big day, part I.

This will be the first post of two today. It's the first day of cycling events at Laoshan; the first day of putting everything into action. It's a big day.

In a conversation yesterday, I said that today could determine a lot about this trip. I'm hoping that at the end of the day, part II of this post will say that my job is really worth me being here and that I'll gain a lot in the next eleven days. Don't get me wrong, this trip has been amazing so far, but not at all in the way I expected.

I applied for this trip because I thought I would get experience working as a reporter for the Olympic News Service. When I found out that four of us had randomly been bumped over to Photo Services, I was still optimistic. Then when we found out that working in Photo Services means there will be little to do until the Games start, we were a bit let down. Here we are, eager to get to work, and we're being told that there isn't anything to do. (This is the point where I start making this trip productive on my own terms... meeting people, learning as much as I can from my bosses, etc.)

But today is the day. Today we will see if our jobs are really going to round out this trip. I'm optimistic that the four native English speakers in Photo Services will be utilized quite a bit, as we already have been, but with the Games being grossly overstaffed with volunteers, we might not be doing as much as we hope.

I know that this experience is, indeed, the chance of a lifetime. But when deciding to come to China, I had to put my post-graduation plans on hold... I had to delay getting a job... I had to find some money to pay for this trip. And I didn't do all of that so I could stand around in an Olympic venue, no matter how cool that might be. I came to use the skills I have as a college graduate... I came to learn how an event like this is planned and carried out... I came to work, and so far, that work has been a bit lacking. This is why today is such a big day. I'm hoping to come home and blog about how much these last eleven days will keep me busy and make me feel like I am accomplishing something rather than just being a glorified Olympic tourist.

No matter what, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. But I can't help but want to be challenged and motivated at my job. Today, I guess, I'll see if it will work out that way.