Maybe you can have a rest?

Yesterday at work may have been the best worst day I've had on the job so far. Training consisted of learning the location of the photo positions at the velodrome and BMX course. This is probably the sixth time I've 'learned' this. But, hey, at least I will be able to identify them when I am 80 years old, blindfolded, spun around til I'm dizzy, and asked to point them out. Just so you know, when we try to take initiative and ask one of our Chinese supervisors if we can help with something, they usually answer with "No, I don't think so? Maybe you can have a rest?" Frustrating. Six hours a day for this? I can't wait until our events begin and I will have some real responsibility.

The highlight of the day was during our 'rest' after lunch, when Alysha and I took our rest at the track. Cyclists from Ireland, the Netherlands (lots of medals to be won for this team), Germany, and Belgium were scheduled to practice and we are so fortunate to be able to have front-row seats! A few notes about the teams: the lone cyclist from Ireland was so sweet, taking pictures of his staging area (where his bikes and equipment are kept in the center of the track); it was really neat to see the athletes excited about riding at the Olympics. Then there were the mighty riders from Deutschland; they were HUGE and didn't seem to be phased by anything in their fancy sunglasses and gear. One sprinter is about 5'5" and his thighs are larger than my torso. I'm not even exaggerating this-- kinda scary. The Dutch cyclists were the ones to be watching, however, with Theo Bos (he holds the world record in the 200m sprint) and the entire team riding swiftly around the track. Be watching for the Dutch, British, and Australian teams to bring home the medals in track events.

I am really getting into track cycling and will continue to follow it after the Olympics. There is a different element of excitement to it versus road cycling, so I think I can now say I am becoming a cycling fan, all around. I can't wait to learn more!

Speaking of learning, I had a chat (versus a conversation, which I had to explain the difference between) with some of the Chinese volunteers so they could practice their English in regards to our venue and events. I love talking to them and helping them out-- they are truly keeping Val, Chris, Alysha and I sane during our less than stimulating workdays.

So, Zoey asks me: "Christina, may I ask you a phrase. What does it mean in English? What is 'nice ass'? You can imagine my reaction: shocked laughter, followed by asking her where she heard this... turns out her friend is a volunteer at the shooting sports venue and was told this by an American athlete. Wow. What a goodwill ambassador. Zoey asked if this were good or bad and I had to explain to her what it meant and that it was not really a very polite compliment; that he should have said she was beautiful or pretty. It is harder than you think to explain something like this. Later, Alysha was asked the meaning of 'shorty', which one of the girls heard in a rap song. Sometimes I just wish I spoke Chinese.

The Olympic torch arrived in Beijing, too. I saw it as I was riding the subway to work, where everyone's eyes were glued to the TV. Turns out it was at the amusement park next to Laoshan, so we could have gone and watched it but of course our bosses told us when it was too late to go over. We watched it on BTV and wished we were there.

Later in the evening, we celebrated Andrea's birthday with a smörgåsbord of American foods and an amazing cake from a bakery. It even had chocolate coins inside it! It was a lot of fun and nice to enjoy some foods from home. You will probably be shocked at some of the things that we were so excited about: Doritos, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, gummy bears, pizza with cream cheese or peanut butter smeared on, milk, cheese, and crackers. Yum!