Home.

I arrived home in Boston late Thursday night...greeted by my Mom, Dad & sister. (He's not in the pic above because he was stealthily hiding behind a column taking the picture) The previous 24 hours were a blur of packing, staying out too late, and crying with my friends. The friends who had been my family for the past 2 months...leaving was incredibly surreal. I felt like I was having an out of body experience and I was just observing everything but not exactly registering that it was happening.

I could go on and on about my memories and experiences in Beijing--the good, the bad, the ugly and everything else in between--but all that matters is what I will be taking with me. The experiences I had, the friends I made, the Olympic memories--all of those things will stay with me forever. In the words of a cheesy Chinese pop song, "love you Beijing...love you China"

Zai jen!
-Anna

Leaving Beijing...no words

Well, obviously there are words...millions. This trip has been such an amazing, eye-opening, life-changing...there are not enough cliches to explain how I feel about China. So I will try in my own words.

My bags are all packed...with the seams on my LL Bean duffle literally bursting. Our shuttle is coming to take us to the airport in 15 minutes.

There are so many things I am going to miss--the people, the food...the OLYMPICS! The fun interactions with our taxi drivers on 4, 5 or 6 am cab rides. Singing "Beijing wang ying ni" (my Pinyin is horrible but it means Beijing welcomes you, and there are 25 Chinese superstars, including Jackie Chan, singing the song. It's pretty awesome--I bought a DVD of the music video so you will all get to see it) at all hours of the day, anywhere and getting smiles from everyone.

I will miss the friendly smiles everywhere...and people trying to help us if we were lost with hand gestures, pointing, and often, walking us directly where we need to go.

I will miss the Olympics, and the 'glory of sport'. It was such a great moment for Beijing, and the people here could not have been more welcoming and accepting.

There is so so much more I want to write, so I will try to write some more on the plane.

Mens Football Gold Medal Match

Friday night our manager told us we could go to the Bird's Nest for the Gold medal match for mens football. (Since I am in Beijing and not the US I am calling it football for the remainder of the post...)

We found some empty seats in the highest section, with a great birds-eye view (ahahahaha I crack myself up). We settled in to watch the game, and I was the only one of our group rooting for Argentina. I'm sorry but Nigeria kicked the US out so I'm a little bitter.

It was really awesome to be in the Bird's Nest as a spectator and not as an ONS Flash Quote Reporter. I could go get a beer for 5 RMB (but I didn't because it was barely noon) or I could cheer for my team or I could get up and do the 'Mexican Wave'. The wave is apparently called the Mexican Wave in China...still not sure why.

At halftime, we ended up making our way to another press tribune (not the one we normally work/sit in). It was pretty sweet. During the half, the 'cheerleaders' came out and did some dances, but the FUWA stole the show. They danced around and some of them ran around the cheerleaders trying to confuse them. It was hilarious.

Pic: Fuwa (small and large sizes) on the track with the 'cheerleaders'

The game was great too...it had been a while since I got to see a 'proper football match' and I remembered why I enjoy the sport so much.

Last Night of Work at the Bird's Nest=Testing the Security on the Field

So, Saturday night was our last night of work at the Bird's Nest, so we figured that would be a good time to try and see how for the "FOP" (Field of Play) symbol on our credentials could get us. Pretty far it turns out...4 of the guys in our group staged a Mens 100m (no World Records there--the fastest one clocked in at 20 seconds...and they were HAULING). I got a pic of me 'holding' the torch and my friend Katrina and I staged a 50km Racewalk collapse on the finish line. Overall, it was a pretty awesome experience, one that I will keep with me for a long time. Getting to be in the same place where so many amazing Olympic moments happened was pretty freakin awesome!

Pic above: view of the main press tribune from the track.

Some Olympic news stories

Just a few interesting stories that have caught my eye in the past few days...

AP story on Usain Bolt's less-than-sportsmanlike conduct

WSJ China blog on 'the Bolt'

Liu Xiang speaks about his injury

Michael Phelps says learning Mandarin is harder than winning 8 Golds

Wondering what exactly the FUWA are?

--and the Chinese women who played Keri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor?? We saw them play last week!

Another crazy night at track & field

Walking into the Birds Nest on Wednesday night, my friend Jennie and I stopped and checked in. We picked up our complementary drinks (3 bottles of water and 1 soft drink)...we got our dinner vouchers, but we never really eat there any more because the food looks like this:


We walked out and realized we were right in front of one of the entrances to the Field of Play. We figured now was as good a time as any to give the blue line on the bottom of our credentials a try. The blue line means we have access to FOP. We walked right out there like we owned the place (I've noticed that you walk into anywhere like you own the place, you will get what you want 99% of the time...it worked Tuesday night when we went to Club Bud--see pic below)



Anyway, we walked around the track until we got to the correct exit...there is one located right by our office and the mixed zone. It was pretty cool to be out ON THE FIELD--we saw volunteers putting together the medal stand, we saw the judges and officials heading out to the field (wearing lovely Beijing Olympics ties), and we walked by the starting blocks that Usain Bolt would launch himself out of later in the night.



For the first part of the night, I was in the office working as a copytaker. I snuck out (it was fine with my manager, so I guess it wasn't really sneaking), but I snuck out to see USA's Nick Symmonds run his qualifier in the Mens 800m. He won his heat so that was pretty cool.

After that it was back to the office for more copytaking and around 9:45 I headed out to the broadcast mix zone to get quotes from the Mens 200m and Womens 400m Hurdles Finals. The Mens 200m was first, and everyone was watching Bolt. The stadium quieted down for the start, and we all had bets about who would be finishing 2nd and 3rd...I predicted 2 Americans.

It was literally a photo finish..and again, being in the press area when that happened was pretty cool. The press have the best seat in the house. Bolt won, in world record fashion, with Netherland's Churandy Martina coming in second and USA's Wallace Spearmon coming in third. The three runners took their respective countries' flags and headed out for a victory lap. The three were cheering and jumping and Bolt was breaking into some signature dance moves. Then, a new finishing list flashed on the screen...Spearmon was listed as DSQ and USA's Sean Crawford was listed in third. I was right there when Spearmon threw the flag at Crawford and said something along the lines of, "I guess this is yours."

Crawford was flabbergasted and in all the interviews he gave immediately afterwards he was a class act. Even the guys from NBC that I talked to were impressed with the way he handled himself and how humble and gracious he was.

Imagine the shock he feels NOW! Shortly after, the US lodged a formal complaint and it was discovered that the runner from the Netherlands, Martina, had been DSQ as well. Sean Crawford went from having no medal, to having a bronze, to having a silver!

It was a long night...besides the Mens 200m drama, there was also the Womens 400m Hurdles final and the first qualifying round for the Mens Pole Vault. The pole vault went well after midnight because NO ONE could make the qualifying height.

A US runner, Sheena Tosta got silver in the hurdles and she was a great interview as well. Very sweet and just thrilled with her medal. That is something I have definitely picked up on here...you get a sense of the athletes that are the best kind of person, too. They are humble and thankful, in victory AND defeat.

Well, now I know what it's like to hear a pin drop in the Bird's Nest

(AP Photo)

Okay, not quite. But I was working this morning, which if you've been living under a rock, means that I was at the Bird's Nest for the track & field qualifying events. And China's hurdling superstar, Liu Xiang, did not even compete in his event. Here's how it all played out:

-I was covering the womens hammer throw for most of the morning. And it was great because we now have ONS seats in the Press Tribune, which means we have a place IN the stadium to watch the events instead of just watching them in the office or in the mixed zone on one of the tv screens. I was really enjoying being outside and taking it all in...until some Hong Kong popstar came to the CCTV booth and all the Chinese (in the press tribune) started taking out cameras and pens and taking pictures and autographs. So I headed down the mixed zone to watch the rest of the hammer throw and try and grab some athletes before Liu Xiang's event.

-By the time I got down to the mixed zone, the place was already buzzing. The screens were showing him warming up, wearing his bright red China warm ups and stretching on the track. He took his time changing into his little spandex running top and I remember thinking "Why is he taking so long? What is he avoiding?" The hurdlers took their positions and snap, they were off. But there was a false start. The camera went to Liu and he ripped the sticker with his lane number off his lack and walked off the track. The race went on, and the cameras zoomed in on his empty starting blocks. The stadium subsequently EMPTIED.

-The mixed zone was buzzing instantly. Chinese people were crying all around me, literally sobbing. Some on our ONS team couldn't keep it together, either. No one knew what had happened...was it his hamstring injury? Or something else? How long had he been injured? Where was he now?

-He was being attended to by three doctors and within fifteen minutes of the race ending, I was in the Press Conference Room, sitting with one of our ONS professional staff, waiting for the conference to begin. We knew that Liu would NOT be attending, just two Chinese coaches.

-The room was PACKED. The coaches entered: Sun Hiping, Liu's head coach for the past 12 years and Feng Shuyong, one of Team China's head coaches for track and field. We turned on our headsets, readying for the English translation. But we didn't need them. A young Chinese woman would be translating for the coaches. One problem...she was CLEARLY upset. She could barely get words out and she was constantly stopping to sniffle and catch her breath.

-Both coaches reiterated that Liu would always compete, until the pain was unbearable. They were clearly shaken. His personal head coach, Sun Hiping, broke down a couple times. When a journalist asked about their father-son-like relationship, he just couldn't help it. (NOTE: He and Liu share a house in Shanghai).

-When asked about the pressure Liu might have felt, the pressure all the Chinese athletes felt, (and feel, probably), Feng said that Liu has said in the past, "the biggest opponent in my competition is myself."

It was one of the longest mornings here and saddest, too. Sure, we are journalists and we're objective (I was not shedding any tears in the mixed zone), but this guy literally had the country of China on his shoulders. Since Athens they had been talking about Liu winning gold in his home country, in the Birds Nest, in World Record fashion. I don't know if they show the Nike commercial in the States, but it's a great one: Liu is getting ready to run the hurdles, and the commercial cuts to Chinese workers in a restaurant, people watching at home, spectators in the stadium; and Liu takes his hands and puts blinders on--just focuses on what's in front of him. The commercial ends with the swoosh and "Just Do It." It's incredibly sad that he didn't even get to do just that.

Dear CCTV

Dear CCTV,

When Michael Phelps and the US relay team have just clinched the gold medal (in a historic fashion, no less) I do NOT want to see an adorable Chinese kid decked out in China stickers and flags...I want to see the US team!

Thank you.

Day in the life of an Athletics (Track & Field) Flash Quote Reporter...

Arrived at The National Stadium at 5 pm Beijing time on Friday night for the first day of events at the Nest. I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since I hadn't been at the venue for the past 2 weeks, and I had been covering basketball. The first thing I noticed (obviously) was the Olympic flame! It is amazing...and loud too! It makes a lot of noise, at least that's what I hear...we are not really allowed on the Field of Play. We might try that tonight, after the events are over.
[One of my favorite quotes of the night was from a US woman who just finished the women's steeplechase: "That Olympic flame, sets you on fire!"]

We got to the office, checked the white board (which tells us which events we will be covering and what the medal events are, etc.). My group was covering women's triple jump, women's heptathlon 200 meters and men's 1500 meters. All were qualifying rounds--no medal events yet. We got the start lists and event reviews, and read them over in our group. Our ONS Managers sat us all down and we went through all the events for the evening and talked through which athletes we'd want to speak to.

There are 10-15 of us from Emerson working every night, so there are lots of different jobs and places to be. Some are upstairs in the Press Tribune, some are in the office taking copy, a couple are Video Flash Quote Reporters, but most of us are in the Mixed Zone. The Mixed Zone is a place where are the international journalists rub elbows (well, more like, jab) and try to get to their respective athletes. Broadcast journalists get the best spots, and if we are in the Broadcast area we are not allowed to ask any questions--we just write down whatever the athletes say. (Since we're ONS, it's allowed...it's not like we are copying or stealing.) The next zone is the wire services (AP, Reuters, AFP, Xinhua) and it's the same thing, just stand and listen and write fast. The rest of the mixed zone is up for grabs. That's where we usually are.

And that's where I spent most of my time Friday night. I met some USA journalists, including the Globe's Bob Ryan (he was waiting for the USA men shot putters). It is incredibly surreal to be right there, in my little ONS 'bib' (as the Aussies call it) trying to get athletes to stop and talk to me...a little ONS nobody. But I did get to speak to a couple athletes last night, directly, and that was pretty cool. Not many athletes wanted to talk, especially if it was just a qualifying round. After some of the track events the athletes literally ran right through the Mixed Zone and never stopped. All athletes are required to go the Mixed Zone but no one has to stop.

For the most part, I try to be invisible and take down whatever I can for notes and then rush back to the ONS office to read off my notes to one of the four copytakers.

A few more Beijing bits and pieces...

(A warning sign in one of the public restrooms here in Beijing)

-Riding the subway should be an Olympic sport, because Beijingers treat it that way. Anyone who gets a seat gets a gold medal.

-I have figured out how to identify which trains are air conditioned (the new ones have a streamlined, shark-like nose; the old ones have a flat front). There is nothing more unenjoyable than getting on a train that is approximately 110 degrees and smells like a pleasant potpourri of body odor, sweat, and pee. Yes, pee...saw a little kid pee ON THE TRAIN yesterday.

-Getting around Beijing is easy, with a taxi ride costing, on average, 5-10 dollars; and subway rides are free with our Olympic credentials. The problem is, Beijing is roughly the size of Belgium, so getting from one end to the other can be a bit of a hassle, not matter the mode of transportation.

-I got to see the Mens 100m Final LIVE last night! Usually we are just in the mixed zone or somewhere deep in the mazes within the Birds Nest, but our manager, Emily, let us all sneak out and go up to the press tribune to watch the race. Who do you think has the best view?? The press. It was UNREAL. I just stayed off to the side and watched the runners take their marks. Bolt was amazing...the whole stadium was pretty eerily quiet when they got ready, but once they were off and running, the place went WILD. The energy in the place was electrifying. (I think here is where I would put in some clever play on words about BOLT and electricity or something, but I'm too tired.)

Skewed viewing of Olympic events

I have always enjoyed watching the Olympics, winter and summer, for as long as I can remember. I remember watching Katarina Witt figure skate, and wanting to be just like her. I remember the US women's gymnastics team and Kerri Strug her 'heroic' vault in Atlanta in 1996. I was constantly rooting for the underdog, the feel-good story. I was, and still am, a sucker for that kind of stuff. There is something so incredibly positive about getting behind my country's team and rooting for them every night and just allowing myself to get caught up in the glory of the competition.

In China, it is completely different...or exactly the same, just a different team. With the CCTV being the official (ahem, only) station of the Olmypics here it's a bit challenging to see any US events. There are plenty of CCTV stations (CCTV Spanish, CCTV French, CCTV English, CCTV channels 1-10) and many many more that we don't have access to here in the dorm.

I feel like I am missing out on all the US events--for example, I met a US soccer player a couple nights ago and I had no idea that the mens team was out of the quarterfinals after playing 3 games and not qualifying. I had NO idea they had played 3 games! I try to follow along online as much as I can, but there are so many events and athletes that it's a bit overwhelming.

And even though I am missing out on stuff, it is pretty cool to see plenty of events that I would never have watched otherwise (archery, shooting, womens weightlifting--the Chinese women in this sport are insane!, synchronized diving, judo...). Also, CCTV is constantly airing a medal count graphic, with the US and China neck and neck in the medal count.

Agh! I just came across USA vs. Canada baseball on CCTV 3! Yes! And they are singing "Take me out to the ballgame" in the stands! Fenway frank anyone?!

Basketball ends (for me), ATHLETICS begins!

Shougang Basketball venue (above)

The fuwa weolcome you tothe Shougang Basketball Center

Today (Friday) marks the beginning of Athletics (track & field to the rest of us) at the National Stadium, aka the Bird's Nest. Thursday was our last day of flash quoting basketball players at the Shougang basketball venue. We interviewed women players from Australia and Mali.

Everyone at Shougang was so friendly and nice to my classmate Jim and I. They are a venue that is kind of out in the suburbs of Beijing, and they don't see much Olympic action. Everyday when Jim and I came in, they were so excited to see us. They offered us the best seats in the waiting area (the ones closest to the tv) and together we'd watch Olympic events while the basketball teams practiced. By the end of our five days there I was learning to write in Chinese characters and helping them with their English. It was definitely one of my favorite experiences here so far.

Drum roll please....official Olympic volunteer uniform!

I've put it off long enough...but here is a pic of me in my uniform. (The pants also zip off into shorts) The close-up is of my Adidas sneakers. Check out the Beijing 2008 logo on the heel!

Bits and Pieces...

pic: me wearing my 2008 Olympic-themed glasses.

Just woke up--watching mens field hockey--Australia vs. South Africa. Australia is up 6-0.

It's been great to hear how many of you back home are watching the Games and enjoying them. I am too. It's weird because for the most part, all the games/events I watch on TV are in Mandarin (Australia just scored another goal, 7-0) and it's been interesting, but hard too, because sometimes I just want to know what is going on! Luckily there are plenty of websites (nbc, boston.com, yahoo) where I can check everything out. I still haven't seen the complete video of the USA mens' amazing relay victory in swimming, which stinks, but I CAN tell you the name of the Chinese woman who set a World Record in the Clean & Jerk weightlifting (Chen Xiexia). Overall, though, I am enjoying it. Because I get to see events and athletes that I would probably never watch back home.

Australia just scored again...8-0.

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A funny little story about flash quoting at basketball practice. A couple days ago we wanted to interview the coach of Angola. Unfortunately he only spoke Portuguese...I said I spoke Spanish and I would give it a try. Walked right up to him said "Hola," and fired off a question in Spanish. (How do you feel about your game tomorrow against Germany?) Apparently I remembered the Spanish word for Germany?! (Alemania) and apparently I remembered the word for against?! (contra) Because the coach responded, in Portuguese. I was so excited I almost forgot to take notes. And the coach felt 'fine' about the game. Definitely one of my favorite Olympic moments here so far.

***********************************************************************************

PHOTO UPDATE:

Uploaded the pictures of me eating the duck feet, just check out the "I ate duck feet" post.

I promised my Mom I would post a pic of me in my uniform at some point in the next 24 hours. I know you're all excited for that.

Australia is up 10-0.

Part Two: Rowing

We stayed for the first 3 beach volleyball matches and then four of us headed off to the Olympic rowing & canoeing venue. It's a bit of a trek outside the city.

We got there about an hour before events were scheduled to begin, so we wandered around the venue, checked out the food 'situation' (all out of hot dogs and sandwiches, so my lunch was a bag of tomato-flavored potato chips. YUM)

Spectator seats across the way.

Jenna and I staying dry, wearing my Olympic-issued yellow poncho

Highlight of the day: seeing US Men (and twin brothers) Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss come from behind to win their qualifying heat. Pic is above.

Taking a day off...to SEE OLYMPIC EVENTS! (part one, Beach Volleyball)

Monday was a full and fun day here. Started off bright and early to get on the subway to head to beach volleyball. We had tickets for the morning session, which included 5 matches--men and women. As soon as we walked in to the venue, it started raining...but we didn't care. We were watching volleyball! And we all got lovely yellow ponchos too.

The matches were pretty intense. No major blowouts...we saw the Chinese women (seeded #1) play Belgium (seeded #14) and Belgium won the first set! China pulled it together pretty fast and won the second, and then they had a tie-breaker.

China vs. Belgium

During technical timeouts these incredibly talented (read: sarcasm) dancing cheerleaders would come out and do some lovely dancing. We were far more entertained by the dancing fuwa.

One of the mens' matches: Latvia vs. Argentina

Day in the Life of a Basketball Flash-Quote Reporter

When I last blogged about basketball I thought I would be at the Wukesong Arena, the main venue for basketball (and baseball & softball) in Beijing. But after getting more information from my ONS supervisor, Emily, it was discovered that we would be interviewing players at one of the four practice venues in the Beijing area.

There are many silver linings to this arrangement. Number one, we don't have to wear our volunteer uniforms! (Yes, I know I still haven't posted uniform photos/videos yet...they're coming). Number two, it's very laid back...we just go out on the court after they are done with practice and ask them a couple questions. My favorite interview so far was Andres Nocioni, of Argentina (they are the defending Olympic champions). I went over to ask a few questions and he nicely cleared off a seat on the bench for me and we had a great little interview.

I have interviewed players from Mali, Brazil, Argentina, and Angola. Today we just have one team, Czech Republic. (The USA and China womens teams are also on the schedule for our venue, but they have their own private practice venue).

I am really enjoying it, and it's getting me ready to flash-quote at the Bird's Nest, which starts on Friday!

The only downside: the commute...Beijing is an enormous city--with 17 million people and a size roughly equivalent to Belgium--it takes a long time to get from one place to another.

Opening Ceremony pics, video

Watching the Opening Ceremony on the roofdeck of the Drum & Bell bar

Trucks full of fireworks in Tian an Men Square.

Apparently some of the fireworks were faked--

Click here for that story.

The countdown in Tian an Men! Zero days, one hour, 26 minutes, 45 seconds.

Here is video that my friend Mike took, of me getting a picture with the whole family. It's still a bit bizarre getting my picture taken with complete strangers, but if it makes them happy, why not?

Best dumplings in the world!

This is how the dumplings arrived: a big bamboo dish that was steaming hot.




Eating my first dumpling!



And since we went for the first time on Friday we've already been back.

Let the GAMES BEGIN!

Well, it's 1:41 am...just back to the CUC dorms after a marathon day in/around the city.

Basically I just wanted to get out and see what was going on, what people were doing, how they were feeling, etc. It was actually a major holiday here and lots of businesses were closed. But a group of us was able to go to the Din Tai Fung restaurant for some world-famous dumplings! And they certainly lived up to their hype. (Thanks for the tip Uncle John!)

After lunch we headed over to the Olympic Green...or as close as we could possibly get with our credentials. I figured today would be a good day to wear my "I Love China" shirt for the first time. I ended up being interviewed on Beijing TV, which was pretty surreal...being on the other side of the mic!

My friend Jenna works at the MPC and we were able to get in close to the Bird's Nest and Water Cube...well, closer than they were letting most people! See the fence in the pic below...

After wandering around a bit, and trying to act like we belonged there, we headed back to the CUC to regroup and see what everyone else had planned for the evening. Some were going to sports bars in the Sanlitun, others were going to Wangfujing to watch the Opening Ceremony on the big screen. My friend Mike and I decided to head to Tian an men Square...we heard rumors there would be tv screens.

Surprisingly, the subway was pretty quiet around 5:30. We were able to get seats on the train! And that NEVER happens. We got to the Tian an men stop and there were people everywhere. Many were waving Chinese flags, or wearing temporary tattoos. A couple people asked to take their picture with me, the 'beauty' (their words not mine!). After checking out the scene at Tian an men and realizing there were no tv screens, just trucks full of fireworks, we decided to head to the Drum & Bell, a bar that some of our friends were already at.

After a long and crazy cab ride, Mike and I ended up a few blocks away from the bar. We walked as fast as we could...at this point the ceremony had already begun, and this is when we felt REALLY lucky that we had already seen the dress rehearsal, because we knew what was coming. So we got to the bar and our friends were on the roofdeck. We grabbed some seats and the ceremony was being shown on a projection screen...outside! It was a great experience, and I am glad we were in a place that had people from all over the world, not just a bunch of Americans. After the torch was lit (in an AMAZING fashion...I won't say how) fireworks went off ALL OVER the city...some were right near our roofdeck. Everyone went crazy for the fireworks.

An hour or so later when we were walking back to CUC, the sky was lit up with heat lightning.

And now I really need to get some sleep! Interviewing the men's basketball teams from China, Angola, and defending Olypmic champions, Argentina, tomorrow!

**I will post more of my pics and video from the Opening Ceremony soon!

I ate duck feet

Can you see the excitement?

Figured I'd take it all in one bite...

Mmm...tastes like chicken!

After the duck feet, I ate duck gizzard.

And all I kept thinking about was 'Make Way for Ducklings'!

I am just trying everything once while I am here. No regrets!

In case you were wondering, the feet looked exactly like duck feet and they were chewy. The gizzard was more like 'organ meat' (says my friend Laura the vegetarian).

Opening Ceremony! Spoiler Alert

JUST KIDDING.
But those of us stationed at The Bird's Nest got to see an Opening Ceremony dress rehearsal on Saturday night and it was amazing. Truly a spectacle. Breathtaking--there are not enough adjectives to describe the scope of the production. I have to say I would not want to the NBC producer who has to figure out where the cameras are located and what they are going to shoot because there is a LOT going on during the ceremony.

The stadium was packed almost to capacity. (capacity=91,000) The audience was mostly Chinese, and they were so excited to be there. They were taking pictures outside the venue (taking pictures inside was strictly prohibited) and for many of them this was an incredible honor...some won tickets in a lottery, some paid big RMB.

Just a couple statistics on the Opening Ceremony:

*For the opening and closing ceremonies China is spending (estimates are at $100 million USD)more than double what Athens spent on the Opening Ceremony in 2004
*More than 10,000 performers are participating
*It's 210 minutes long
*It's been in the making for 3 years

...in case you forgot, the Chinese invented fireworks. Just a hint.

and you can get a beer and hot dog in the Bird's Nest for 8 RMB...that's about $1.20

Olympic Green...beautiful, but not so green

We got into work a bit early one morning this week, so a couple of us wandered around the Olympic Green...after taking the brand-spankin new Olympic subway line. (Only people with credentials can ride it). It was the only time we had an entire train to ourselves!




The Green is beautiful...it's not green though. It's an enormous gathering place between the 3 major venues in the area: The Bird's Nest, Water Cube, and National Indoor Stadium. There are trees and sculptures and Coke kiosks and benches to sit on and awesome views of the Olympic venues...but for the most part there is no grass. It's all stone, brick, and rock.


I am definitely looking forward to hanging around the Green once the Games start...I am sure there will be lots more to see and do.