. Riding the subway to and from work for an hour and a half. If you didn't get a seat, and you were on a non-air conditioned train... have fun spooning with all of sweaty China.
2. Smoggy air. I really do long for fresh air.
3. The unorganized, over abundance of people situations from work. It was a real challenge to be patient with problem-solving skills (or lack thereof) and constantly changing time schedules.
4. Feeling filthy all the time. No hot water in the shower, gross air and the lack of cleaning products (like PineSol and Clorox) made me always question how clean things (including myself) were.
5. Dead mosquito carcasses all over the walls of our room. I kill them and leave them... just to remind the others of what their fate could be.
Top5 Non-Chinese Restaurants
1. Luga's. This is by a landslide my number one favorite non-Chinese restaurant here. I know I've talked about it in my blog... but, honestly, you just have no idea. It changed my life.
2. Paul's. American food. Cheap. And enough room for our entire group. Plus, Paul is the coolest guy and hasn't missed a day of work in like three decades.
3. Donata's. This doesn't make the Top5 because of the food quality, but because of how many meals were enjoyed from this lovely little restaurant near campus. Food was pretty good... especially all those "Pasture Feeling" pizzas and shared club sandwiches... but I think the comfort of Donata's is what earns it a Top5 spot.
4. My popsicle man. Technically, because so many of my meals were popsicles, I will count him as a restaurant, but not a Chinese restaurant. Cheapest popsicles in the land. Conveniently located just outside the subway.
5. PB&J. This is also not a restaurant, but it may as well be. We made more PB&J sandwiches than ever. And even without milk, they've never tasted so good.
Top5 Incredible Olympic Moments I've Seen
1. Watching Usain Bolt break the Men's 100M world record. It was everything I could have ever imagined... camera flashes everywhere, people going crazy.
2. Being at BMX for the very first time it has been an Olympic event.
3. Watching opening ceremonies from a crowded street with thousands of other people.
4. Watching Michael Phelps dominate that pool... I don't care if I only got to see it on TV, he's a pretty remarkable machine.
5. Seeing Chris Hoy and the rest of the British team rock track cycling.
Top5 Hilarious Things About Work*
1. "Maybeee.....now you can have a rest?"
2. Absolutely refusing to eat the food... but getting the drinks and the banana.
3. "Now we can go to the Photopositions."
4. The day of the Mini-Olympics and all the games we played to pass the time on non-busy days.
5. All the communication barriers that, although they were difficult at times, it usually yielded something we could laugh at.
*I'm sorry, but unless you were there, these things might not make much sense. I can't ignore it though.
Top5 Room 801 Moments
1. The day Megan and I turned the TV volume all the way up, stood on our beds and sang the Star Spangled Banner during a medal ceremony... and then realized the cleaning ladies were standing in our doorway smiling and laughing.
2. Brownshower. Most specifically the recent brownshower where while Megan was screaming about the brownshower, I was screaming about a giant bug crawling around our room. Utter chaos.
3. Every morning and our "waking up" routine. If you ever come in here before we're ready to speak... be careful. We need our morning time.
4. Megan's late-night birthday note to me... telling me to have a great first day of work. It hangs on our wall as a memory (or, non-memory) of my birthday night/working the next day.
5. The 5gallon challenge. (See blog post for entire story.)
I think most important is this last one... I came on this trip to learn and experience. And I must say, it's been a wild ride. I can't decide if I'm ready to go home... and I can't decide if I want to stay here. It's a pretty charged moment for me, as I feel like I am really on the brink of something really big. I've had a trip that changed a lot in my world, and I'm ready to keep the momentum going.
Top5 Things I've Learned
1. No matter what you've seen or where you've been... or even where you haven't been... there is no way to compare what you've done before to what you're doing at the present moment. China blew my mind at how different my perceptions were compared to what I was actually experiencing. And even though I still don't have overarching statements about "What I think China is," I'd much rather have it this way. Think about if someone asked you what you think America is... you'd never be able to answer it, taking into account all of the different things and people there are. It's the same for anywhere, which sometimes gets overlooked. You can never compare an entire country or culture to anything else... everything is what it is, and at the present moment. The China I saw is not the one that you would see if you visited even a month after the Games ended. The China I saw is not the one you would see if you visited on business. The China I saw is certainly not the one you would see if you had visited ten years ago. Everything can only be taken for what it is at the exact moment you see it... and I rather like that.
2. Communicating with others is such a gift. You might never realize how personal, how intricate communicating with other people is unless you try to communicate with a language barrier. I know before I came here I valued interpersonal communication for sure. But now I see it as this brilliant interaction... something I could get emotional over... because of how truly remarkable it is to connect with someone else, especially when you are working with two different languages. It's amazing how I've had short conversations where neither party knew the language of the other, yet the communication was there... I didn't need to hear that we understood each other, I could feel it. I've learned to express what I'm really trying to say in the clearest way possible. I've learned why people get frustrated (mostly because I got frustrated so much myself) over language barriers, but how breaking down those barriers can be so rewarding. Mostly, I've learned that everything I learned through college wasn't as common sense as I thought, and can really see how it is applied after this experience.
3. I'm a tumbleweed. I've learned I should never plan too far ahead because chances are I will change my mind about what I want to do. Before this trip, I planned on moving to Chicago, getting a job and starting from there. Now all I want to do is travel the world and be an anthropologist... learn six languages... live minimally... take pictures... write books. I just have a thirst for experience... which I've always had, but this trip really kicked it in the pants. I'm ready to start pursuing some of those dreams and goals. This hasn't shattered my plans... I'm still moving to Chicago and getting a job... but I'm trying to squeeze another adventure in before that happens. And I am for sure planning my next great journey because I feel more alive seeing the world and different cultures and people than I do anywhere else I think. I can't get enough, so why would I stop myself?
4. The world is so much smaller than we think it is. I've met people from every corner of the world. I've hung out with friends from home IN BEIJING. I've had conversations with people from an entirely different culture and been able to see things in common. Granted, I was here for a global event and the atmosphere was very international, but all the same, we were brought together for a common cause. People here know about America more than I know about China... and that makes me wonder why that is the case. I promise after leaving China I will read more international news... and really figure out where things are happening and how it affects the world, rather than just acknowledge it. I want a greater understanding of how the rest of the world functions with the US, not just how the US works on its own (which is so often the viewpoint we are presented with). So many people from around the world are working with and in other countries... and that trend isn't going to reverse itself. I looked around at the people here for Olympic events... so many people have international careers for things you would never expect (example: BMX racing). I'm really ready to start building some skills (namely, learning more languages) that will help me get into this worldly group of people, because I really think they've got the right idea.
5. Patience really is a virtue. Patience with others, patience with changing plans, patience with everything. I would have never survived without sharpening my skills a little bit. And yes, we did have to blow off some steam, but it only helped us realize that we were growing and learning how to be more understanding in a lot of situations. So many times I just wanted to jump into a situation and try and do it how I thought would work best... but it is at those moments when I would step back and think, if this country of billions of people is making it work (because really, they are a global force), maybe I'll learn something if I watch and take it all in. I know the situations I was in are really small scale and aren't much compared to an entire country's economy and political decisions, but in a small way it is the same. This country is making it work... so why would we try to force a different idea upon them just because we think it will work better? I think we can apply this idea to a lot of global situations where one country thinks it sees a way to make another "better" and then ends up disrupting the entire balance of that culture. Just be patient, take a look, realize that whatever is going on is working the way it is for a reason.
As with any great experience, it's seemed too long at times and too short at others. This really was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, and I'm glad I didn't. I'm also pretty sad that this blog is winding down. I've really enjoyed all of the comments, and am flattered that reading this has become part of some of your daily routines. I hope that it's provided a good window into what I'm experiencing here and I'll be a little lost in a few days when I don't get to blog about the crazy cultural daily adventures I have. I promise to do my best to make these last few days worth reading.
Top5 Things I Have Missed From Home
1. Dairy products. Milk and cheese especially.
2. Being able to run outside without getting sick from breathing in smog.
3. A shower where I have some say over what temperature it is. I'd love to have a non-ice-cold morning shower.
4. Text messages. Yeah. Call me silly and ridiculous, but what I'm really saying is that I just miss being able to communicate with everyone on a daily basis.
5. Mom.
Top5 Things I Will Miss About China
1. The friendliness of everyone. I'm not sure if it was because we were Americans, or if it was because we were Olympic Volunteers, but everyone was so happy and intrigued by us.
2. Being able to get lost in a city where I know about three phrases, and still make it home thanks to inventive communication and a smile.
3. Living at CUC with people I now consider to be great friends. I haven't lived in a communal living situation since freshman year, and had almost forgotten how fun and hilarious it is.
4. Every adventure to find something. Getting lost has never been so fun.
5. Conversations with Chinese friends, talking about differences together and suddenly finding similarities. (Like when I found another girl who knew just about everything there is to know about Sex&TheCity.) Makes the world feel a little smaller.
Top5 Things I Won't Miss About China
1. Riding the subway to and from work for an hour and a half. If you didn't get a seat, and you were on a non-air conditioned train... have fun spooning with all of sweaty China.
2. Smoggy air. I really do long for fresh air.
3. The unorganized, over abundance of people situations from work. It was a real challenge to be patient with problem-solving skills (or lack thereof) and constantly changing time schedules.
4. Feeling filthy all the time. No hot water in the shower, gross air and the lack of cleaning products (like PineSol and Clorox) made me always question how clean things (including myself) were.
5. Dead mosquito carcasses all over the walls of our room. I kill them and leave them... just to remind the others of what their fate could be.
Top5 Non-Chinese Restaurants
1. Luga's. This is by a landslide my number one favorite non-Chinese restaurant here. I know I've talked about it in my blog... but, honestly, you just have no idea. It changed my life.
2. Paul's. American food. Cheap. And enough room for our entire group. Plus, Paul is the coolest guy and hasn't missed a day of work in like three decades.
3. Donata's. This doesn't make the Top5 because of the food quality, but because of how many meals were enjoyed from this lovely little restaurant near campus. Food was pretty good... especially all those "Pasture Feeling" pizzas and shared club sandwiches... but I think the comfort of Donata's is what earns it a Top5 spot.
4. My popsicle man. Technically, because so many of my meals were popsicles, I will count him as a restaurant, but not a Chinese restaurant. Cheapest popsicles in the land. Conveniently located just outside the subway.
5. PB&J. This is also not a restaurant, but it may as well be. We made more PB&J sandwiches than ever. And even without milk, they've never tasted so good.
Top5 Incredible Olympic Moments I've Seen
1. Watching Usain Bolt break the Men's 100M world record. It was everything I could have ever imagined... camera flashes everywhere, people going crazy.
2. Being at BMX for the very first time it has been an Olympic event.
3. Watching opening ceremonies from a crowded street with thousands of other people.
4. Watching Michael Phelps dominate that pool... I don't care if I only got to see it on TV, he's a pretty remarkable machine.
5. Seeing Chris Hoy and the rest of the British team rock track cycling.
Top5 Hilarious Things About Work*
1. "Maybeee.....now you can have a rest?"
2. Absolutely refusing to eat the food... but getting the drinks and the banana.
3. "Now we can go to the Photopositions."
4. The day of the Mini-Olympics and all the games we played to pass the time on non-busy days.
5. All the communication barriers that, although they were difficult at times, it usually yielded something we could laugh at.
*I'm sorry, but unless you were there, these things might not make much sense. I can't ignore it though.
Top5 Room 801 Moments
1. The day Megan and I turned the TV volume all the way up, stood on our beds and sang the Star Spangled Banner during a medal ceremony... and then realized the cleaning ladies were standing in our doorway smiling and laughing.
2. Brownshower. Most specifically the recent brownshower where while Megan was screaming about the brownshower, I was screaming about a giant bug crawling around our room. Utter chaos.
3. Every morning and our "waking up" routine. If you ever come in here before we're ready to speak... be careful. We need our morning time.
4. Megan's late-night birthday note to me... telling me to have a great first day of work. It hangs on our wall as a memory (or, non-memory) of my birthday night/working the next day.
5. The 5gallon challenge. (See blog post for entire story.)
I think most important is this last one... I came on this trip to learn and experience. And I must say, it's been a wild ride. I can't decide if I'm ready to go home... and I can't decide if I want to stay here. It's a pretty charged moment for me, as I feel like I am really on the brink of something really big. I've had a trip that changed a lot in my world, and I'm ready to keep the momentum going.
Top5 Things I've Learned
1. No matter what you've seen or where you've been... or even where you haven't been... there is no way to compare what you've done before to what you're doing at the present moment. China blew my mind at how different my perceptions were compared to what I was actually experiencing. And even though I still don't have overarching statements about "What I think China is," I'd much rather have it this way. Think about if someone asked you what you think America is... you'd never be able to answer it, taking into account all of the different things and people there are. It's the same for anywhere, which sometimes gets overlooked. You can never compare an entire country or culture to anything else... everything is what it is, and at the present moment. The China I saw is not the one that you would see if you visited even a month after the Games ended. The China I saw is not the one you would see if you visited on business. The China I saw is certainly not the one you would see if you had visited ten years ago. Everything can only be taken for what it is at the exact moment you see it... and I rather like that.
2. Communicating with others is such a gift. You might never realize how personal, how intricate communicating with other people is unless you try to communicate with a language barrier. I know before I came here I valued interpersonal communication for sure. But now I see it as this brilliant interaction... something I could get emotional over... because of how truly remarkable it is to connect with someone else, especially when you are working with two different languages. It's amazing how I've had short conversations where neither party knew the language of the other, yet the communication was there... I didn't need to hear that we understood each other, I could feel it. I've learned to express what I'm really trying to say in the clearest way possible. I've learned why people get frustrated (mostly because I got frustrated so much myself) over language barriers, but how breaking down those barriers can be so rewarding. Mostly, I've learned that everything I learned through college wasn't as common sense as I thought, and can really see how it is applied after this experience.
3. I'm a tumbleweed. I've learned I should never plan too far ahead because chances are I will change my mind about what I want to do. Before this trip, I planned on moving to Chicago, getting a job and starting from there. Now all I want to do is travel the world and be an anthropologist... learn six languages... live minimally... take pictures... write books. I just have a thirst for experience... which I've always had, but this trip really kicked it in the pants. I'm ready to start pursuing some of those dreams and goals. This hasn't shattered my plans... I'm still moving to Chicago and getting a job... but I'm trying to squeeze another adventure in before that happens. And I am for sure planning my next great journey because I feel more alive seeing the world and different cultures and people than I do anywhere else I think. I can't get enough, so why would I stop myself?
4. The world is so much smaller than we think it is. I've met people from every corner of the world. I've hung out with friends from home IN BEIJING. I've had conversations with people from an entirely different culture and been able to see things in common. Granted, I was here for a global event and the atmosphere was very international, but all the same, we were brought together for a common cause. People here know about America more than I know about China... and that makes me wonder why that is the case. I promise after leaving China I will read more international news... and really figure out where things are happening and how it affects the world, rather than just acknowledge it. I want a greater understanding of how the rest of the world functions with the US, not just how the US works on its own (which is so often the viewpoint we are presented with). So many people from around the world are working with and in other countries... and that trend isn't going to reverse itself. I looked around at the people here for Olympic events... so many people have international careers for things you would never expect (example: BMX racing). I'm really ready to start building some skills (namely, learning more languages) that will help me get into this worldly group of people, because I really think they've got the right idea.
5. Patience really is a virtue. Patience with others, patience with changing plans, patience with everything. I would have never survived without sharpening my skills a little bit. And yes, we did have to blow off some steam, but it only helped us realize that we were growing and learning how to be more understanding in a lot of situations. So many times I just wanted to jump into a situation and try and do it how I thought would work best... but it is at those moments when I would step back and think, if this country of billions of people is making it work (because really, they are a global force), maybe I'll learn something if I watch and take it all in. I know the situations I was in are really small scale and aren't much compared to an entire country's economy and political decisions, but in a small way it is the same. This country is making it work... so why would we try to force a different idea upon them just because we think it will work better? I think we can apply this idea to a lot of global situations where one country thinks it sees a way to make another "better" and then ends up disrupting the entire balance of that culture. Just be patient, take a look, realize that whatever is going on is working the way it is for a reason.
As with any great experience, it's seemed too long at times and too short at others. This really was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, and I'm glad I didn't. I'm also pretty sad that this blog is winding down. I've really enjoyed all of the comments, and am flattered that reading this has become part of some of your daily routines. I hope that it's provided a good window into what I'm experiencing here and I'll be a little lost in a few days when I don't get to blog about the crazy cultural daily adventures I have. I promise to do my best to make these last few days worth reading.
22.8.08
bmx: day II.
After the rain yesterday, BMX was rescheduled for today, a beautiful and very sunny blue sky day. I was back at my previous photo position, though some changes were made... an area was now roped off just for photographers.
The good part of this: now photogs have space all to themselves; they don't have to jockey for space with everyone else allowed in this area. The bad news: I have to do some serious convincing to keep them in their cage, which is much smaller than the area they had to work with the other day. It is also much hotter and there are about three times the photogs out since today were final races.
My usual photographer friends head up and say goodmorning and start filling in the too small space we now have to work with. As more and more keep coming to this position (which they now know to be one of the coveted photo angles), I have to keep them calm and explain that yes, we now are confined in a roped off area and they can not leave that area or I will put them in time out. This works fine for the guys (and girl today) who get there early enough to stake a claim in the precious territory, but as more stragglers fill in, things get hectic.
I have already "modified" the barrier ropes to give them a little more space without encroaching too much into the athletes' zone. This seems to satisfy some of them. I also obtain some cold water and pass it out... keeping the peace. Additionally, I construct a sort of "gear check" area for them out of the way so they aren't tripping over their backpacks in the roped off area.
Then I meet the difficult photographer... he's standing outside the ropes, and is really pushing the limits on how far he is going into the athletes' area.
Me: Excuse me, sir, can I ask you to stand inside the ropes please?
Photog: There's no room in there. I'll stand right here.
Me: I'm sorry, I can't have you blocking that gate into the track. We need the area clear.
Photog: Believe me, if someone needs to get through, I'll be the first to move.
Me: Sir, I can't have you stand here. All photographers must stay inside the designated area.
Photog: Well, I'm just going to stand here next to this guy. If he can stand here, I can.
Me: He's designated as someone who can be in the athletes' zone. Photographers can not stand out here. I understand the area is crowded, there's nothing I can do about that.
Photog: (moving to the other side of the position) What is this empty platform? Why can't we stand up there?
Me: That's the BOB platform. It's only for the TV cameras.
Photog: The camera is all the way at the other end, can we use this side?
Me: Sorry, sir, you can't. The camera rolls back and forth, using the entire platform.
Photog: Can we at least climb on the railing behind the platform?
Me: No, that shakes the platform, and the TV camera. The only place photographers can stand is within these boundaries.
At this point, all of the other well-behaved photographers are giving me grins and looking at me out the corners of their eyes. They know they've been in that guy's position before... wanting a better position to get a better view. They also know that I've been busting my photo staff vest all morning trying to give them everything they've asked for to make their job a little easier.
The difficult photographer moves, a bit unwillingly, into the photo area. I extend the barriers some more and help him check his gear in my makeshift gear area. I apologize again for the conditions, and thank him for moving.
Two minutes later...
Photog: (turns around from where he is now standing inside my photo ropes) Hey you know, they were smart to put good English-speakers over here. You're tougher to boss around than those Chinese guys. (Smiles)
Me: Actually, that's exactly what they were doing.
Photog: (extends hand to shake) What's your name?
And so from there I felt like I had just survived a job interview. He turned out to be a really nice guy from Portland... and commended me on my ability to hold my ground regarding my super exclusive photo position.
Several other photographers, despite how crowded and hot it was, told me I was doing a great job keeping the mood positive and making sure everyone was getting what they needed (and getting along with each other). As it turns out, being a photo assistant is sort of a combination of negotiator, enforcer and elementary school teacher. It's simple stuff really, as long as you can communicate clearly and stick to your guns. No, you will not climb on my railings. No, you can not open the gate and walk onto the course. No, you will not be mean to each other. Or I'll take away all of your recesses.
Oh and today I reached a new level... "Sir, please get off that athlete's bike. You are not allowed to be riding it, nor are you allowed to be over here."
Not even kidding, this guy is, in the nicest terms, a pain in the ass. He made just about every photo assistant and manager upset the other day, and today I caught him riding around the athletes' prep area on a bike! His story is that he's an Italian journalist who somehow also got photo accreditation... and the right to make our lives miserable. He wouldn't listen to me; insisting that he needed to deliver this bike to the athlete and rode away. Why didn't the seven workers posted at the security check for this area stop him as he rode around? Why didn't the manager also standing there not seem to care when I told him the situation that this guy did not have clearance into the athletes' area? Because they couldn't be assertive enough; nor did they even understand what I was saying. Their only job was to make sure everyone that passed by them had the number 2 on their accreditation. This photographer only had a 4. Somewhere things got lost in translation and now I've got a photog riding an Italian athlete's bike around.
I let it go. There was nothing I could do. It wasn't my job to make the Chinese volunteers do theirs. But it was upsetting that even a manager didn't seem to care, especially after I explained the situation and asked him to do something about it.
Even though I was busy, I still managed to watch some races... especially the finals. USA took bronze in Women's, silver and bronze in Men's (a crazy wipeout in the second turn mixed things up a bit... taking out a couple guys who were in the running for top three and allowing the Latvian guy to take over and go for gold). But once again, as soon as the races were over, it was back to making room for the photographers to shoot the medal ceremony (this involved asking about 12 volunteers to put away their cameras and move so that people who were supposed to be taking pictures from those areas could do their jobs... I know, I'm abrasive, but you'd have to be here to understand what it's like to feel as though you are the only one concerned about keeping things organized).
This also involved a bit of American pride on my part when the volunteers wouldn't let Mike Day's family through to the medal ceremony. The volunteers gave their standard answers of "I'm sorry, you can not go through here. Please wait a moment until after the ceremony." I heard this followed by Mr. Day telling them that they were the athlete's parents. At this point, I'm ready to help an athlete's family see their kid accept a medal more than I am willing to help this volunteer block an entry.
With some firmness and some smiles, the volunteers understand that the family needs to get though, and let's them. They all said thanks and ran to greet their son/brother/boyfriend. A few other Team USA affiliates saw what I did too and smiled and said thanks. Not going to lie, it felt good to not only help a family, but to make the rules work how I wanted them to. There was no reason they shouldn't have been let through. Later, in the elevator the sister/girlfriend saw me and said, "Hey, that's the girl that got us through!" The entire Day family thanked me again and again, and I congratulated them on their good day.
Honestly, if you're not willing to be flexible and bend the rules for justified reasons, you're just going to make things difficult for everyone. I made the Day's day (ha) just by reasoning with some other volunteers. Everyone was happy in the end... and it all worked out. Isn't that what managing events like this is all about? I've said it before, but my trip here was less about working for the Olympics specifically as it was about learning how a major event like this is organized and managed. I've learned a lot about that as well as cultural communication. I'd say those are two pretty valuable skills, best learned in real-life situations.
Even better than having photographers thank me for keeping things under control today was when my bosses told me the same thing. I think they realized that BMX was far less organized than track cycling (after all, it was the first year) and were happy that I was willing to be assertive with some feisty photogs.
I even saw Oliviea (the UCI head honcho) after the races. He came over to say hello and ask what I thought. I congratulated him on the first year of Olympic BMX running about as smooth as anyone could ask for, and told him I had a great time being there. I really hope that BMX gets picked up for the next games... the venue was so fun, with so much energy... everyone was so sportsmanlike and really looking out for each other... things that I think are important in the next wave of Olympics.
We've had a lot of discussion this trip about the sports in the Games... what we think are "sports," what we think involves true "athletic" ability, thoughts on venues and spectators and what the Olympics have really become. Our group agreed, almost without question, that BMX is a good addition to the Games. We hope it sticks.
If it does, I'll be able to say I was at the very first running of Olympic BMX ever. If it doesn't, it won't change the fact that I had such a great two days working the venue. Mountain bike is tomorrow, our last day of work. Let's make it good.
The good part of this: now photogs have space all to themselves; they don't have to jockey for space with everyone else allowed in this area. The bad news: I have to do some serious convincing to keep them in their cage, which is much smaller than the area they had to work with the other day. It is also much hotter and there are about three times the photogs out since today were final races.
My usual photographer friends head up and say goodmorning and start filling in the too small space we now have to work with. As more and more keep coming to this position (which they now know to be one of the coveted photo angles), I have to keep them calm and explain that yes, we now are confined in a roped off area and they can not leave that area or I will put them in time out. This works fine for the guys (and girl today) who get there early enough to stake a claim in the precious territory, but as more stragglers fill in, things get hectic.
I have already "modified" the barrier ropes to give them a little more space without encroaching too much into the athletes' zone. This seems to satisfy some of them. I also obtain some cold water and pass it out... keeping the peace. Additionally, I construct a sort of "gear check" area for them out of the way so they aren't tripping over their backpacks in the roped off area.
Then I meet the difficult photographer... he's standing outside the ropes, and is really pushing the limits on how far he is going into the athletes' area.
Me: Excuse me, sir, can I ask you to stand inside the ropes please?
Photog: There's no room in there. I'll stand right here.
Me: I'm sorry, I can't have you blocking that gate into the track. We need the area clear.
Photog: Believe me, if someone needs to get through, I'll be the first to move.
Me: Sir, I can't have you stand here. All photographers must stay inside the designated area.
Photog: Well, I'm just going to stand here next to this guy. If he can stand here, I can.
Me: He's designated as someone who can be in the athletes' zone. Photographers can not stand out here. I understand the area is crowded, there's nothing I can do about that.
Photog: (moving to the other side of the position) What is this empty platform? Why can't we stand up there?
Me: That's the BOB platform. It's only for the TV cameras.
Photog: The camera is all the way at the other end, can we use this side?
Me: Sorry, sir, you can't. The camera rolls back and forth, using the entire platform.
Photog: Can we at least climb on the railing behind the platform?
Me: No, that shakes the platform, and the TV camera. The only place photographers can stand is within these boundaries.
At this point, all of the other well-behaved photographers are giving me grins and looking at me out the corners of their eyes. They know they've been in that guy's position before... wanting a better position to get a better view. They also know that I've been busting my photo staff vest all morning trying to give them everything they've asked for to make their job a little easier.
The difficult photographer moves, a bit unwillingly, into the photo area. I extend the barriers some more and help him check his gear in my makeshift gear area. I apologize again for the conditions, and thank him for moving.
Two minutes later...
Photog: (turns around from where he is now standing inside my photo ropes) Hey you know, they were smart to put good English-speakers over here. You're tougher to boss around than those Chinese guys. (Smiles)
Me: Actually, that's exactly what they were doing.
Photog: (extends hand to shake) What's your name?
And so from there I felt like I had just survived a job interview. He turned out to be a really nice guy from Portland... and commended me on my ability to hold my ground regarding my super exclusive photo position.
Several other photographers, despite how crowded and hot it was, told me I was doing a great job keeping the mood positive and making sure everyone was getting what they needed (and getting along with each other). As it turns out, being a photo assistant is sort of a combination of negotiator, enforcer and elementary school teacher. It's simple stuff really, as long as you can communicate clearly and stick to your guns. No, you will not climb on my railings. No, you can not open the gate and walk onto the course. No, you will not be mean to each other. Or I'll take away all of your recesses.
Oh and today I reached a new level... "Sir, please get off that athlete's bike. You are not allowed to be riding it, nor are you allowed to be over here."
Not even kidding, this guy is, in the nicest terms, a pain in the ass. He made just about every photo assistant and manager upset the other day, and today I caught him riding around the athletes' prep area on a bike! His story is that he's an Italian journalist who somehow also got photo accreditation... and the right to make our lives miserable. He wouldn't listen to me; insisting that he needed to deliver this bike to the athlete and rode away. Why didn't the seven workers posted at the security check for this area stop him as he rode around? Why didn't the manager also standing there not seem to care when I told him the situation that this guy did not have clearance into the athletes' area? Because they couldn't be assertive enough; nor did they even understand what I was saying. Their only job was to make sure everyone that passed by them had the number 2 on their accreditation. This photographer only had a 4. Somewhere things got lost in translation and now I've got a photog riding an Italian athlete's bike around.
I let it go. There was nothing I could do. It wasn't my job to make the Chinese volunteers do theirs. But it was upsetting that even a manager didn't seem to care, especially after I explained the situation and asked him to do something about it.
Even though I was busy, I still managed to watch some races... especially the finals. USA took bronze in Women's, silver and bronze in Men's (a crazy wipeout in the second turn mixed things up a bit... taking out a couple guys who were in the running for top three and allowing the Latvian guy to take over and go for gold). But once again, as soon as the races were over, it was back to making room for the photographers to shoot the medal ceremony (this involved asking about 12 volunteers to put away their cameras and move so that people who were supposed to be taking pictures from those areas could do their jobs... I know, I'm abrasive, but you'd have to be here to understand what it's like to feel as though you are the only one concerned about keeping things organized).
This also involved a bit of American pride on my part when the volunteers wouldn't let Mike Day's family through to the medal ceremony. The volunteers gave their standard answers of "I'm sorry, you can not go through here. Please wait a moment until after the ceremony." I heard this followed by Mr. Day telling them that they were the athlete's parents. At this point, I'm ready to help an athlete's family see their kid accept a medal more than I am willing to help this volunteer block an entry.
With some firmness and some smiles, the volunteers understand that the family needs to get though, and let's them. They all said thanks and ran to greet their son/brother/boyfriend. A few other Team USA affiliates saw what I did too and smiled and said thanks. Not going to lie, it felt good to not only help a family, but to make the rules work how I wanted them to. There was no reason they shouldn't have been let through. Later, in the elevator the sister/girlfriend saw me and said, "Hey, that's the girl that got us through!" The entire Day family thanked me again and again, and I congratulated them on their good day.
Honestly, if you're not willing to be flexible and bend the rules for justified reasons, you're just going to make things difficult for everyone. I made the Day's day (ha) just by reasoning with some other volunteers. Everyone was happy in the end... and it all worked out. Isn't that what managing events like this is all about? I've said it before, but my trip here was less about working for the Olympics specifically as it was about learning how a major event like this is organized and managed. I've learned a lot about that as well as cultural communication. I'd say those are two pretty valuable skills, best learned in real-life situations.
Even better than having photographers thank me for keeping things under control today was when my bosses told me the same thing. I think they realized that BMX was far less organized than track cycling (after all, it was the first year) and were happy that I was willing to be assertive with some feisty photogs.
I even saw Oliviea (the UCI head honcho) after the races. He came over to say hello and ask what I thought. I congratulated him on the first year of Olympic BMX running about as smooth as anyone could ask for, and told him I had a great time being there. I really hope that BMX gets picked up for the next games... the venue was so fun, with so much energy... everyone was so sportsmanlike and really looking out for each other... things that I think are important in the next wave of Olympics.
We've had a lot of discussion this trip about the sports in the Games... what we think are "sports," what we think involves true "athletic" ability, thoughts on venues and spectators and what the Olympics have really become. Our group agreed, almost without question, that BMX is a good addition to the Games. We hope it sticks.
If it does, I'll be able to say I was at the very first running of Olympic BMX ever. If it doesn't, it won't change the fact that I had such a great two days working the venue. Mountain bike is tomorrow, our last day of work. Let's make it good.
rained out. no problem.
Welcome to monsoon season. Welcome to taking the hour and a half trip to work at 7am, only to get there to hear the BMX events for the day have been canceled due to rain.
We didn't mind though. It's kinda like getting up and getting all ready to go to school and finding out there is a snow day. We decided breakfast at Paul's was just what we needed. I agreed with an omelet, toast and home fries.
It rained all day and I had no problem with just hanging out in my bed (which I now refer to as "my office" because I drag this little table over to my bed and use my computer from there... the air conditioner floods my desk and I don't want my computer to get caught up in that mess).
I took a crazy good nap and then alternated between looking for places to apply for jobs and travel Web sites. I've begun making my trade-marked Pros/Cons list for just about every aspect of my future, and I must say it is going well.
Honestly I didn't do much at all yesterday because of how tired I was (I got wrapped up in looking for jobs and couldn't sleep the night before). It was quite nice though. Eventually the rain subsided and people dispersed. Some people had purchased tickets to Softball and Women's Soccer, so they went out and about.
A few others (including me) had tickets into Club Bud (the Budweiser sponsored hospitality club for athletes, Beijingers and visitors like myself). It's a well-established Olympic tradition that there are hospitality clubs like this... and we wanted to check it out. Basically, it's a giant party with lots of free Budweiser, lots of athletes and lots of foreigners. The club had all kinds of areas... dance floors, places to watch ongoing events on big screen TVs, lounges and this huge outdoor patio with tents, a pool (no swimming, please) and these sweet little round couches with canopies over them. Red lanterns were strung up everywhere and there was a huge dance floor that mostly held people gathering to talk. We definitely went for the outdoor area (you know my affinity for rooftops) and snagged a round couch.
We didn't stay all night (nor do I want you to get the impression that we were crazy wild kids... we sure weren't), but we did enjoy the people watching from the comfort of our outdoor cabana tent. I love watching people from all corners of the world mixing together... the free beer was obviously helping them along, but still, people are fun to watch.
Since we had to work early again, we cut our low-key night on the town short and headed back to CUC, satisfied that we had experienced the "Olympic party scene," if you will.
We didn't mind though. It's kinda like getting up and getting all ready to go to school and finding out there is a snow day. We decided breakfast at Paul's was just what we needed. I agreed with an omelet, toast and home fries.
It rained all day and I had no problem with just hanging out in my bed (which I now refer to as "my office" because I drag this little table over to my bed and use my computer from there... the air conditioner floods my desk and I don't want my computer to get caught up in that mess).
I took a crazy good nap and then alternated between looking for places to apply for jobs and travel Web sites. I've begun making my trade-marked Pros/Cons list for just about every aspect of my future, and I must say it is going well.
Honestly I didn't do much at all yesterday because of how tired I was (I got wrapped up in looking for jobs and couldn't sleep the night before). It was quite nice though. Eventually the rain subsided and people dispersed. Some people had purchased tickets to Softball and Women's Soccer, so they went out and about.
A few others (including me) had tickets into Club Bud (the Budweiser sponsored hospitality club for athletes, Beijingers and visitors like myself). It's a well-established Olympic tradition that there are hospitality clubs like this... and we wanted to check it out. Basically, it's a giant party with lots of free Budweiser, lots of athletes and lots of foreigners. The club had all kinds of areas... dance floors, places to watch ongoing events on big screen TVs, lounges and this huge outdoor patio with tents, a pool (no swimming, please) and these sweet little round couches with canopies over them. Red lanterns were strung up everywhere and there was a huge dance floor that mostly held people gathering to talk. We definitely went for the outdoor area (you know my affinity for rooftops) and snagged a round couch.
We didn't stay all night (nor do I want you to get the impression that we were crazy wild kids... we sure weren't), but we did enjoy the people watching from the comfort of our outdoor cabana tent. I love watching people from all corners of the world mixing together... the free beer was obviously helping them along, but still, people are fun to watch.
Since we had to work early again, we cut our low-key night on the town short and headed back to CUC, satisfied that we had experienced the "Olympic party scene," if you will.
bmx: day I.
Walking around the BMX venue, all you heard was, "Ready to make history?".... "Let's make history."... "This is history, guys!"
And it was. The very first time BMX has had a place at the Olympics. From what I have heard (and I mean this the way people say things like, "Well I heard that..." or "They said...", where the "heard" is rather unreliable and "they" are some ambiguous group of proclaimed experts), the Olympic Games are looking to attract attention for more young people, thus the inclusion of BMX as a step in this direction. Whatever the reasoning, it was obviously a big day out at Laoshan.
My designated photo position (the location I manage, keeping the photogs under control) was the second turn of the course. The difference with this photo position and the others is that this one is where athletes, coaches and other people affiliated with the teams can roam around... including where the riders ride their bikes through after their race. It's a pretty busy area, and it was popular with the photographers because just before that second turn is where the men have the big jump... great for in-air action shots. As you can imagine, being the photo police in this area is a little different than just telling them where to stand.
The other problem is that there was no specific area for photographers only, which meant that coaches and team members could be taking up space that photogs wanted and vice versa. Really there wasn't much I could do since everyone could be in this space. I just let it all happen, and everyone seemed to be okay.
But thanks to the mixed bag of people hanging out in this area I was not only inches (sometimes not even that) away from the BMX riders (which, btw, and I'm not just saying this, are so cool... more on that later), but I was around all kinds of people. I met the guy with Team USA who travels to cities before the games to arrange lodging and logistics for the team. I met the guys who design and build the start gate mechanics for every BMX course in the world. I met the UCI head honcho. I met the guy who actually oversaw and was the boss of the physical course (building it, maintaining it, etc.) and for most other BMX courses around the world... if you saw someone out in the middle of the track hosing it down or sweeping it off between races, that was Tom.
And Tom, being the cool guy that he is, saw me without a hat on this sunny day... to which I responded that girls didn't get baseball caps, and I'd rather go without than wear a bucket hat... to which he jumped up and ran to get his own hat. He tossed it to me, saying it was too small for him anyway, and now I could make everyone jealous (his hat, because he is an "official official," is grey... managers get red, we low-end-of-the-totem-pole volunteers get blue), which is exactly what is happening.
Person asking where I got my grey hat: So, um, how did you manage to score an official's hat?
Alysha GreyHatWearing Daytner: Oh, I'm friends with the guy who built the course. It's cool.
Hanging out with these cool people in my corner of the photo position world was also great because these VIPs have access to things like blue Powerade. It is key to make friends with those who have the blue Powerade.
It was a pretty great day overall, minus the problems of other volunteers and mangers thinking I wasn't supposed to be standing where I was. I responded by showing them my credentials... including maps of the venue showing where photo positions are... about five times. That is how many times I got questioned, despite my photo vest, uniform and accreditation. The photogs laughed every time someone came over to me to tell me I wasn't supposed to be there. They got a real kick out of it.
See, it wouldn't really bother me so much if one of those times I got reprimanded for leaning on a railing, being told that it wasn't good for the "Volunteers' Image." Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Not good for the image? First of all, I was up by the railing because there was about a six-foot wide area that the photographers had to share with cyclists riding up from races, as well as all of the people that are in the entourage of the athletes. Stepping back only puts me in the way of all those people. Secondly, allow me to discuss how the other volunteers who were supposed to be helping me were leaning against a wall in the shade with their eyes closed. Maybe I'm just more aggressive... or maybe (and here's a crazy thought) I'm actually doing my job, which is to interact with and manage the photographers... not sleep against a wall.
Ever since we have gotten here, we have noticed the overwhelming amount of sun protection this culture appreciates. They shield themselves from the sun at all times. Which is really a great idea, especially with the threat of skin cancer in every one of the sun's rays... but when hiding from the sun prevents you from doing your job, you need to find a new way to deal with it. And that is exactly what is happening. (In fact, on the second day, because the sun was so bad, I was left to man a huge area myself because it was too sunny for the other volunteers.) The two girls who were supposed to be helping me did not move from under the umbrella they stood under... too far from the action to help the photographers in any way. I can respect sunscreen. I can respect shade. But I can't respect the fact that I was told I wasn't promoting a good image, just for being up in the action where I was supposed to be and not hiding under an umbrella.
What's even worse is that we were told that under no circumstances were we to be taking pictures during competition days. (That's why the blog lacks pictures... sorry!) Training days were fine, but if we were working at the venue, photos were out of the equation. Let's also talk about how about 80 percent of Chinese volunteers have been taking pictures, mobbing athletes and getting in the way in places they shouldn't be... all with cameras in hand... all on competition days. I'm not trying to be a tattle here, I'm really just expressing frustration for how the American volunteers are really doing our best to respect the "image" they want us to uphold... we're really trying to conform to their ways while at the venues... and the Chinese volunteers are running around like kindergartners. Oh yeah, and most of the managers are doing the same thing. So how could they expect anyone to obey their rules? But they expect it out of the Americans. We apparently are held to a higher standard. Thank goodness, too. I'd hate to see what an event in America would be like if some of the same things were going on as are here.
Ok so, sorry for that. It's not complaining, it's just giving you a sense of what it is like to be the minority in a culture that has very opposite ideas of work ethic and professionalism (from what I have seen).
On the other hand, the BMX community is one of the coolest groups ever. Since the sport is still growing, the pool of athletes is still small... riders are still young... and everyone involved in BMX basically knows each other. Heck, they've grown up together. This makes for a very fun atmosphere. Everyone is friends, no matter what team they are on, and people like those VIPs I met know everyone on a personal level. It's really refreshing to see competition with such good-natured athletes behind it. Plus, the riders are not at all stuck up... I mean, they're riding through packs of photographers, only to stop to say hey to a team member or coach on their way through. None of that pretentious athlete junk. Just cool kids on bikes.
And I've never really watched BMX before, but it's crazy! Crashes happen just about every race, so you never know who will be leading the field on riders. Plus, bikes flying over hills... I mean, whoever thought this one up knew it would fun to watch.
It was a great day. I was outside. I watched history happen. And I walked away with blue Powerade and a grey hat. Not much more I could ask for.
And it was. The very first time BMX has had a place at the Olympics. From what I have heard (and I mean this the way people say things like, "Well I heard that..." or "They said...", where the "heard" is rather unreliable and "they" are some ambiguous group of proclaimed experts), the Olympic Games are looking to attract attention for more young people, thus the inclusion of BMX as a step in this direction. Whatever the reasoning, it was obviously a big day out at Laoshan.
My designated photo position (the location I manage, keeping the photogs under control) was the second turn of the course. The difference with this photo position and the others is that this one is where athletes, coaches and other people affiliated with the teams can roam around... including where the riders ride their bikes through after their race. It's a pretty busy area, and it was popular with the photographers because just before that second turn is where the men have the big jump... great for in-air action shots. As you can imagine, being the photo police in this area is a little different than just telling them where to stand.
The other problem is that there was no specific area for photographers only, which meant that coaches and team members could be taking up space that photogs wanted and vice versa. Really there wasn't much I could do since everyone could be in this space. I just let it all happen, and everyone seemed to be okay.
But thanks to the mixed bag of people hanging out in this area I was not only inches (sometimes not even that) away from the BMX riders (which, btw, and I'm not just saying this, are so cool... more on that later), but I was around all kinds of people. I met the guy with Team USA who travels to cities before the games to arrange lodging and logistics for the team. I met the guys who design and build the start gate mechanics for every BMX course in the world. I met the UCI head honcho. I met the guy who actually oversaw and was the boss of the physical course (building it, maintaining it, etc.) and for most other BMX courses around the world... if you saw someone out in the middle of the track hosing it down or sweeping it off between races, that was Tom.
And Tom, being the cool guy that he is, saw me without a hat on this sunny day... to which I responded that girls didn't get baseball caps, and I'd rather go without than wear a bucket hat... to which he jumped up and ran to get his own hat. He tossed it to me, saying it was too small for him anyway, and now I could make everyone jealous (his hat, because he is an "official official," is grey... managers get red, we low-end-of-the-totem-pole volunteers get blue), which is exactly what is happening.
Person asking where I got my grey hat: So, um, how did you manage to score an official's hat?
Alysha GreyHatWearing Daytner: Oh, I'm friends with the guy who built the course. It's cool.
Hanging out with these cool people in my corner of the photo position world was also great because these VIPs have access to things like blue Powerade. It is key to make friends with those who have the blue Powerade.
It was a pretty great day overall, minus the problems of other volunteers and mangers thinking I wasn't supposed to be standing where I was. I responded by showing them my credentials... including maps of the venue showing where photo positions are... about five times. That is how many times I got questioned, despite my photo vest, uniform and accreditation. The photogs laughed every time someone came over to me to tell me I wasn't supposed to be there. They got a real kick out of it.
See, it wouldn't really bother me so much if one of those times I got reprimanded for leaning on a railing, being told that it wasn't good for the "Volunteers' Image." Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Not good for the image? First of all, I was up by the railing because there was about a six-foot wide area that the photographers had to share with cyclists riding up from races, as well as all of the people that are in the entourage of the athletes. Stepping back only puts me in the way of all those people. Secondly, allow me to discuss how the other volunteers who were supposed to be helping me were leaning against a wall in the shade with their eyes closed. Maybe I'm just more aggressive... or maybe (and here's a crazy thought) I'm actually doing my job, which is to interact with and manage the photographers... not sleep against a wall.
Ever since we have gotten here, we have noticed the overwhelming amount of sun protection this culture appreciates. They shield themselves from the sun at all times. Which is really a great idea, especially with the threat of skin cancer in every one of the sun's rays... but when hiding from the sun prevents you from doing your job, you need to find a new way to deal with it. And that is exactly what is happening. (In fact, on the second day, because the sun was so bad, I was left to man a huge area myself because it was too sunny for the other volunteers.) The two girls who were supposed to be helping me did not move from under the umbrella they stood under... too far from the action to help the photographers in any way. I can respect sunscreen. I can respect shade. But I can't respect the fact that I was told I wasn't promoting a good image, just for being up in the action where I was supposed to be and not hiding under an umbrella.
What's even worse is that we were told that under no circumstances were we to be taking pictures during competition days. (That's why the blog lacks pictures... sorry!) Training days were fine, but if we were working at the venue, photos were out of the equation. Let's also talk about how about 80 percent of Chinese volunteers have been taking pictures, mobbing athletes and getting in the way in places they shouldn't be... all with cameras in hand... all on competition days. I'm not trying to be a tattle here, I'm really just expressing frustration for how the American volunteers are really doing our best to respect the "image" they want us to uphold... we're really trying to conform to their ways while at the venues... and the Chinese volunteers are running around like kindergartners. Oh yeah, and most of the managers are doing the same thing. So how could they expect anyone to obey their rules? But they expect it out of the Americans. We apparently are held to a higher standard. Thank goodness, too. I'd hate to see what an event in America would be like if some of the same things were going on as are here.
Ok so, sorry for that. It's not complaining, it's just giving you a sense of what it is like to be the minority in a culture that has very opposite ideas of work ethic and professionalism (from what I have seen).
On the other hand, the BMX community is one of the coolest groups ever. Since the sport is still growing, the pool of athletes is still small... riders are still young... and everyone involved in BMX basically knows each other. Heck, they've grown up together. This makes for a very fun atmosphere. Everyone is friends, no matter what team they are on, and people like those VIPs I met know everyone on a personal level. It's really refreshing to see competition with such good-natured athletes behind it. Plus, the riders are not at all stuck up... I mean, they're riding through packs of photographers, only to stop to say hey to a team member or coach on their way through. None of that pretentious athlete junk. Just cool kids on bikes.
And I've never really watched BMX before, but it's crazy! Crashes happen just about every race, so you never know who will be leading the field on riders. Plus, bikes flying over hills... I mean, whoever thought this one up knew it would fun to watch.
It was a great day. I was outside. I watched history happen. And I walked away with blue Powerade and a grey hat. Not much more I could ask for.
19.8.08
how now brown shower.
This morning was a fiasco. First of all, the phenomenon known as brownshower returned to the 8th floor. Megan was in the shower... and all of the sudden I heard her yell "Nooooooo!" I knew then what we had on our hands.
And this time, brownshower struck in interesting ways. We had brownshower, but not brownsink. Lauren and Traci had brownsink, but not brownshower. Chris and Phil had brownsink and brownshower. Leroy and Chad had neither. So, I was third in line for the use of Leroy's brown-free shower. Chaos.
Off to the Velodrome we went for the final day of Track Cycling. As much as I enjoyed it, I'm really excited to move on to BMX and Mountain Bike. Today I did have to lay down the law to one photographer who got really irritated with me... over the set-up of the photo positions at the track. I was like, listen buddy, I didn't design this place. If you can't work around a railing, I don't see your photo career going leaps and bounds. Angry little elf.
After the races and medal ceremonies, Val, Christina, Chris and I bolted for the door and snagged a cab across town to Luga's (burritos. duh.). We were starving and so ready to get some tasty tasty Mexican food. No sooner than we sit down at the tiny little table just outside the front door, three guys from the Holland Heineken House (the giant mega-Olympic party location... huge tradition at past Olympics) walk up and ask how long we will be since we were at their favorite table.
We hadn't gotten our food yet, but told them it was all theirs when we were done. And, as it usually ends up at Luga's, we all just ended up crowding around a tiny table talking. Now here's the crazy part... in the middle of saying that I've seen so few Americans here compared to the number of other countries... I look up, and who do I see but Kyle Sloan. Apparently after our dinner last night, he (like us) is hooked on Luga. He said he came for lunch, and was returning with some other Olympic family members for an evening out. Luga is crazy addictive.
After the worst cab ride home ever (it cost us three times what it should have because the driver didn't remember to tell us that he didn't really know where we needed to go), I was ready for a shower, a blog and bed. But, just as China has a surprise around every corner, there was brownshower waiting for me when I got home. But this time it was sneaky.
I turned the water on... brown/black for just a second, and then it was fine. I hopped in... lathering up the hair.... and as soon as I open my eyes, I'm being doused in coffee silt water. Grrrr. I step to the side and as I am contemplating what to do, it clears up. No big deal. I'm at the point now where brownshower is what it is. I've accepted it, and I jump back in. A minute later, again by surprise, I'm brownshowered again. Again I wait, it clears up. Seriously, I'm not even phased. Finally, I finish up with clear water and am thankful that it was pretty hot tonight.
So with less than a week left, I'm really ready for a taste of home and family, but then as soon as I get it, I'll be ready to be off again. We'll see what happens. For now, it's just a little more China.
And this time, brownshower struck in interesting ways. We had brownshower, but not brownsink. Lauren and Traci had brownsink, but not brownshower. Chris and Phil had brownsink and brownshower. Leroy and Chad had neither. So, I was third in line for the use of Leroy's brown-free shower. Chaos.
Off to the Velodrome we went for the final day of Track Cycling. As much as I enjoyed it, I'm really excited to move on to BMX and Mountain Bike. Today I did have to lay down the law to one photographer who got really irritated with me... over the set-up of the photo positions at the track. I was like, listen buddy, I didn't design this place. If you can't work around a railing, I don't see your photo career going leaps and bounds. Angry little elf.
After the races and medal ceremonies, Val, Christina, Chris and I bolted for the door and snagged a cab across town to Luga's (burritos. duh.). We were starving and so ready to get some tasty tasty Mexican food. No sooner than we sit down at the tiny little table just outside the front door, three guys from the Holland Heineken House (the giant mega-Olympic party location... huge tradition at past Olympics) walk up and ask how long we will be since we were at their favorite table.
We hadn't gotten our food yet, but told them it was all theirs when we were done. And, as it usually ends up at Luga's, we all just ended up crowding around a tiny table talking. Now here's the crazy part... in the middle of saying that I've seen so few Americans here compared to the number of other countries... I look up, and who do I see but Kyle Sloan. Apparently after our dinner last night, he (like us) is hooked on Luga. He said he came for lunch, and was returning with some other Olympic family members for an evening out. Luga is crazy addictive.
After the worst cab ride home ever (it cost us three times what it should have because the driver didn't remember to tell us that he didn't really know where we needed to go), I was ready for a shower, a blog and bed. But, just as China has a surprise around every corner, there was brownshower waiting for me when I got home. But this time it was sneaky.
I turned the water on... brown/black for just a second, and then it was fine. I hopped in... lathering up the hair.... and as soon as I open my eyes, I'm being doused in coffee silt water. Grrrr. I step to the side and as I am contemplating what to do, it clears up. No big deal. I'm at the point now where brownshower is what it is. I've accepted it, and I jump back in. A minute later, again by surprise, I'm brownshowered again. Again I wait, it clears up. Seriously, I'm not even phased. Finally, I finish up with clear water and am thankful that it was pretty hot tonight.
So with less than a week left, I'm really ready for a taste of home and family, but then as soon as I get it, I'll be ready to be off again. We'll see what happens. For now, it's just a little more China.
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