Quest for World Exploration

Pre-departure nerves

sweetenyourday — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:30:00 GMT

This is certainly not my first time out of the country, but it is the first time I've had zero plans about what I'm actually doing. I do not fly by the seat of my pants. I like to pretend I do, but in the end I need schedule and the assurance of a bed. All we know for sure is the flights in and out. Tomorrow will be packing and working out details...

Winding down

sweetenyourday — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Well, tomorrow is my last day of work here in BeiJing. It's been an amazing experience. I've seen all that goes on for a broadcast from runing cable to escorting gymnasts. I am not looking forward to the flight home, but I know I'll have the best responses when people ask what I did this summer :)

A little more

sweetenyourday — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:10:00 GMT

Two days straight. Look at me go! This post is pointless really. Did I talk about the great wall yet? I went to the wall the other day. we took a chairlift to the top and this awesome toboggan to get down. it was fun. actually walking on the wall was tiring because it gets really steep and you have to actually climb. whew! plus, we rode with this crazy guy in a ghetto little van. i thought we were going to die. that was the shadiest thing i have ever agreed to.

ps. im open to comments or questions. id love to have feedback from whoever is reading.

What a day!

sweetenyourday — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:45:00 GMT

To catch you up, things have been absolutely incredible since my last post. I have a new job, broadcast liason, which means I get to boss people around. It's awesome. Added bonuses, I get to be in the venue and watch the competition and talk with people from all over the world. Today, for example, I made friends with some Romanians, Canadians, a secret service man, and a former gymnast. And I got to see Mr. George Bush, the elder. And I even spoke a little French. Okay, it was more like I understood what he was saying and said "oui".

Later we went to the Today Show set and got our picture with Al. I am on cloud nine.

Let the Games begin!

sweetenyourday — Sat, 9 Aug 2008 10:11:00 GMT

Today is the first day of competition. We tried to find a place to watch the opening ceremony last night, but couldnt get anywhere in time. so i ended up falling asleep on my bed and catching glimpses of the fireworks out my window.

The good news is that they found a job for me. The bad news is that I wont be in the venue. Im now doing archiving, which means i sit in the technical cabin and record all the feeds from gymnastics and swimming/diving. not very exciting, but better than nothing.

Its kind of weird to be working here. I havent seen most of the actual 'sights' but everyone has been talking about them, so i feel like im living under a rock. ive been trying to get out places after work, but that means i get to bed late and am really tired in the morning. we're hoping to work out a work schedule so we have some time off. maybe ill get to see the great wall.

Getting into the routine

sweetenyourday — Tue, 5 Aug 2008 20:05:00 GMT

It's been a couple days since I started working, and I'm getting into the routine. Up by 7, breakfast, 840 shuttle, work til 6, shuttle home, dinner somewhere, hang out with my suitemates, bed by 1. there really isnt a lot of time for fun. alhtough, i dont really do a lot at work, so i guess i could bring a deck of cards to even it out.

The cool part about my job is that I work with Belgians, Australians, Chinese, Spaniards, Japanese, Portugese, Germans, and Canadians. It's a dream come true in that regard.

HOWEVER, work actually has been pretty frustrating. I've just been pulling cables and whatnot until now. It's a lot of waiting around. My contract has me as an audio assistant, but I found out today that this position doesnt really exist. All the microphones are placed. No one needs to hold any during the events. So there go all my expectations out the window. No one knows what I'll actually be doing during the games now. So we'll see how this works out.

At last

sweetenyourday — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:04:00 GMT

Ni hao! I am for the first time posting from China. Today will be my second full day, and so far I'm having an absolute blast. I'm staying in the Olympic Media Village, and I feel like a rockstar. Everyone has gone above hospitable to make sure the guests are taken care of. I went to see the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square yesterday. Both are incredible. The funniest thing, though, is that -to along with the rockstar status- people always want to take my picture. I've had 10 people ask to pose with me, and probably a dozen more just snap pictures without asking. One time I was trying to take a picture of someone else, and there was about 5 guys with big cameras to my left taking pictures of ME! I thought it was hilarious. I can laugh only because I know I'm not the only one. My friends Graham and Marshall had almost as many requests. We think it has to do with us being American and wearing our Olympic credentials.

So thats the trip thus far. I think we're off to see Chang Cheng AKA the Great Wall!

Countdown continues

sweetenyourday — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:14:00 GMT

It's hard for me to believe I only have a weekend left. Last week I was sleeping in a teepee in the woods; next week I'll be in a hotel in Beijing. Guys, God is amazing. I was thinking how incredible it would be to have a Chinese kid at camp. I didnt think that would actually happen, but IT DID! We had a really cool kid who was on vacation from China visiting his relatives in Cherry Hill, NJ. So I got to hang out with him all week.

Now I am trying to get the next four weeks of life together and savor my last moments at home. Yay China!

Bound for Beijing

sweetenyourday — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:21:00 GMT

The countdown has reached one week. One week until I cross the world to visit one of the oldest and most interesting civilizations. And to top it off, I'll be at the biggest event in the universe: the olympics. I am super pumped but simultaneously nervous. This isn't just me traveling around on a whim; this is work. The world is watching (and in my case, listening!)