…and counting!

Three weeks today, I will be touching down in Vancouver! I can’t believe this is happening so soon. I’m usually the type of person who would have everything organized by now; sure of what I’m going to pack, where I have to go, what I’m going to see. But the packing is stressing me out a bit and thinking about getting around a huge city I’m not familiar with is also a little overwhelming, so I keep putting it out of my mind! Luckily, Terri is an expert planner and has created a good little plan for us to ensure that every moment that I’m not working, I’ll be seeing everything Vancouver has to offer. We’ve planned to hit Granville Island, Capilano Bridge, the Vancouver Aquarium, Stanley Park and a couple of other sites. In addition, Vancouver is setting up some great LiveCity attractions where you can watch Olympic events live in several outdoor pavilions – very cool. I want to make sure that I still experience some of the Olympics while I’m not working, as being at home, I’d usually have them on TV in the background 24/7.

I’m so lucky to have so many friends and family coming out to Vancouver as well, and the list keeps getting bigger and bigger. I want to make sure that I have some time to see all of them at least once, so I’m trying to get everyone’s schedules! I’m probably the most excited to do some stuff with Erin and Tye. We’re going to take Tye to the Vancouver Aquarium, which I know he’ll love, and Erin says he’s already super excited for the hockey game. Spending time with Erin will be especially awesome, since going to the Vancouver Olympics is something we’ve been planning for years now. Still can’t believe it’s actually happening….

As the Olympics get closer, I also keep seeing lots of cool ads and promos that are really getting me psyched. Here’s one of my favourites from Coca-Cola: “He Shoots, He Scores!” If this doesn’t make you feel the Canadian pride, I don’t know what will!

Step By Step

This whole volunteer application process has really been a step by step process. When I applied way back in March, I had so many concerns about how much the trip could cost, whether or not I’d have accommodation, how I could take that much time off work, etc., etc. However, I figured that if I was going to apply, I’d  have to just deal with each hurdle as it came up; wait for A, then worry about B. Figure B out, then worry about C…and so on. And although I’m literally mid-process now, I find that these little hurdles keep arising, and I have to continue to take each one step by step.

So far, the steps in the process have looked something like this:

1. Apply
2. Wait…and wait some more
3. Secure accommodation
4. More waiting
5. Interview
6. Look at flight options and costs
7. Talk to my boss
8. Wait
9. Get my offer
0. Talk to HR
11. Get my volunteer schedule
12. Book my flight
13. Change my schedule because of date conflicts
14. Get assigned a new role

Each time I have gotten one step further, I have crossed another hurdle. Today’s hurdle involves transportation – something I never considered to be an issue because not only to volunteers get free access to all public transit during the games, but because I also knew they were going to be adding a lot more routes and times. But, since my accommodations are actually in Burnaby and many of my shifts start at 5am, turns out – I may NOT be able to get to my venue that early in the A.M. via public transit (based on the schedules I’ve looked at). I’d probably have to be getting on the bus/train by about 4:15am, and it doesn’t seem that they’ll be running until 5am. I’ve since emailed my Events Services coordinator and explained my concerns. Luckily, he’s been very understanding and is going to see if there’s another transit option I haven’t considered. Safety is also a concern for me, as I’m not too excited about walking several blocks to a bus station by myself in the dark at that hour.

Fortunately, this isn’t something that will make or break my role and with any luck, I’m hoping they might just give me some later shifts! LOL. The nice thing about problems like this is that they know we’re volunteers – they can only expect so much! Having said that, the last thing I want is to be difficult, and I certainly don’t want to risk putting my offer on the line. The good news is that the closer we get to the games, the fewer hurdles there will be to figure out.

One of the exciting next steps I took this week, involved signing up for a time to get my uniform and volunteer accreditation! It just made me realize how close this is really getting….71 days and counting!