When going to the Olympics, you must know a few things. First, sleep does not exist. Especially when the games are 12 hours ahead of their main audience (because even though the US is not the center of the universe – sorry to break that bubble – it is the money center). So, events that normally would be played at reasonable hours are now being played from 4 until midnight, and then picking up at 9am the next morning (basically a backwards schedule, so the finals can be shown live in eastern prime time). We were actually shocked that opening ceremony wasn’t at 8am, but I guess then the fireworks would be quite as amazing. Again, did you see that production!? We are still talking about it!
You could just feel the excitement in the air today after yesterday’s men’s gymnastics (GA) team finals (USA-USA-USA…). I admit; I watched the men in my room. On a rare day off, I wasn’t going to fight the crowds when I had AC, a "comfy" bed and a front row view on my flat screen. Plus I could root on the team with fellow countrymen online and without my supervisor correcting me – volunteers aren’t supposed to have bias.
Anyways, 5am wake-up calls are never fun, but I won’t complain when they come before Women’s GA team finals :) At least I’ve always been able to get up to the alarm *cough – roommate was late.* hehehe. Just walking into the arena before the competition, I could feel something new in the air that was absent from qualifications. There were actually people there for one; granted 3/4 of them were for the home team. Flags were dangled from balconies or clutched in anxious fans’ hands. The Aussies had their blow-up kangaroos (many jokes there, believe me) and giant '#1' fingers. The Brazilians had their crazy wigs and face paint (remember, these guys go all out with football/soccer). And the Americans, though outnumbered, had their mighty "USA" chant. Of course, as soon as they’d start that, the Chinese would counter with their own. "Zhong Guo -- Jiayou (gee-I-O)," or "China -- add oil," has actually been promoted by television programs, video presentations, commercials and official cheering squads for months. And personally, it’s getting on my nerves – but that’s not hard.
There’s no real way to describe it – you just have to go to an Olympics event. On one hand, you want to promote peace. On the other, you want to totally cream the other countries. It brings out a kind of patriotism you never knew existed. It’s not that you hope the other team falls… well… you just want them to look bad. Ok, that totally didn’t sound right, but it’s true. Not even a MU-kU game stirs that type of hunger. It comes from someplace else. Probably because we already know Kansas sucks :)
Boy, was that a long tangent… The second thing you must know when coming to the Olympics is the art of pin trading. That’s right. There are even specifics on categories and terminology. The hobby is said to have started around the 1896 Athens games (so it spans all of modern Olympics) when every judge, athlete and official was given a cardboard circle with a ribbon to designate their stature. Since then, it had grown to an obsession for some. People will travel halfway around the world with no intention to attend games; just to trade. The concept is easy enough though: take your pin and trade it for another. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Luckily, Mizzou knew this phenomenon and hooked us up. Unfortunately, the 150 pins each of us recieved say nothing about anything in Beijing. But we still have them. And they are very popular with our Chinese counterparts and McDonalds staffs. Hehehe.
The third thing to know, at least for an American, is to come prepared for Today Show sign slogans. It took us a couple days to come up with one we thought would work. Of course, in China, apparently you also have to bring your own poster board, since they sell it no where. Not even Kinkos. But we lucked out and it paid off. Did you see us Monday morning? If you think the crowds look slim behind the window, it’s because only people with a ticket for that day’s events on the Green even have a chance at being there. More room for us I guess, since we were on nearly every other commercial break and in the background of most segments. We even got Al to say "MIZZOU" after our chant. GO TIGERS!
I know. I'm a little behind everyone else. I wasn't able to get in until after the photo. Still, I'm there (with some friends we met from the US). Thanks for the photo Monica!And the fourth and final think to know: HAVE FUN! You can definitely get frustrated when you’re so tired and caught up in everything. Going to games helps, if you got those tickets I talked about before… or these:
Yep. I scored. Twice. We went to beach volleyball the other day, and get to go to track events inside the Bird’s Nest this weekend. Now to only uncover some Water Cube seats. Heck that whole all-work-and-no-play thing is totally not for me. I’ve gotta play sometimes – in between sleep. Too bad I can’t "play" at the equestrian events. I’ve been unable to watch them before tonight, much to my dismay. But tonight I got to see dressage on tv. Yummy! Very pretty eye-candy (and not the same kind as men’s gymnastics). I’ve gotta volunteer for that next time. Of course, I might be asked to leave from petting the competitors too much. I know I’d get in trouble from too many photos. Ah well, worth the risk.
On a side note: are you tired of seeing McDonalds and Visa commercials yet? I’m not. Because the government runs the media here, we have NO ads. You heard me right. From Opening Ceremony to every competition right down to badminton, they are all completely uninterrupted. The only bad thing about that is the configuring of bathroom breaks.
