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.

Winding down…

Well,  the Canadian women are rocking the podium here in Vancouver. I only learned of our gold AND silver bobsleigh wins when I got home from work last night, and heard about Clara Hughes’ medal win during my break. Women’s hockey goes today too and I’m watching the Canadian women’s curling as I write this as well. There’s been a lot of talk here about how much pressure has been on our athletes and although some have faltered under the pressure, it doesn’t take away from the amazing moments of those who have ended up on the podium.

I also got to witness first-hand, our silver medal win at the Coliseum short track last night, as well as Joannie Rochette’s short program skate on Tuesday night. I’m trying to remember how great those kinds of perks are, since I’ve been stationed outside AGAIN for those last two shifts. Now that the rain and cold have returned to Vancouver, it’s been especially miserable to be stuck outside and not getting to see anything happening in the arena. I timed my 15-minute break on Tuesday so I could go in to watch Joannie skate, and yesterday, I all but begged my team leader to put me inside for the last hour of my shift since my ratio of working outside: inside is about 8:2. It’s unfortunate too, because they had supposedly developed a system to have the outside/inside shifts balanced but volunteers have figured out the system and some are not pulling their weight when deployed to outside posts. I’ve heard some people complain about working 50/50 and I want to tell them to just put a sock in it! And, I’ve talked to some volunteers who have worked inside more than 85% of their shifts! It’s particularly hard too because a significant number of volunteers have dropped off now that we are at the tail-end of things. That’s to be expected I guess since we’re all volunteers and there’s really no consequences to not showing up for shifts (except that the rest of us have to pull the extra weight).

Additionally, a challenging but interesting part of this experience has been that volunteers here come from all different work backgrounds with varying experiences; everyone has some other kind of ‘day job’ that 99% of the time, is unrelated to the volunteer job they’re performing here. Unfortunately, this means that many of our volunteers do not have extensive (or ANY) customer service experience and that has created for some cringe-worthy moments. I underestimated how important my customer service background would be during the games, and I wish they had screened for that a bit better when they were accepting volunteers – it’s made for some interesting shifts, that’s for sure!

To keep volunteers motivated, they’ve been giving us little gifts for every three shifts we work. Last night for my 9th shift, I got a beautiful Vancouver 2010 pendant from Birk’s jewelers. Anyway, I’m hoping I can pull the “It’s my last shift today” card and they’ll assign me to a post inside. There are a lot of inside duties that I haven’t performed yet (ticket-taking, mixed press zone etc.) that I’d like a chance to try. Not to mention that I’d love to watch Joannie’s final skate tonight. I’m sure it will be just as emotional as Tuesday – the crowd was unbelievable and you could just feel their support for her; she seemed so genuinely grateful and appreciative of it too. Myself and the fellow volunteer beside me were just streaming tears when she was finished. Really keeping my fingers crossed for her tonight….

With Elizabeth Manley, 1988 Olympic Silver Medalist

It is so hard for me to believe that today is my last shift!! It feels like I just started this adventure yesterday and I’m not sure I’m ready for it to be over yet. The greatest thing has been waking up every day and having absolutely no idea what the day will bring; it will be difficult going back to work and knowing exactly what to expect every day. When I was posted outside on Tuesday, I worked the media/VIP screening area again and got to see so many famous figure skaters come through the gates: Elizabeth Manley, Jennifer Robinson, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, Tara Lapinski – the list goes on. It has been very cool getting to see/interact with some of the skaters that I followed so thoroughly in my teens (when I went through an ‘obsessed with figure skating’ phase). Apolo Ohno also strolled right by me the other day, as did the silver medalists from the women’s 3,000 metre relay.  I would never say that it’s starting to get old, but seeing these accomplished athletes just walking right be me every day HAS become somewhat normal!

Kiss & Cry

I’ve had some pretty incredible moments here. Last night was probably one of the most memorable – Luc stopped by work after my shift, as we had planned a little goodbye dinner before he was scheduled to fly out this morning. We went down to the lower concourse of the arena and snuck into the “Kiss & Cry” area where the skaters sit after their performance. It was so neat to sit there and look around at that huge empty arena. Then, I walked out to the centre of the ice and stood on the Vancouver 2010 logo. I took a few long seconds to just take it all in. What an overwhelming moment – it sounds cliche, but you could almost feel the pressure, frustration and pure bliss of the athletes who compete on that ice. I looked up and around for a few seconds but before Luc could snap a picture of it, we got called off the ice. Nevertheless, it’s a moment I will never forget.

So, I get ready to head off for my last shift today and to say goodbye to more friends before I enjoy some of the events lined up over the next few days. I have tickets to the Great Big Sea medal ceremony tomorrow night, which should be a blast, and  I can’t wait for the men’s gold medal game on Sunday. Also keeping fingers crossed for Charles Hamelin again tomorrow night – wish I could go to see that too (short track) but it’s the same time as the medal ceremony; there’s just too much happening all at once here!!! Judy and I have also booked a trip to Victoria on Saturday which I’m really looking forward to. We even booked ‘High Tea’ at the Empress Hotel (which was not cheap!) but as I mentioned in my last post – everything here can be justified with “It’s once in a lifetime!” Heather and I might rent a car and do some more sightseeing tomorrow, or – we might try and get tickets for the hockey game. Once again, you never know what the day might bring….

Let the Sunshine In

Flowers blooming at Gord & Helen's

I cannot get over the amount of sunshine that we’ve seen here over the last few days. I know the mild weather is not good for these winter sporting events and all, but I’m rather enjoying it! Even just the few days of rain we had last week were brutal and miserable, but with the sun out, it brings about a change in attitude and makes Vancouver even more stunning than it has appeared.

Well, that icky sick feeling I was having last night has turned into a full fledged cold and I was NOT feeling good when I woke up this morning; sore throat, stuffy nose, headache – the works. I was glad that I hadn’t planned anything before work today because I needed a morning to sleep in a bit and have some time to just relax. My days have literally been jam-packed full from morning ’til night since I arrived, and as Judy, my spinning instructor says, you have to listen to your body (shout-out to Judy and my spinning crew!) I wish I’d done that a few days ago when I was getting the clear signs to slow down, but I didn’t – and now I’m paying the price.

Sheila, Gabe, Chris, Chris, Wes and Me

Yesterday I was back at work after three days off for events and family/friends visits! Two of my best friends, Gabe and Wes, arrived on Wednesday night so I got up early yesterday to meet them and their friends (Chris, Chris and Sheila) for breakfast at Waterfront. It was great to have a nice big breakfast of bacon, eggs etc. like the Sunday breakfasts I’ve been missing with my friends back home. We also spent some time at the Olympic cauldron and I was able to get some better pictures. Given that Gabe and Wes were only in Vancouver one day before heading up to Whistler, we spent the morning walking around in the beautiful sunny weather and seeing the major sights. We hit Robson Square, Canada Place, the Canadian Mint (they have an exhibit there where you can actually hold a gold medal but the line was 3 hours long! I will DEFINITELY be squeezing this in before I go though!) and the Olympic countdown clock (which is actually counting up now!) We wanted to hit some of the Olympic pavilions but the lines there were enormous as well. If you want to do anything in this city right now, you have to arrive early in the morning if you want to avoid 2-3 hour line-ups!

Me and Luc at spectator plaza - check out our view!

I left Gabe, Wes and the crew at the LiveCity Downtown to head off to work. Have I mentioned the beautiful walk in the sunshine? : ) After a quick call to my Nonna before starting work (it’s been impossible to find time to call home at decent hours!) I met up with Luc and Jodi for the pre-briefing and just my luck – we get assigned outside duty – AGAIN. This time we were working at the ‘plaza’ which is where all the spectators and sponsors arrive. Luc and I (who have become partners in crime) got posted at the sponsor tent so while it was a bit less busy, we also deal with a bit more frustration because there are no x-ray machines, and all bags, coats etc. must be checked manually. Translation: lots of security checks and lines don’t move as quick. But as always, good company and a little bit of sunshine made the time go faster : )

Me and Sara - cold but smiling!

After our dinner break, we were sent back outside where temperatures had dropped drastically. At this point, many of the entrance tents (called PSAs) had closed, and we were WAY overstaffed so there was a bit of milling around. Lucky for us this meant an additional break (we’re usually too busy to take our second breaks) so Luc and I timed it so we were able to catch Patrick Chan skate inside the Coliseum. Very cool, even though he didn’t do as well as we’d hoped. At the end of the night, we were the lucky folks assigned to direct spectators to the buses and sky train – a LONG walk from the actual exit of the coliseum. Luc was the ‘chosen one’ who got to use the megaphone to give directions, while myself and a fellow volunteer, Sara, were directing spectators into the bus line. By this point, we were freezing cold and somewhat delirious so Sara and I were laughing up a storm. I honestly can’t tell you how much the people here make the difference in this job – I’ve been stuck with some not so good people too and it makes me appreciate the fun ones even more. Even though we had a seemingly boring job (standing in the cold and dark, with a flashlight, repeating over and over “Games Express Bus to your right, Downtown bus to your left”) we managed to have a good time. I actually forgot how much I enjoyed working in customer service, and it was fun to joke and chat with the spectators as they were leaving. There were even a few spectators who stopped to thank us volunteers for standing out in the cold and directing people – it’s always nice to know we’re appreciated as the volunteer force here is huge, and we’re working our BUTTS off to make sure that the Games are a success.

When my shift ended at 10:30pm, I went down to Canada Place at the waterfront to meet my aunt Judy so we could take the bus home together, and what a cool vibe down there at night! It’s only a block from the Olympic cauldron and there are tons of people milling around just enjoying the Olympic spirit. I had a short walk from the bus top to waterfront and it was so fun to just people-watch; I’ve had a few of these moments where I’ve caught myself just witnessing the energy of this city and the Olympics, and trying to soak it all in….

Our team enjoying some ice cream in the warm sunshine!

After waking up to a cold but another sunshine day (I am thankful for Advil Cold & Sinus today), Gord dropped me off at Kilarney Community Centre for my shift today, a mere 10 minutes from where I’m staying. Kilarney is where the short track speed skaters are running their practices. What a difference from the Coliseum!! The staff here is very small so everybody knows everyone very well (a big change from the 100-volunteer workforce for each shift at the Coliseum). It’s also much more laid back so not as strict, and fewer access control points. Given the small venue and workforce, it meant we were able to move positions every hour instead of having to be stuck on the same post our whole shift. I got rotated between the check-in desk (inside), the PSA tent (outside), the media access control point and the athlete entrance (both inside the rink). The arena was absolutely FREEZING so today it was actually a nice break to get put outside in the sunshine. It was also great to have a more low-key shift today given that I wasn’t feeling well; things at the coliseum can get really chaotic, but this was the absolute opposite – some of the staff even took time out to visit the ice cream truck that came by!

I have to give props to the security teams that we work with here. Each PSA tent has a volunteer team and a security team. Today when I was working the PSA, the security team caught a gun and a knife through the X-ray machine. Turns out it was just a random security test but they passed with flying colours following all the proper procedures. I’ll admit that I was quite nervous at first when I saw what was going on and found out they caught a gun, because the guy came in as a member of the press. Next thing I know, I see the cops physically handcuffing him and putting him under arrest (our security and police teams don’t know it’s a test until the end of their shift). It’s great to know that VANOC is doing random checks to ensure tight security at all their venues.

I was lucky enough to be inside the arena to watch the Chinese skaters do their training, as well as to watch the Canadian short track team warming up. It was all I could do NOT to take pictures!!! (They are very strict about this – especially with the athletes). At one point, I was standing about a foot away from our silver medalist, Marianne St-Gelais as well as Tania Vincent and Kalyna Roberge. AMAZING. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe I’m here. Watching the short track skaters train was incredible. We were right up at the ice and you can hear the edges of the blades across the ice and really feel the speed they’re going at; a lot harder to grasp on TV or in the stands. It has been a super exciting sport to witness and I find it much more entertaining than the long track skating.

But, one of the best perks of my shift tonight? I won two tickets to the Medal Ceremony at BC Place the night that Great Big Sea is playing (Feb 26)! For those of you who don’t know, I am a HUGE Great Big Sea fan. I wanted to get tickets to this ceremony before even coming out here, but it was the first one to sell out. At the end of each shift, we can fill out a little quiz for a prize and I’ve NEVER bothered to fill out before. But, when I heard what the prize was, I thought “Why not?” Funnily enough, my name was actually drawn for the consolation prize (an Olympic mug) but the real prize-winner was not going to be able to make the ceremony/concert and so by default – I got the tickets!! So excited, and a great way to end my time in Vancouver.

I got home just in time tonight to finally witness Canada win a gold medal LIVE!! Yay for Jon Montgomery! I’m so proud of how our athletes are performing here. Virtue and Moir are also 2nd after the compulsory dance so I’m hoping I might be lucky enough to see their next skate on Sunday INSIDE the coliseum.

Now, off to bed to shake this cold. REALLY hoping a good night’s sleep will do the trick so I can catch Charles Hamlin’s race tomorrow…

View of North Vancouver near the Olympic Cauldron

International Brodcasting Centre near Canada Place

Some great sponsor ads all over Vancouver

A Quickie

It’s 1am here and I’m absolutely exhausted from getting up early to meet the boys for breakfast, and then working outside for my entire shift today. I’m starting to feel a bit run-down and hope I’m not coming down with something. I think what I need is a good night’s sleep! No energy for a blog at the moment, but hope to sum-up today’s thoughts in a good post tomorrow. In the mean time, congrats to Londoner Christine Nesbitt on Canada’s THIRD gold medal!!! Woo hoo! That ‘owning the podium’ stuff is starting to become more of a reality for our Canadians…

Also, here’s another pic I took of the cauldron – looks really cool at night. Enjoy and stay tuned for more of an update tomorrow.