Last hours

Just a short update to let you know about my last full day in China...

We hit up the 798 Art District with our friends for one last little adventure. It's an old factory district which has been reinhabited by artsy folks and their studios. It was a blast. Check out pictures; I was a little inspired and tried to be a little artsy myself.

Afterwards, it was dinner at Luga's in Sanlitun one last time. Believe it or not, Chris and Alysha have gone there for their signature burritos three times in the last 24 hours! I don't know if my stomach could handle it.

Tomorrow morning, Leroy and I will hop on the subway for our last (tears) ride to visit Mao at Tiananmen Square. It will be kind of creepy, seeing the preserved Chairman up close, but hey, when in Beijing... Then we'll grab our luggage and head to Beijing International to catch our flights back to the States.

Thanks to all of you who have kept up with my blog over these past weeks. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and hope you have, too! Please feel free to contact me at christinaharp010@gmail.com or through this blog if you'd like.

Xia xia, Christina

When I lived in Beijing...

When my fellow Boilermakers and I embarked on this crazy/wonderful journey, we asked ourselves, 'when is it okay to say you've actually lived in another place? Is it based on length of time, how much you embrace the culture and immerse yourself in the local life, or what?'

After much debate, we came to the conclusion that we indeed have lived in Beijing. We weren't put up in a fancy hotel, we had to find our own food, entertainment and really survive. We made the most of it, each in our own way, and here is a list compiled by our group about...

When we LIVED in China:

• I spent more time washing my clothes that I spent wearing them.
• A horn was always honking.
• I found out that corn is not only good on the cob but on popsicles as well
• Meals that cost less than one U.S. dollar were the norm.
• “Nearby” meant a 40-minute subway ride, minimum.
• I was a minority.
• I rediscovered books, as they were the only English “entertainment.”
• I never got used to be stared at constantly, and I will remember how that felt next time I am tempted to do the same.
• Bread had sugar in it and eggs were black.
• I waited in the bathroom next to Jennie Finch and Laura Berg (U.S. softball players).
• We learned how to wash our hair in the sink because mud showers were a weekly occurrence.
• Cramming yourself on the train was typical and sprinting at the transfer station was essential to assure a seat in the next train.
• We were all "pretty ladies," especially when someone wanted you to buy a knock-off handbag or a pearl necklace.
• We learned how to communicate with cab drivers without speaking a word of the same language.
• Lime and blueberry were flavors of potato chips.
• Adidas blue was the craze.
• Finding cheese felt like winning the lottery.
• Friendships blossomed and pre-conceived notions disappeared.
• I was inspired by the people but enraged by their system, and it became the most unsettling paradox I've ever experienced.
• There was a woman with a pet duck who took it for walks every morning around the campus of our university.
• The babies had crotch-less pants and were free to do their business whenever, wherever they pleased.
• I was both more proud and more embarrassed of my country than I had ever been in my life, all in one day.
• I fell in love with international track cycling in a serious way.
• A continuous struggle to do simple tasks taught me the true value of patience.
• My hair looked like it should have been called the Bird's Nest, but the Olympics became real and even more magical.
• I realized that it's easy to get by without the little things in life if you know you have western plumbing to go home to.
• Wrinkled clothes became common. Without a dryer and an iron, one had to rely on the wrinkles to come out while on hangers, which didn't happen most of the time.
• Watching television wasn't common. The Chinese television stations were all in Chinese but one so the time-killing TV viewing option wasn't available.
• I realized I take A LOT of amenities I have for granted, and I hope I never will again.
• I realized for all its problems, the U.S. is a pretty great country.
• Seeing a couple wearing matching shirts was no big thing.
• Getting your picture taken by someone with a camera phone was as common as a cold.
• Random people would try to practice their English with us.
• People would spit on the ground, anytime, anyplace.
• "No Smoking" never meant no smoking.
• The suspense of opening a door to a bathroom stall to find out if the toilet was Western or not was often our biggest thrill.
• We were the “loud Americans” everywhere we went. The Chinese are very quiet.
• We ate many, many meals not knowing what we were eating.
• The silkworms looked worse than they tasted.
• The bicycles were more dangerous than the buses.
• A lukewarm shower was something to be excited about.
• I realized how ethno-centric the U.S. really is.
• I learned the first two lines of "Beijing Huan Ying Ni" from an enthusiastic taxi driver who spoke no English.
• I made friends from all over the world that I know will last a lifetime.
• I found out that from China to America, Chinese food got lost in translation.
• Tourists/foreigners asked us for directions and we could actually help them out.
• We got our picture taken everywhere we went, even when sleeping on the subway.
• An hour-long massage was cheaper than a drink and sandwich at Starbucks.
• I consumed my body weight in white rice.

Bittersweet memories

I can't believe it. My time as a volunteer at Laoshan has finally come to a close, with the conclusion of the mountain bike events today. At times, it has felt like the days dragged on and on; others flew by and I wished I could pause and rewind them at least one more time.

Today was a mix of those moments. One one hand, it was a looong day. Due to the rain earlier in the week, the women's race was changed to this morning, while the men had their race this afternoon. I sweated gallons in the morning race; the sun was beating down on us and it was hot! I don't know how the ladies did almost two hours on the bikes, but there were a few DNFs due to dehydration and heat exhaustion.

On the other hand, I had to say goodbye to many of my Chinese friends that I was used to seeing all day, every day, at work. It was also sad to see the photographers go that I had gotten to know, some of them at every event I worked. The Olympics is crazy like that, everyone has been working and preparing so long for just a few short weeks. Then, before we know it, it's over.

And now it is. But today was another day full of little fun surprises. I got assigned to the medal ceremony photo position for both mountain bike races (aka right in front of all the action!) and so during the races I could go wherever I wanted, including up into the mountain to watch the riders. Val met me up there during the women's race and we were literally a foot from the action. Incredible. I am also proud to say I might have prevented a wreck because the girl who eventually got silver lost her water bottle out of its cage on the rocks near us, and no one made a move to grab it, so I ran out and got it out of the way. I kept it. Good souvenir, I think. They get millions, don't worry. A Belgian rider almost took out some spectators when he chucked his out into the crowd later on in the day. I don't understand how they have the energy to do that (or pick up their bikes high over their head at the end of the race like gold medalist Julien Absalon. By the way, I was standing with his family as they watched their son win his second Olympic gold. Love this job...

At the medal ceremony, I met a photog, Liz, who looked like she was about to pass out under all the camera gear she was carrying so I offered to help her carry it (against the rules but hey, it was hot out there). We got to talking and she's from the States, her husband is a professional Iron Man triathlete, and she is a very talented photographer. How do I know? She was the official photog for Team Discovery at the Tour de France (yes, Lance's team). She also does work for Lance's Livestrong Foundation. It's so fun to meet such interesting people everywhere here.

After I helped her out, she was asking me about the Trek store down the road and did I want to come to a reception there with her? Ummm yeah! So Val and I went with her to this reception where there was amazing American food (I had a grilled cheeseburger. You can't even imagine how good it tasted to me, especially after the long day I had), interesting people (we hung out with US mountain biker Mary McConneloug's family, and the team manager and PR people for USA Cycling), and of course, air conditioning and a place to sit down. After hanging out for a while, Val and I headed back to where our shuttle would pick us up to head back to the CUC.

Our volunteer friends started up some karaoke on the way back on the bus microphone. They even convinced Val and I to do a song (Backstreet Boys' Shape of My Heart). I figured out why the Chinese love to do karaoke so much--- they are actually good at singing! I was so impressed. I, on the other hand, am borderline tone deaf so I felt sorry for them. They cheered us on, though, so I wasn't too embarassed. One guy's voice cracked and they told him to stop in Chinese haha!

I can't believe this is almost over...

Pin trading and BMX biking

Yesterday marked the very first Olympic BMX race in the history of the Games. Pretty historic, and I had a prime view of all the action, stationed at what my photog friends called 'the best photo position at the venue'. Actually, if you want to be specific, they said the only good photo position at the venue. But, hey, I'm just a lowly photo position assistant, what do I know?

Today, it rained so much that the competition, including the BMX finals, were cancelled. It was a bummer; we all love watching the riders doing their jumps and riding around the hairpin turn (right in front of where I am standing) where multiple crashes have already occurred. It is an exciting sport, with a totally different dynamic than that of track cycling. We've now gone from calm, Olympic theme song music and riders in Spandex so tight it must cut off circulation, to blaring rock music, fans in skater shoes, and riders in baggy jerseys. I must say it's a welcome change. I loved track cycling but it is nice to see something different.

Since we didn't have to work, Val, Traci, Megan, Andrea, Amy and I went to find the USA House, a place where American athletes and accredited sponsors can go to eat, hang out, party and buy Team USA goods. There are houses like this for all of the major countries at the Games. Supposedly, any American who knows about it can get into the store, but the fussy Russian lady (yes, Russian) at the front desk wouldn't let Val and I in because we didn't have the proper credentials.

Well, as you know from previous blogs, this pair of go-getters does not give up easily. We walk out, and see another door on the other side of the building open. Bingo. We walk into a restaurant area, where people are hanging out, eating and chatting. It is like we are supposed to be there, all fellow Americans enjoying themselves and the Olympics. No problem. We wander around, and after a few minutes, I decide to ask the bartender where the shop is. Right down the stairs? Why thank you. We headed down to heaven. I could have bought you all something in that store. Okay, two things. All of it was so cool. But I kept it under control and purchased a long-sleeve tee and the cutest running shorts ever for myself, and a couple of gifts. It was hard, let me tell you, but I made it through. Whew. When we left, we exited through the entrance that the Russian was at. You should have seen the look on her face. Oops!

Due to the weather, BMX will now be held tomorrow morning before the women's mountain bike race. Another early morning, but oh well. Hopefully we'll have a better day for it.

In addition to the cycling events at our venue, I am also involved in another type of sport (almost), and that is pin trading. Many people with accreditation badges (like mine) or even just Olympic hats or shirts take part in trading pins from places around the world. These collectable items are coveted by people and are really fun to display. I am building a bit of a collection, with many of my pins coming from my photog friends that I've met over the duration of the Olympics.

My favorite pin that I have received is a boxing kangaroo that I received from an Australian journalist who is friends with Ron, our Aussie photo expert. I am also hanging onto a Reuters Beijing 2008 pin that I received from my pal Jacky, a French photog who works for Reuters. He gave it to me after I helped him out by purchasing two venue pins for him (that can only be found in spectator areas, where photogs aren't allowed). Also, I told him that we volunteers didn't get any coffee; that it can only be found in the media lounge (where we aren't allowed) and so now he asks me every morning and afternoon if I need any coffee. Of course the answer is usually yes!

Iron people, 3 pieces

That is the literal meaning of the Chinese translation for 'triathlon'. The men's triathlon was today. Val and I left at seven a.m. to get on the subway to take our favorite 919 bus to the K34 Olympic bus to the Triathlon venue, where we were hoping to get a glimpse of the action. We didn't have tickets, but that didn't faze us. We were determined to find a spot alongside the road where we could cheer on our USA athletes.

On the subway, we happened to be next to a couple who looked as if they were headed to the same place (she was wearing a USAT shirt... hm, I wonder!), and soon they asked us if we were going. We told them of our situation and we all braved the Beijing bus system together. Matthew and Alayna were great, and half the fun of the Olympics is meeting all kinds of people from around the world... or at least the other side of the country!

I have to admit, I was a little more skeptical of our plan than Val, but she was sure that we would be able to watch the race. We got off the bus and began walking up the hill to the security tents where you gained access to the venue. I don't know what I was so nervous about, but I really hoped someone would just hand us some tickets. Val was more proactive, thank goodness, and started asking spectators if they had extras.

Sure enough, an American guy said he had one. One. Oh no. We couldn't leave each other out of the fun. But Val took one for the team, and told me I had to go no matter what. The guy, a friend of Matt Reed's, sold it to me at face value (so nice!) for only about 7.50 USD. I was in! I headed up to go through security while Val continued her search.

A few minutes after I was in the venue, she called me with great news: she had found a ticket as well! Someone actually just gave it to her... we played our cards right, I suppose, by staying at the bottom of the hill and catching people early. There were many wannabe spectators at the top holding out wads of cash, hoping to score some tickets.

I considered myself lucky and was so thankful for the opportunity to see world-class athletes compete in an exciting sport at a beautiful venue. Amazing.

But it gets better: after Val and I watched the swim conclude and the bike portion of the race begin, we decided to find an area that someone recommended as a good viewing point of a hill climb. We ended up somehow in a restricted area for athletes, media and race officials only! Oops! We did have our Olympic credentials on (they let you ride the public transportation for free), but I mean, I had an American flag draped around my neck-- we definitely didn't look ready to work.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining. We stood at an amazing position so we were facing the athletes head on at a turn before they entered the transition area! It was fantastic. We met some nice people while we were enjoying our view, and I even saw a photographer that I work with at the Velodrome. They're everywhere...

We headed back up to the spectator area (somewhat reluctantly) and watched the rest of the race from there. Val and I had a great time, and were glad we were persistent and didn't give up on our quest for the triathlon tickets. We watched Jan Frodeno cross the finish line to his gold medal and then cheered on Team USA as they finished the race.

After the conclusion of the race, it was time to head back to Laoshan for our last day of track cycling. I watched as Vicky Pendleton of Great Britain dominated the women's sprint finals, while fellow Brit Chris Hoy won his third gold medal in the men's sprint. These two are unstoppable and unbeatable. It was a great show.

Argentina took home the gold in the men's Madison, which is similar to points race but done with partners and even more complicated. I really think I would have had at least three crashes going ten times slower than what these guys were riding. It was crazy to see them all coordinating their relays as they zoomed around the track. I was happy to see another country take home some hardware (Great Britain totally dominated the track scene), especially because one of the riders, Juan Esteban Curuchet, is, at 43, the oldest track cyclist at the Olympics. It was also his final international competition, since he is retiring.

The Purdue photo group went to an amazing burrito place in Sanlitun after work. My chicken burrito was so good! It was a great end to a fantastic day. Goodnight!

Crazy for triathlon

Soooo I tried to get tickets. And tried and tried. I did not succeed in this, obviously, since I am on my computer writing this.

But, on the bright side of things, I am watching the women's triathlon live right now on CCTV2. And it is awesome! Go USA!

I tried to buy tickets off of mean people on the street, I tried to find them online (they all had been sold already), and now I am seeing tons of empty seats in the stands at transition. This is what it's been like for almost all events in Beijing. People are sad because the seats are there, but the tickets aren't. I think if I were an athlete I'd be sad to see that.

I am rooting for all of the Americans, of course, but especially Julie Ertel. I watched her win the US Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa, Ala. this spring. She is so nice and a great competitor. This is a photo of her with myself and some of the Purdue Triathlon Club members after she won her bid to the Olympics.

Go Julie Go! U-S-A, U-S-A!

Laura Bennett just finished fourth!! Amazing performance!

Hot pot and record timing

Oh what a day (two days ago...)!

I went with my Chinese friends Lake, Angell and Sherry for a shopping adventure in the city. We were trying to find paper that I can take home for my scrapbook that I am going to make for the trip. We went to the neighborhood surrounding the art museum, where there are lots of art shops but unfortunately they were the wrong kind of store, selling mostly art supplies and more expensive paintings.

No worries, we had fun nonetheless, and I found a cute little notebook that I had to have. My friends were pretty amused at my eager excitement of simple things like a notebook (those of you who know me, surprise-surprise, right?) Then we moved on to bigger and better things-- lunch!

Lake wanted me to try Hot Pot, a traditional Chinese meal style that most closely resembles fondue in the States, I think. There is a large pot of scalding hot water heated by coals in a container in the center of the pot. You dip meats and vegetables into the water and voila! they are cooked! Afterwards you can dip them in a peanut sauce, which was fantastic!

My favorite things were the shrimp balls and the beef. We all stuffed ourselves so full we could barely move! Oh, for dessert we had hawthorn berries. Interesting.

Now it was time for work. Stuffed and sleepy, we made our way to the subway and went off to Laoshan for the second day of track cycling. When I got there, everyone was telling me that I did a good job the day before and I didn't really think anything of it, but then Lisa, one of my supervisors, told me that I had been chosen as 'Volunteer of the Day' for the first day of events and that I had won a prize (cute little Fuwa stuffed animals-- the whole set!) Pretty exciting, I was really happy that they thought I was doing good work.

I watched Chris Hoy win another gold medal (2 for 2 now!) and hurriedly changed back into regular clothes to head to the Bird's Nest to catch the last of the track and field events for the day. Val, Chris and Alysha had all taken the day off so they were already there along with some of the Aussie and American students that are in our group, so I was on my own to get there.

I wish you had all taken the Beijing subway so you understand my journey. I felt like it should be a new Olympic event. As I ran through each transfer station on the way to the next train (I took five on this trip), I was 'that' crazy American girl. I felt like everyone was staring at me but oh well. I was not going to miss that 100m men's final, no way.

Finally, I arrived at the Olympic Green! Finally, I could see the Bird's Nest, or National Stadium, in all it's awesomeness. Absolutely fantastic venue. It's even more beautiful in person than in pictures, I can tell you. I quickly found my group and was able to catch the 800m final of the women's heptathlon. USA came away with the bronze medal-- yay!

Val quickly painted my face so I could be patriotic for the race we were all waiting to see. The sprinters are absolutely crazy, and I know you already know what happens but I was so thrilled to witness Bolt setting the new world record in person! The crowd went wild! It was exhilarating to be there, caught up in the moment, cheering with the whole world. And to make it even better, Walter Dix brought home the bronze for the US. Hooray!! We cheered and cheered until we couldn't cheer anymore.

We left the venue and took pictures around the Olympic Green. Kelsey and I had a blast finding the Today show taping area and convinced the security guards to let us have a quick photo on a show golf cart (I'm convinced it's Matt's, but who knows?!)

An exhausting day but well worth it all. I am so lucky to be here!