Reality Bites

I’m not even sure how many weeks it’s been since I’ve been back home – too long. I know that I’ve spent the last few weeks coming down from an extraordinary high that has been difficult to articulate to others. Trying to answer the question: “So, how was it!?” – has, every time, without fail – left me completely speechless and overwhelmed. Where do I start? How do I pick the highlights? How do I begin to describe the feeling? (I’ve found that “feeling” sums up those weeks much better than the word “experience”). Needless to say, I’ve done my best to relay the thoughts, experiences and emotions to those who have inquired but I consistently fall short of doing it justice.

The first week home I was running on an oxymoronic recipe of jet-lag and adrenaline. Seeing my friends and family after being away for a month and reliving the memories over and over as I sorted through pictures, answered questions, watched many recaps and montages, and befriended my fellow volunteers on Facebook – was fun. At the same time, the jet lag hit me HARD despite a mere 3-hour time difference (5-hours in Hawaii). Between trying to sleep, catch up on work and email, and fully enjoy my birthday celebrations (my first weekend back home), I didn’t have time during that first week back to really process the experience I’d just had. It wasn’t until I started settling back into reality that it really started to hit me; I realized it as soon as I felt myself starting to get completely overwhelmed with emotion looking at pictures from fellow volunteers, seeing the video montages on YouTube, and hearing that song “Wavin’ Flag”. (Although the “Young Artists for Haiti” song, MY memories of it are associated with the fireworks each night at LiveCIty Yaletown, as the highlights of the day ran on the big screen). Sometimes, it wouldn’t take any of these reminders – sometimes the emotions of it all overwhelmed me at the most random times; the realization that I was part of something that big, that important, and that global – that….Canadian. I guess you don’t realize the enormity of something like that when you’re in it, but coming home to hear about the Olympic experience of those on the ‘viewer’ side made me appreciate how lucky I was to have been in the centre of it all.

I realize that this may sound a bit over-the-top and dramatic to some people – that volunteering at the Olympics was really that much of an emotional experience. (Although, those of you that know me really well are laughing pretty hard right now, knowing that it takes little more than a Bell commercial to bring me to tears). Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to reunite with two of my closest Olympic volunteer friends, just two weekends ago. It was such a relief to be able to compare stories and feelings about how we’re adjusting to reality, with Taryn and Heather, who were experiencing the exact same thing as me. I think the experience opened our eyes and gave us all new perspectives on various things in our lives….

While the experience was life-changing for some in terms of igniting their drive for volunteerism, or getting involved with important organizations and/or athletics, for me, it was more about the ability to actually accomplish something that I’d always wanted to do but never believed would actually happen. I talked a bit in a past post about being inspired by the show The Buried Life – four guys who have a bucket list of 100 things they want to do before they die. For me, being part of the Olympics was one of those things, and it’s changed my perspective on my ability to actually accomplish these kinds of goals. Every day, I find myself thinking of something new that I want to add to my own “bucket list” and I’ve actually started to write them down; a motivation to strike a line of red pen through all of them : ) Through the experiences of a very close friend, I’m recently reminded about how short life is – it’s not just a saying, or something that we should try to keep in mind. They’re words to live by..to LIVE  by.  And I’m trying my best to adopt the perspective of that spirit I felt in Vancouver – of justifying every experience and ever dollar spent there as being “once in a lifetime.” You never know when something might be just that.

So – having now adjusted to reality again, I’ve gone back and finally uploaded some of the videos I took. Let me preface these videos by saying that I won’t be offended if you find some of them rather boring! I imagine they might be, out of the context of the surroundings of excitement, pure adrenaline and Canadian craziness! More than the actual events that were happening around me, I tired instead to capture the energy that encapsulated the crowds. There’s also lots of background screaming – most of it by yours truly – apologies in advance : ) You can check out the videos here, and I’ve also “favourited” a couple that I found on my own.

For those of you who are interested in seeing the full (actually, the condensed) album of my pictures from Vancouver, you can view it here (even if you’re not on Facebook).  And although I was too tired to blog during my vacation didn’t have time to blog in Hawaii, here are a few pics from that amazing, and relaxing week as well. (TOTALLY worth it).

Lastly, in the interest of living out our own ‘bucket lists’, my close friend and co-worker Jenni is doing just that. In June she’ll be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for a great foundation that helps youth in underdeveloped countries to achieve their potential through sports and education. Jenni’s goal is to raise $10,000 through this climb for the Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation and 100% of these funds go directly to the foundation (Jenni is paying her own expenses for the trip). PLEASE consider learning more about this organization and sponsoring Jenni – every little bit helps! Now that my blog is officially done, you may want to consider following her blog as well as she documents her adventure up Kili!

So as a sign-off on this final post – thanks again to all of you who have followed along on this adventure with me. Perhaps some of you will be my fellow volunteers in 2012?

“But often, in the world’s most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life;
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course…”

- The Buried Life, Matthew Arnold

Canada Day Gold

It is almost impossible for me to believe that I am sitting in the Vancouver airport where I arrived over three weeks ago, getting ready to leave this amazing city. What an adventure and once-in-a-lifetime experience this has been for me. I struggle to find the words to sum it up and describe how I’m feeling right now, but here’s a recap of my last day in Vancouver and some final thoughts on my Olympic experience.

After a great night out in Yaletown at “Hub”, Taryn and I said our goodbyes to our good friend and fellow volunteer, Heather. I may not have mentioned that Heather’s job as a volunteer was working at the Canada Line station in Yaletown, standing outside in all weather conditions, all day long, and answering the same questions regarding directions – day after day. She is such a trooper. I was so sad to say goodbye to her as we had so many laughs together and spent much of our free time exploring the city. She really helped to make this experience a great one for me. I was sorry to say goodbye to her before we got to experience the gold medal game together, but we’ve already agreed that we’re going to volunteer in London 2012 and share a flat – plus, she lives in Oakville so I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other sooner than that.

On Sunday morning, Taryn was the trooper and got up at about 8am to start scoping out places for us to watch the game. Imagine my surprise when she called me at 8:50 and said there were lines outside the bars already! We decided to divide and conquer so I set out on the sky train about 9:30 and headed down to Waterfront to scope out the scene there. I ran into my friend Kurt and his girlfriend Linda (who I’d just had breakfast with on Sunday) in line at Steamworks and I opted to join them in line. Taryn stayed in Yaletown in line at Hub, and we were trading texts about the outlook on our chances of having a place to sit and watch the game come 12:15. Waiting in line at Steamworks paid off as Kurt, Linda and I were able to scoop a table on the heated patio, right in front of the TV. I gave Taryn the word and she headed over to meet us. By 10:30am we were ordering coffee with Bailey’s, and moved on to beer and nachos at about 11:30am.

And then there’s the game. How can I describe what it was like to sit on a patio with a crowd of Canadians, on the last day of the Olympics, and watch Canada defeat the US in a nail-biting game on home ice for Olympic gold? I just can’t. The strangers around us became friends as we erupted in cheers after every single save, every single goal, every single face-off. We hugged and high-fived everyone on the patio after the game, and you could hear the simultaneous eruption of energy and excitement throughout the entire city the second that Sid the Kid scored that golden shot. AMAZING. We stepped out onto the streets shortly after the conclusion of the game, and it was absolute insanity and chaos of the best kind. Car horns going, high-fives for every pedestrian, “Go Canada Go” chants at the top of our lungs, Canada flags waving everywhere and random break-outs of the national anthem in the middle of the streets. It was a feeling that I will never forget.

After the game, Taryn was off to the Closing Ceremonies (she got a last minute ticket from a friend for half the base price!) and Kurt and Linda were off as well. I walked down waterfront with the crowds down to the Olympic cauldron which was packed. It’s a beautiful view there of the mountains, and the Olympic rings in the harbor that had already turned gold. I just sat on a bench there by myself and took it all in – the people, the celebrations, the Canadian pride – it was incredible and I have never in my life felt more proud to be Canadian. As the sun started to go down, I headed home to have a last dinner with Judy, Helen and Gord and to watch the closing ceremonies. I didn’t tackle the crowds downtown for the night celebrations – I don’t think anything would have topped this afternoon and my body was begging me for a rest. But it was so hard to leave downtown and waterfront….I tried to take it in as long as possible….

This has been such an incredible experience for me and there are so many things that I will miss: the people I met (Heather, Luc, Taryn, Jodi, Sara, Peter – the list goes on), the excitement of not knowing what each day was going to bring, the “Go Canada!” chanting and cheering every day at the Sky Train, the view of the mountains from downtown Vancouver, the waterfront, seeing the Olympic cauldron, the sea wall at Stanley Park, the hockey, the wonderful, friendly people of Vancouver, the Olympic rings in the harbor lit-up in gold when Canada won a gold medal, the market at Granville Island, the view of Russia House, BC Place, Canada Hockey Place and Athlete’s Village on my way in on the Sky Train, the restaurants in Yaletown, friendly conversations with complete strangers about my volunteer experience and my blue jacket, spontaneous singing of our national anthem breaking out anywhere and everywhere, high fives in the street, the drunken obnoxious hockey fans on the sky train at night (yes, I will miss them too.) Most of all, I will miss the passionate, boisterous and unexpected display of Canadian patriotism that enveloped the city of Vancouver and I suspect, the entire country, these past few weeks; it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen anywhere. Even these two Americans sitting beside me in the airport said they have never witnessed anything like it back home, having experienced Mardi Gras and New Year’s in NYC. They even witnessed a few pedestrians taking it upon themselves to close off a main road after the hockey game on Sunday night, and pick up a spontaneous game of road hockey. If that’s not purely Canadian, what is!? All of it has been just amazing and I’m very sad to be saying goodbye. Those of use who have had this experience have described it as once-in-a-lifetime and it truly was. While I hope to volunteer again in 2012, I’m not sure anything will compare to the pride I felt being part of this experience with fellow Canadians in my home country, and contributing to the ‘hosting’ of the entire world. And the fact that our athletes performed so well and did, genuinely, ‘own the podium’ on home soil, is the icing to top off this very delicious cake.

As I got on the Sky Train for the airport today, the platforms were eerily quiet – it was like someone had pushed the ‘stop’ button on our party and it hit me that it was all over. THANK YOU to everyone who has followed along and commented on my blog during this adventure – I hope you enjoyed my sometimes lengthy recaps of the days, and that it gave you a fun insider’s perspective to my experience here. Heather, Taryn and I are already on the hunt for a ‘flat’ in London to rent when we volunteer for 2012…let me know if you have any leads! : )

I started this post at the airport in Vancouver but have just finished it here in Honolulu. I will likely write a few posts this week about my time in Hawaii, but will be turning my cell phone off and trying to ‘vacay’ as much as possible before I head back home on Sunday. The time has gone whizzing by, and it does not feel like I’ve been gone three weeks already – I haven’t had time to be homesick. But, I have missed my friends and my folks and can’t wait to recount all my adventures in person…

So goodbye Vancouver, aloha Hawaii!

P.S. Click here to read a great “Thank You” note to Canada from NBC News Anchor, Brian Williams.

P.P.S. I am working on uploading some of the videos I took to You Tube. I’ll let you know when they’re view-ready.

Speechless

Even though I write for a living, I have no idea how to put a day like today into words. Not sure I’ll ever experience anything quite like that again. Screaming in the streets, hugging and celebrating with strangers like they’re family, and standing in line at a bar on a Sunday at 9am and drinking beer by 10:30 – pretty good day.

When I have a minute to digest it all, I’ll write a much more detailed post about my last day here in Vancouver. In the mean time, I am hitting the sack as I’m completely exhausted; the last few weeks have caught up with me and with all the excitement today, I’m ready to crash.

In the mean time, here are some pics from me and the friends today at Steamworks….on a patio…..in February : )

Loving a change in plans…

So slight change in plans today. Judy and I did not go to Victoria. The weather was so crappy when we got up this morning (pouring rain and chilly), and while that wouldn’t really bother me under normal circumstances, we were going to be paying quite a hefty sum for our bus tour today and thought the money would be better spent seeing Victoria (and the ferry ride) on a clear day. I was pretty bummed in the morning but I wasn’t ready to sit around all day, so I made plans to meet up with Heather. We both had a few errands to run so we spent the morning running around the city taking care of a few things.

Have I mentioned that I have become an ‘expert’ in the public transportation system here in Vancouver? (Well, when it comes to the Sky Train and Canada Line anyway – buses? Not so much). Thank goodness volunteers receive all free transit with our accreditation or I’m not sure I would have been going anywhere. The transit system has been really easy to navigate and I’m lucky that I’m living just down the street from the bus that goes right to the closest sky train station.  Not only that, it has ALWAYS been on time – to the minute! It didn’t take long for me to feel comfortable about getting around the city, and I’ve been managing it just fine on my own; not sure I’m ready for driving again – hope I still remember how to drive stick when I get home!

Heather and I ended up in Gastown this afternoon, which I hadn’t seen much of yet. We both finished up some souvenir shopping (you can get Olympic “anything” around here!) and then met up with our friend Taryn (and fellow volunteer) for lunch at this restaurant called “The Lamplighter Public House” on Water St. They had a gigantic big screen TV, and bars/tables facing it straight on. Little did we know that we stepped into the restaurant at just the right time. We got a prime, front row seat to witness the gold medals in the team pursuit and the Snowboard Slalom! This was the moment I’d been waiting for my entire Olympic experience; to be hanging with friends and a Canadian crowd, at a bar in Vancouver, witnessing Canada take home gold on home turf. AND – to witness two in a row in the span of five minutes was awesome. The entire place was cheering our team on, banging on the bar/tables etc, etc. When you’re out on the streets of Vancouver, you always know when Canada has won something because you can hear this collective cheer erupt all at once from the bars and restaurants on the street. It’s pretty incredible. The energy was awesome, and I couldn’t help but be grateful that our plans for Victoria fell through today.

After running a few more errands and seeing Taryn off for her last shift at the Main Media Centre at Canada Place, Heather and I met for a quick drink and some dessert and this restaurant that we’ve frequented a couple of times since we’ve been here called Aqua Riva (across from the Fairmont Waterfront). It’s not the most happening place crowd-wise (unfortunately it’s behind an Olympic security fence so a lot of people think it’s closed), but it’s been a good neutral meeting spot for us and has big screens and the most comfy leather couches. We said a final farewell to our good times at Aqua Riva with a piece of chocolate mousse cake and I headed off so that Judy and I could take Gord and Helen out for a nice “Thank You” dinner at Horizons restaurant on Burnaby Mountain.  But, not before we stayed home long enough to witness yet ANOTHER gold medal for Canada in curling (and a bronze in bobsled); witnessing Canada tie the record for most gold medals won by any country in the Winter Olympics. AMAZING. Go Canada Go!

I just got back from dinner and as I write this, I’m heading off downtown to meet Heather and Taryn for some goodbye drinks. (And yes, you are right in understanding that I have been out for quite a few meals and ‘drinks’ these last few weeks!) Heather flies back to Oakville tomorrow but Taryn and I will be meeting up somewhere in Yaletown at 10am so we can scope out a good spot for tomorrow’s game. I can barely keep my eyes open right now but I’m determined to just sleep in March! Unfortunately, tomorrow night after the game will probably be an easy one for me as I do some laundry, watch the closing ceremonies, and get packed to leave for Hawaii on Monday. In the mean time, I can’t even anticipate the kind of craziness that will ensue in Yaletown tomorrow! Once in a lifetime for sure – can’t wait to see it…

Over and Out

Figure Skating Medalists

The last shift of my Olympic journey is officially over. Bummer. It was really hard to leave the coliseum (PAC) Thursday night; it feels as though I just had my first shift yesterday! Luckily, I got to work inside for my last shift, which was the Ladies free skate. Seeing Joannie Rochette win that bronze medal was a great way to cap-off my time there, even though I had one of the most stressful shifts of this experience! I worked in the section with the $450 seats (translate: ‘elite’/demanding clientele), and there were some broadcast/press seats in my section as well.

The broadcasters and press are an interesting group – they will try and get away with just about anything and do a really good job of convincing you that they have the correct information and you don’t. It’s easy to fall for it here because rules/policies change every 2-3 minutes, and answers always seem to depend on who you ask! But, I stayed firm but polite and throughout this experience, I have learned to pick my battles. I even made friends with a few of the NBC broadcasters; this was the 14th Olympics that one of them had covered! Additionally, this means that I was standing right beside the NBC broadcast booth where I was about 2 feet away from Scott Hamilton – very cool.

Pacific Coliseum: on the ice!

At the end of the night, a few of us volunteers went down to the kiss & cry area, and I made my second attempt at getting my picture taken at centre ice – success!! Just in time before we got kicked off. Definitely one of the most memorable experiences here. AND, I’d like to think that perhaps my standing on the ice had a positive effect on the men’s short track team who skated on it tonight – WOO HOO! Gold, Gold AND Bronze!! Judy and I were at the Great Big Sea medal ceremony at BC Place tonight, which was AMAZING (those boys never fail to disappoint) – but – I did find myself wishing that I had gone down to the coliseum for the short-track events instead. However, as I’ve learned from this adventure – you cannot be in two places at once.

Judy and I walked down to Yaletown after the medal ceremony, which was the same time that the hockey game let out. I would like to think that I’m good with words but, really? There’s nothing I can write here that will capture or describe what the vibe in this city was like tonight. With four medals won today, a forthcoming gold-medal hockey game, AND securing the top-country spot for gold medals – people were in celebration mode! My tolerance for completely obnoxious/drunk people has sky-rocketed since I’ve been in Vancouver, to the point where I can’t imagine what it would be like here without them! Judy and I sat on a heated patio on one of Yaletown’s main streets (Yes – a patio in February : ) and just watched as people danced and partied in the streets, having a great time. We made friends, high-fived all over the place with strangers, and it wasn’t uncommon for chants of “Go Canada Go” to break out completely spontaneously all throughout the night. It even continued when we hopped on the sky train – this group of guys just blew bazooka horns and whistles and yelled “Go Canada!” at the top of their lungs during our entire 15-minute ride home – and no one told them to put a sock in it. Heck – I would have told them to put a sock in it under normal circumstances, but, I loved every minute of it and high-fived them all as we got off the train….these are the moments I will miss the most about being here.

Me and Aunt Judy celebrating Canada's medals on a patio in February!

As this trip winds down, I’m trying to get in a few ‘last’ visits to some places and say some ‘last’ goodbyes to friends, in addition to squeezing in a few of the sights I haven’t seen yet. I met an old high-school friend (Kurt) and his girlfriend today for breakfast at a great little breakfast/brunch spot called Provence Marianside. It was great to catch-up with an old friend out here in Vancouver. I still haven’t been able to get to Grouse Mountain OR the Canadian Mint to see the Olympic medals (lines have been about 5-7 hours long) but Heather and I did make the trek out to the Richmond Oval after breakfast to try and get scalper tickets to today’s team-pursuit event. No luck, as it doesn’t appear the scalpers like to make the long trek out to Richmond. Instead, we hopped back on the Canada Line and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Granville Market. I’d have to say that the market is at the top of my all-time favourite places that I’ve been to/discovered since I’ve been out here. Yet again, it was tough to leave not knowing when I’ll be back for all that fresh food once again…

I’m hoping to squeeze in a trip to the Mint early Sunday morning before the hockey game, and Judy and I are heading out to Victoria for the day. Looking forward to the ferry ride as I’ve heard it’s beautiful.