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Beijing's airport must have seen a sharp spike in revenues the last few days, with all the excess baggage fees and overweight charges paid by departing visitors. I came with two luggage, but left with three! I am so glad I went ahead and bought the extra suitcase.


While I was not able to visit the Great Wall, I did find time to wander the old Hutongs of Beijing. I was also able to do a quick visit to the Forbidden City.

In the end, it's not a matter of what I was able to see, but what I have felt. I met so many wonderful people. Whether or not you choose to believe that the Chinese government has in fact sanitized the city for this event, there is no denying that the welcome I felt from the people I met was genuine. This, is what made it memorable.

Scorpions, silk worms, and sheep balls

Right after Derek's 800m run last night, we headed to the famous Wang Fu Jing district for the night market. We have heard so much about its food stalls and the "delicacies" served.

There was a long row of food stalls, brightly lit with red lanterns. I didn't even want to know if the food was kept at a safe temperature or whether the vendors are subject to health inspections. No matter, as we made a bee line to the stalls where the "delicacies" were. Yes, there they were -- scorpions, silk worms, sheep balls (and penis -- eat as a pair, the guy told us), sea horse, snakes, lizards...

Our last competition is today, with Sean's 500m semi final event. The weather forecast was dead on -- thunderstorms. It is absolutely pouring right now.
Such is Beijing weather. One day nice and hot, the next thunder and lightning.

Almost showtime!

Yesterday was boat control, and today was the team leaders' meeting. It is all coming together, and I am getting quite excited. Almost there!

The purpose of boat control is to weigh the canoes/kayaks and review the uniforms, equipment, and canoe for logo compliance. The IOC is very strict about how many, how large, and where the manufacturers' logos are.

Our C-1 ended up being "exactly" 16kg, which is the minimum. For good measure, we had to add 4grams. Wouldn't want to be dq'd for something we had control over. There was doubt about the size of "GUAM" and the Guam seal on the uniform being too large. Fortunately, this was resolved at the team leaders' meeting this morning. Supposedly, the country name and flag/logo can be of any size. I hope the volunteers at check in realizes this!

Well, I've got the bib number for Sean. It's all for real now.

His first event, 1000m, will be tomorrow at 4pm. Can't wait.

August 16

Yesterday, we all cheered on for RJ. It was the first time I have ever watched a Judo match. I didn't know what to expect; but because the Chinese characters for Judo is "the gentle way", what I saw was not what I had in mind. There wasn't anyone to explain to me what was happening, so I was totally clueless as to how RJ lost. It was only later on that Neil explained to us that RJ lost because he wasn't aggressive enough and accrued penalties as a result. Oh well. He gave his all.

Being here, you cannot help but be immersed in the sporting world. Not only did I watch a Judo match, but also later in the evening, I watched USA women's basketball team beat Spain.

As I settled into my seat, Julienne elbowed me and told me to look to my right. To her and Jay's excitement, Lebron and Kobe and the rest of the USA basketball team were seated next to us. Just five seats away. I truly didn't appreciate the good fortune until half time. The moment the game took a break, a MOB descended onto our section; thankfully, the security guards prepared themselves and buffered us from the mob. There was this psycho lady who even threw a pen and pad towards them, asking for autographs. Instead of taking pictures of the celebrities, I turned my camera to the crowd. It was too funny. We even made it onto the TV screen as the cameras honed in towards them. yes, we were that close.

In the papers yesterday, it described the Olympics as the Hollywood of sports. No kidding.

August 13

The ONOC office is located in the basement of our building here in the village. It is a hub of various activities -- transportation needs, village guest passes, internet access, and other matters relating to the Oceania countries. Today was my turn to man the desk. (Each country offers/assigns people to help relieve the two ONOC staff members so they can eat or run errands.) I actually enjoy the three hours spent there, as I meet people from the other regions.

We were allotted tennis tickets again today. So, Julienne, Jay and I set off at 3:45pm for the tennis center. Jay always spots celebrities, and today was no different. So glad I was with him. He tried to tell me discreetly to turn around, but of course I was too dense. When I finally got "it", it was none other than James Blake standing NEXT to me on the bus. I have to say, he is much more handsome in person than in the magazines. He was very nice, and graciously endured the three of us taking turns taking pictures with him.

We ended up watching Li Na play against the Estonia (?) girl. Then we decided to be daring and stayed for the next match. As each person came up the stands, we would hope he/she did not have tickets for our seats. Lucky us, we were able to stay for the entire next match. Who played? None other than Federer himself. It was an exciting match, as Federer was behind in the second set. It was down to a tie breaker. For a change, I was explaining how to score to Julienne. I felt like such a tennis expert today!

Final celebrity sighting today -- Michael Phelps in the cafeteria.

Tomorrow RJ will compete. He is our best bet for a medal for Guam. I don't know if I will be able to watch, since the time of competition is the same time Sean and i normally head out to Shun Yi for practice. Will see....

Team Guam Luncheon

Today, GNOC hosted a luncheon for us. The volunteers stationed on our floor remarked to Gordon how lively and excited we seemed; were we celebrating? No, we were just too excited to get out of the village and eat non-village food.

Not that the food served in the village was bad. In fact, it was very good. But with most things in life, when you eat something day in and day out, you yearn for something different. So it is with us.

When we arrived, I spied that the restaurant had made a special welcome sign for us. As I reached for my camera and turned it on, I realized my SD card was still in the computer back in the room. What a dork. So no photos today.

Today was also Chris' event. Unfortunately, we didn't get any allotted tickets to see the race. Some decided to "crash"; I, being the cautious one, opted to tag along Gordon, and use his "upgrade" card to enter the aquatics center.

Chris made a valiant effort, but came up short of his personal best.

One down, five more events to go. Judo is next, and I understand our best chance to medal. We shall see.

Tennis, anyone?

Yesterday, it rained in Beijing. What a pleasant change.

And, because it rained, it ruined my plans to watch the first round men's single tennis match, featuring Federer. It was postponed. Instead, I caught the Serena Williams match. That didn't last long, as the skies poured out the rain with thunder and lightning. Oh well.

Today, I was lucky enough to get another ticket to see a tennis match. Because of all the delays, I really didn't know what to expect. I also don't know why I am watching tennis. It's not even my game. But I think it is because it makes me feel like I am with my family. I really miss them.

So, who do I see playing in center court? Yup, Nadal. Not only did I watch an actual match featuring the #1 player, guess who I saw at the athletes' lounge?AHHH, such is the privilege of having the right credentials.

After a training session with Sean, then it's off to a NIKE reception. The USACK folks invited me. I talked with the lady in charge of athletes sponsorships. mmmm. She will be hearing from me again. For sure.

August 9 - Diversions

The day after the Opening Ceremonies, and everyone slept in. The plan was just to relax. Aileen Chu made plans to take me somewhere to have custom made Chinese dresses. The five story building was packed with vendors.

I have now learned how valuable our pins are. Everywhere, the girls were accosting us, wanting to see and take our pins. It actually became scary, until we learned we could bargain with the pins as incentives. So, how much more you can discount if I gave you TWO more pins??

In the evening, I was fortunate to get a ticket to see some swimming action. The aquatic center was beautiful.

Celebrity Sightings

Here I am, at the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremonies. It was such an exciting evening. The Chinese simply pulled out all the stops and spared no expenses. Gave me goosebumps as I walked towards the Bird's Nest, entered the long tunnel, and finally emerging into the stadium with all that crowd cheering. It was a long night, but one I will never forget.

The whole evening was surreal. I felt like I was at the Academy Awards. So many famous people. The first I met was Nadal.
The I saw Lindsey Davenport, who snubbed us Guam, short people.
There were also plenty US basketball players whom everyone was excited about, but I didn't know them.

Opening Ceremony

Finally the day has arrived -- the coveted opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

I have now learned that only the athletes and six officials are allowed to march for each country. Did not know that; did you? Luckily, Guam has "only" 5 disciplines represented, so I was assured of the honor of walking in the ceremonies. We are to board a bus from the village at 6pm tonight. I can hardly wait. I just hope I don't die of heat exhaution from wearing the suit!

I am also glad to learn that we are allowed to bring a small, pocket sized camera; however, we are not allowed to take pictures while we are marching. Seems fair enough.

Governor's Visit

Today, Governor Camacho and First Lady Joanne came to the Olympic Village to visit us! They toured our apartments, and inquired about our training. At the end of the visit, we gathered for a photo:




The volunteers here have been truly friendly. They are all college students, and supposedly over a million of them applied, and only 10,000 were accepted. Upon hearing that I am from Guam, they will always ask if we are a colony of the USA. They think our status is like China's Hong Kong! A few also know Guam as a military base for the US, and they tell me the US bases are there to monitor China!

Almost every one of them will eventually ask me if Guam is "wealthy". Are we? It is all relative, but once I tell them we use US dollars, they will all nod their heads and say we are "wealthy".

They are just so happy to meet an overseas Chinese who can speak mandarin.
Here are the volunteers assigned to Guam -- Christine, Wei Wei, and Jay.

Flag Raising Ceremony

I have pretty much settled into a routine now. Getting up at 6:30, breakfast at 7, and then catch the bus to Shun Yi at 8:30 for the day. Sean practices for about two hours (meaning, I am cycling for 2 hours also), and then we have lunch. While Sean naps (I mean, resting), I would read magazines, do my computer work or zip around the lake on the bike. I am certainly getting my quota of exercise. Since Sean's events will be at 4pm, we are making sure he is paddling around that time. Our training sessions usually end at 5pm, so by the time we get back to the village, it is 7. Dinner time!

It is extremely hot and humid. There is a constant haze (smog) hanging around. In essence, I am in a sauna the whole day. My face is a wreck, with a heat rash. Lovely.

Yesterday, August 6, there was a flag raising ceremony for Guam. It is a tradition here in the village. It is where the mayor of the village welcomes a country moving in. Our country flag is raised, our anthem is played, and gifts are exchanged between our chef and the mayor.

And yes, we had to wear our suits. It was soooo hot. What was GNOC thinking. Other countries were decked out in cooler attires. We looked sharp, but very warm.

Our training will be cut short again today (August 7), since the Govenor of Guam will be visiting us. Oh boy.

Day Three - August 4

I can't remember how long it has been since I last rode a bike. I was wary of renting one, not knowing if I will be able to stay on it! But, reality sank in. I had to get a bike; otherwise, I would not be able to keep up with Sean's workout.

All the bikes were the same kind. there were no female bikes. being so short, they had to adjust the seat height three times – finally at the lowest setting before i felt comfortable. I guess the old saying,"once you know how to ride a bike, it will always come back to you" proved true here. After a shakey start, off I went. At the end of the day, I think I must have logged 6K. I wonder if my butt and legs will be sore tomorrow!

Day Two - Aug 3

It's time to get down to business. The competition and training venue for canoeing is in Shun Yi, a 50 minutes bus ride from the Olympic village. As we made our trip up North, I noticed that China has set up special lanes for cars/buses conducting Olympic business. All along the route were hung banners proclaiming “One World, One Dream”.

I'm glad all my worries were for nothing. It didn't take much effort to locate Guam's assigned canoe. Sean was estactic to find a brand new Nelo C-1 waiting for him on the Guam rack. Because it would be impractical to travel back and forth between the village and the training venue, we essentially were 'stuck" there for the entire day. Fortunately, we were assigned a room to store equipment and for chilling between training sessions. On site, there were also weight rooms and some training machines. I made a mental note to try them.

The site is enormous. I would have to rent a bike to be able to follow along Sean's training.

The first day of training was cut short, as we need to hurry back to the Village for a Team Guam lunch.

Gordon, our chef de mission, treated us to lunch outside the village. It is a place noted for handmade noodles. I have only seen noodles made one way. Here, we were treated to four ways. The food was excellent.

First Day - August 2

Finally, we are in Beijing. As the plane made its descent, it looked as if we were arriving into LA. The heavy smog blanketed the city with a yellowish cast.

The airport is quite modern, and we were greeted by two of the mascots.

The Olympic village itself resembles one of the many high rise apartment projects in Hong Kong. Flags of different countries hung outside the balconies, indicating which country is in residence.

I could not help feel a sense of pride as I spy the Guam flag hanging at one of the buildings, showing me where I will be staying for the next three weeks.

Press Conference

This past Saturday, a press conference was held to introduce Guam to our Beijing bound Olympians. Here in this picture are four out of the six Guam athletes. From left to right, Sean (canoeing); Derek and Cora (athletics); and Chris (swimming). Not shown are Maria (wrestling) and RJ (judo).

Wow, only 5 more days. So much to do still.....

Brave New Blog World

One more week and I will leave for Beijing! I still cannot believe I am actually going to the Olympics as the Guam canoeing coach. This blog is being started as a way to journal my thoughts and impressions of this incredible experience, and to share them with my friends and family.

So here I go, plunging into the brave new blog world!