Farewell, Beijing

8/27/08 9:48 Local Time, Media Village

34 days later, here I sit in my empty Media Village room with all of my bags packed and ready to go home. For 34 days, I've gotten used to another country, another culture, another world. I witnessed some of the greatest sporting events across the globe and met some of the best people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. I'm glad that while I was here I was able to experience a city with so much history in not welcoming foreigners, and see how happy all of these people suddenly were to be hosting these Olympics.

One World, One Dream. This entire city was the epitome of that slogan.

It still is not real to me that I was actually here. This entire thing has been a dream come true and certainly beyond anything I ever expected. The experience has long since surpassed anything I was told it would be. I've been very lucky here to see and do as many things as I did. I'm happy to say that I took advantage of every opportunity that I was given here, and I have absolutely zero regrets.

When I look back on everything years from now, I hope I remember exactly how it felt when I was so anxious about coming here, what my first impression of the city was the moment I laid eyes on it, what the people were like and how incredibly welcoming they were, what the food tasted like, and most of all, what my first day of watching an Olympic competition live was like. After seeing all of these athletes here, I can't wait to get back in the pool myself.

I also can't wait for a bagel and cream cheese. And for running, potable water to brush my teeth. And clean air. And bathrooms that are not just holes in the ground. And a good, fresh, healthy salad. But mostly, I can't wait for my family and friends. My dog and my gecko. My roommates. Syracuse!!

It's been a roller coaster ride that I would keep buying tickets to ride a hundred times over if I could. I wouldn't trade this trip for the world, and my hope is to have many more Olympic experiences to come. Wo ai Beijing, zai djiehn! (I love Beijing, goodbye!)

To those of you reading, thank you for coming along for this ride. It means so much to me that people cared enough to read my stories, many on a daily basis as I've been told, and thanks to those of you who responded. Please check back in the next couple of days because, as soon as I get my pictures onto my own computer, I'm going to be adding them to each post. I hope you all enjoyed the trip almost as much as I did, and enjoy the pictures!

The final hours

8/26/08 17:05 Local time, Media Village

Finally, my last day in Beijing has arrived! Both of my two remaining roommates left this morning so I'm back in an empty apartment just like I was my first week here. It's a little hard to believe that this is the last night I get to sleep in my bed here. It's those "lasts" of everything that I really hate. But classes have now started back at school and I miss my friends and family a lot so I can't wait to get home and get back into the swing of things.

Last night was just about everyone's last night in Beijing, so of course everyone went out. I tagged along to dinner with my two roommates and three other interns and I finally got to try hot pot! They sat the six of us down at this big round table that had an area in the center that heated up into a hot surface for the pot. We had to pick a broth to put in the middle, so we got one huge pot that was divided down the middle so half of the broth was spicy and half was not. It had all kinds of vegetables and seasonings in it and we put it on the hot part of the table. Once the broth boiled, we had ordered two plates of meat, two dishes of huge Chinese noodles, a basket of vegetables, and a plate of sliced lotus to drop in the water to cook. The meats came out completely raw and were sliced so thinly that it looked more like deli meat than anything else, with the exception of the chicken, which came in little chunks still attached to the bones. We had to drop what we wanted into the broths to cook, which only took a minute or two because the meat was so thin, and then fish it all out with our chopsticks. It was hilarious to watch everyone try to be competent enough in chopstick handling to pull the long, slippery noodles out. They kept landing everywhere but on our plates, and it actually got to the point where the waitresses came over with their big giant chopsticks to help us and serve us. Again with the whole "stupid American" vibe we so often tend to give off here apparently...

I tried so many new foods last night and every single one of them was delicious yet again. The main meat plate we had was mutton, which is sheep and what this particular restaurant happened to be known for. It was fantastic -- I've never tasted anything like it. I also tried the lotus, which was incredible, as well as tofu, mushrooms, roots, and some other weird vegetables that no one knew what they were but still tasted good. We also had sesame cakes which were like little rolls covered in sesame seeds. Those were my favorite. This restaurant also surprisingly had its own microbrewery and they made pretty good beer, actually -- much sweeter than anything I've tasted here. This was by far my favorite restaurant that I've been to in Beijing. We had such a great time.

After dinner we all went back to the Village to regroup with some other interns and I met up with some of the guys from the aquatics crew at the umbrella tables we have behind our building. All of the interns ended up going out to Sanlitun, the same place we went after our intern dinner. We went to this one rooftop bar called Kokomo that was mostly a foreign crowd and had reggaeton music blasting so loud you could barely hear yourself talk. We ended up for the night at one bar that had a good mix of American and local everything -- people, drinks, music. It ended up being a fun and perfect night.

Today I decided to sleep in and venture out to the Beijing Zoo on my own time because I wanted to see some pandas. I really am very surprised that I can navigate this city now just in time to leave it. I took the subway all the way to the zoo and wandered around for a few hours looking at reptiles, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, and penguins. I loved them all! They were so cute, but nothing compared to the pandas. I guess this zoo is known for breeding pandas in captivity so they had a huge display of them. One was hanging upside down in a tree when I saw it, and others were eating bamboo and sleeping. I fell in love with them so quickly.

The whole Beijing Zoo is like half park, half zoo. There's a river that runs through the middle of it and long sidewalks under the willow trees I love so much. The place is beautiful. I loved taking my time and strolling through all of it. It was my idea of a perfect way to spend my last day here, and I got to explore a new part of the city, too, on my way to and from the subway station. There were lots of shops and bakeries and it was much busier there than in other parts of the city, but I'm so glad I got to see it.

All that tonight has in store for me is some packing and some HBO. It's very lonely here with no one left, but tomorrow's my turn. I'll most likely write once more before I leave and then I'm home free!

Basketball paradise

8/25/08 17:55 Local Time, Media Village

It seems like not long ago I was writing to say that I couldn't believe all of this was really happening to me and it hadn't quite sunk in yet that I was really here. Well, I'm still waiting for someone to wake me up from this dream because even now that the Games are over, I still can't believe this is real. I have had so many opportunities here to do things that I would never normally get the chance to do. It's a very bittersweet time with everything coming to a close -- I'm very ready and excited to get back home, but at the same time, it's hard to leave such an amazing place. I don't want to have to wake up.

Today was officially my last day of work. I was going around all day thinking about how everything that had turned into the ordinary every-day sights for me I will never get to see again. I drove my last golf cart through the Olympic Green. I went into the Water Cube to stare out over the pool one last time. I took my last walk through the IBC and my last bus rides to and from the Media Village. It was sad to see everything being taken down, but at the same time everyone was celebrating because we just accomplished so much during the broadcast of these Games. I had the chance to watch Bob Costas' final broadcast from the studio and when they showed the highlight reel at the end of the show, I almost cried. It's just like the videos they showed us back in October from the Athens Games that gave me chills and made me ache to be in Beijing. Watching this year's video, I had chills because I was there for all of it, and I saw a lot of the very best moments with my own eyes. It's an experience I'll definitely never forget, and even though I hated parts of my job at times (the long hours, the manual labor, etc.), I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'm already anxious for a spot on the crew headed to Vancouver.

Before my Olympic experience ended, I got to see so much. I was in the control room on our compound for the last night of diving when Australian Matt Mitcham had a perfect last dive in the men's 10m platform final and upset the Chinese favorite for gold. With the victory, Mitcham broke up a perfect 8 gold medal sweep of the diving events for the Chinese. It was by far one of the best moments of the Games.

Yesterday was a short day of work because we could only pack up so much of our compound before all of our electronic equipment was taken away, so we got to go to the men's basketball final for the afternoon. On our way to the venue, another girl from Syracuse and I bought a giant American flag and decided we were going to be as loud and obnoxious as possible for our Syracuse boy, Carmelo Anthony. The stadium was incredible, and it was packed by the time we got there, but we managed to find standing space pretty close to the court and we wasted no time before jumping and screaming and dancing with our flag. It got to a point where random people started taking our pictures. How could you not be excited, though, standing so close to an Olympic final basketball game that Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony are all playing for the same team at?! It was the most fun I've ever had at a basketball game. And it's fun to cheer for your country instead of just one area that you happen to be a fan of. It was definitely unlike anything I've ever experienced. And the U.S. team defeated Spain! Of course we freaked out and people laughed at us.

Before the medal ceremonies started, the place was clearing out so my friend and I hopped over some railings to find some good seats to see our American boys in all their glory. We got down pretty far, until two security guys stopped us because David Beckham was just two rows in front of us. We grabbed our cameras so quickly that people were looking at us funny again. At one point when we were singing and dancing away with our flag for our team, we must have made a lot of noise because even Beckham turned around to laugh at us. When he did, I got his attention and asked if he would sign something for me, and he smiled and nodded and had me go down to him. I shook his hand and got his autograph and I think it was quite possibly very near the top of my list for the best 30 seconds of my life.

When the medal ceremony finally started, we were making so much noise for Mello that he actually pointed to us, and Kobe Bryant pointed right at us then up to the sky when he was standing on the podium. I mean really, we couldn't be missed, but we were still so excited to have actually gotten their attention. My friend who works at basketball got Carlos Boozer's Olympic flowers after the ceremony, so I got to hold them for a little bit. It's those little things that make me so excited that I really can't believe I'm here. It was awesome to stand as a proud spectator when they raised the American flag and played our national anthem.

When we finally got back to the Media Village, three of our cameramen took my friend and I to dinner at a local restaurant right outside the Village. I tried so many cool foods that I never would have even thought about eating at home. I'm going to be so sad to leave this food because it was absolutely delicious last night, as it always is here. And our crew guys were awesome to go with! They're hilarious and we had a great time and got to see the Closing Ceremonies on a TV in the restaurant.

After dinner, a bunch of interns got together to go out to Houhai for one kid's birthday. We found this tiny little bar with no one in it and we made friends with the bartenders fairly quickly, so by the middle of the night we had turned the place into an American college bar, with our music blasting off of someone's iPod and all. It was an awesome time and a great way to spend one of my last nights in the city.

We finished packing up our compound at work today and took some final pictures and said our goodbyes. The torch is no longer lit at the Bird's Nest and our compound became suddenly empty and lonely. It's so hard to believe that this is all coming to an end so soon. My Olympic experience has already ended, but my Beijing experience still has 48 hours left!

A trip to the Chinese grocery store

8/23/08 16:15 Local time, Broadcast Compound

The last day of diving has finally arrived! I really thought this moment would never arrive, but now that it's here, I'm kind of sad to see it end. During this morning's session, which was the men's 10m platform semifinal, I was actually sent out into the city with one of our local interns on a hunt to find Ginger Ale for one of the diving talents that was feeling ill. I missed the entire morning session, but I did get to explore an all-out Chinese grocery store. Had I gone alone, I would have been lost beyond belief, but the girl I was with is actually from Beijing so she was handy to have around, except that she didn't know what Ginger Ale was.

I've noticed that even Chinese grocery stores are way different from those in America. It's those little differences that I love about our two cultures; it makes them both more interesting. The few stores I've actually been in here have all had a few things in common that American stores don't. The first is that they are all multiple stories high with ramps or moving ramps in place of stairs or escalators so people can push their shopping carts up and down them. Second, Chinese grocery stores have everything you could ever possibly need all in one place, from clothes to shoes to appliances to entertainment to food. It's kind of like Wal-Mart, only spread over five or six floors and far more crowded and noisy. Third, they all have little boutique stores built right into them, places like hair and nail salons, independently owned butcher shops, sushi bars, and optometry and dentistry places. And the last thing that all Chinese grocery stores (as well as many random parts of the city) share: you literally can't go anywhere while breathing through your nose. Most of the city, I hate to say it, smells very strange, and stores are no exception. We got our Ginger Ale and got out of there as quickly as our little (well, HER little, MY big) feet could take us.

We've had a long break this afternoon in between diving sessions, so we got to leave the compound for most of the time. I saw my first live soccer game today and it happened to be the Olympic gold medal game between Nigeria and Argentina in the Bird's Nest. We caught the second half of the game, so we got to see the Nest packed with crowds and we saw the Argentinian victory celebrations. They defeated Nigeria 1-0.

The next stop on my little mini-Olympic tour today was synchronized swimming, which was going on in the Cube all afternoon, but NBC doesn't have a team of broadcasters for the event like they do for most other sports. So I was strictly a spectator today, and I actually managed to squeeze myself into a seat in the American cheering contingency. Synchro is actually incredible to watch. These girls do all kinds of intricate and artistic poses before they even enter the water, and once they dive in, they stay under for an eternity doing all kinds of fancy synchronized leg movements above the water. They were throwing girls into the air to do all kinds of flips and twists and flexibility displays. They used their hands and feet in such unique and interesting ways that I wondered how someone could have ever possibly choreographed the whole thing. It was actually really incredible to watch. Everything was so precise.

The Russian team ended up winning with a nearly perfect score, but the Japanese team was the talk of the competition. At the end of their routine, they had their heads underwater for a very long time, and one of the girls didn't ever come back up. Her teammates had to go get her from the bottom of the pool and lifeguards dove in to help move her to the side so they could get her out. When the guards got to her, she had woken up and was nodding her head so it looked like she was okay, but by the time they got her to the side she just had a blank stare and wasn't responding to anyone. When they lifted her out of the pool, she passed out again and was carried out of sight on a stretcher. I don't know if she woke up after that or what, but I was horrified for her. Drowning is one of my biggest fears (I know that's weird since I'm a swimmer, but water is a powerful element that sometimes can't be controlled), and seeing someone come close to it gave me chills of fear. I hope the poor girl is okay after all is said and done.

On a much, much lighter note, as I've said about a hundred times before, diving is almost done! I can't say it enough to show my true excitement. Just tonight's session left, then striking the compound and packing everything up, then AMERICA!! I sure do miss home...

Another day, another adventure

8/22/08 16:57 Local Time, Broadcast Compound

Three cheers for 14 hours of sleep! Thankfully after my adventures yesterday, I was able to take a long nap and I finally got a full night's sleep. My roommate missed her flight yesterday evening so she ended up spending the night hanging out with me watching Olympic sports on TV on the host networks. I had a few visitors throughout the night before I fell asleep, but it was nice to just relax and lay around doing nothing for an entire day. And I needed it, too. I'm feeling much better today and my voice has almost returned to normal, with the exception of a few squeaks here and there, but at least I'm almost audible now.

I was ready to venture off by myself this morning to check out the Temple of Heaven and the Pearl Market, which are across the street from each other on the far south end of the city. I wanted to be able to sleep in and go when I felt like it without having to worry about schedules or groups of people. I got up around 10:30 and was checking my e-mail down at the logistics office when I ran into a friend from Syracuse who's also interning here and he decided to go along with me.

Our first stop was the Pearl Market because I desperately needed a new pair of sunglasses (I managed to crack my favorite pair of all time the other day, I was so sad). I found red Chanel glasses for a seriously good price so I was very happy. They're actually in really good shape, too, so I'm wondering if they're possibly stolen from the States and resold here or taken directly from the factory and sold. All I know is they're awesome and I love them. I also bought onyx, jade, coral, crystal, and pearl jewelry -- all real stones and pearls, all from the same place, all for 500 RMB, which is basically nothing for that much jewelry. And they will make such great gifts!

The next stop was the Temple of Heaven, which I've been wanting to see since I got here. We walked through huge gardens outside the Temple where we saw an old Chinese man painting Mandarin characters on a sidewalk with a huge brush and locals gathering all over the place playing Chinese instruments and singing and dancing. It was another gorgeous day with blue skies so I got some amazing pictures of the Temple and I loved the atmosphere of the whole place. There was one building that served as a museum for ancient pottery that was used to make offerings to the gods and there was another building that took you step by step through the process of how the emperors made sacrifices to the gods and what items they had to offer in order to pray for certain things. The main area of the Temple was called the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and inside was a massive throne dedicated to the harvest gods with statues of offerings along the side. It was all gorgeous. I of course flipped out again over the beautiful designs and colors on all of the buildings.

Today and tomorrow are finally the last days of diving. I've volunteered myself to be stage manager for tonight's session since it's the job no one wants to be stuck with (it's SO boring, especially during a preliminary round like tonight's) and I basically had the day off yesterday. One more full day of work, then a couple days of packing up the compound, a few days of time to do some last-minute exploring, then it's home free!!

Sick in the city

8/21/08 19:36 Local time, Media Village

Today is the first time I've spent a significant portion of my day in my Media Village room since I've gotten here, pretty much. I went into work at 7:00 this morning and got to leave at 10:00; unfortunately it's because I'm sick and the broadcast manager didn't want me to spread my germs, but hey, a day off is a day off in my mind. I officially have no voice left. It's literally like in those nightmares when you try to scream and nothing comes out -- that's what I look/sound like. So I come all the way around the world to get sick. How fantastic.

I actually got out of work at the perfect time. I got in a cab at the IBC and went to the beach volleyball ground and I got to see Misty May-Treanor (I have to add the hyphenated part so my volleyball-playing brother isn't offended at my misuse of her name, even though everyone else still calls her by her first last name only) and Kerri Walsh play in the gold medal match against China. It rained heavily here all morning and straight through the match so I debated going, and probably made a poor decision to actually do so considering my current health status, but I figured I'm only at the Olympics in China once so I might as well take advantage of the opportunity. And I'm so glad I did! I could hear the party music and the cheers blasting from the stadium before I even got in it. I found a standing spot in one of the broadcasting areas next to two other interns I knew in passing. They were both having a blast in the rain. Everywhere else I looked in the stadium, it looked like someone splattered pastel paint all over the stands because everyone was decked out in a different color poncho that was handed to them at the gate (it was actually really hilarious), but these girls had no ponchos, no umbrellas, and just a giant, sopping wet American flag they were waving around as they danced to the music during the breaks. I was so jealous, because if I wasn't sick, I would have been right there with them, but I unfortunately decided it smarter to hide out under my umbrella.

The atmosphere at the match was insane. Everyone was up dancing in their ponchos and the cheerleader girls (since when does women's beach volleyball require cheerleaders, anyway?) looked like they were having the times of their lives getting drenched in the rain. Half of the crowd would scream "China!" and the other half would return a proud "USA!" It was awesome to be in the middle of, even though I couldn't yell myself.

May-Treanor and Walsh won the first set without a problem, but the Chinese team gave a good run in the second. I loved seeing how excited the U.S. duo got with every point they won. The last point they earned secured them their Olympic gold, and I watched as they both dropped to the wet sand to celebrate together in the rain. It was so worth going to see!

After the match, I took a quick trip to the silk market to tie up some loose ends and buy some last minute gifts. Mostly I just needed a new suitcase to bring home all of the things I bought. Even the new luggage, though, hasn't solved my problem of having entirely too much stuff to bring home. Anyway, I managed this afternoon to call a cab for myself, give the driver the correct directions in Mandarin, and navigate the subway system back to the Media Village. I was so proud of myself! I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of this city -- just in time to leave it.

The rest of my afternoon consisted of laying in bed eating noodles, napping, and watching movies on the blessed English HBO station. My one roommate that worked at swimming as a logger and who I was closest to of all 4 of my roommates left today. It was sad to see her go, but we've promised to keep in touch. The days are finally winding down!

I just sure hope that I won't still be sick when it's my turn to board that oh-so-fun 13-hour flight home.

Slow days at the compound

8/20/08 15:44 Local Time, Broadcast Compound

I haven't had much to write about over the past couple of days because, ever since swimming ended, nothing much has happened. Diving competition continues until Saturday so we are all still stuck on the compound and our hours are still long. Everyone is slowly starting to head home one by one, so it's kind of emptying out on the compound. It's a sad sight to see.

Yesterday I literally did nothing all day, at least until I had to drive to the Bird's Nest in a golf cart. The NBC cameraman who was struck by lightning on the Great Wall the other day was actually a diving crew guy. He came into our office last night to say hi to everyone and tell us about what happened. You wouldn't believe how crazy it is to hear a first-hand account of what it's like to be struck by lightning. He said all that's wrong with him right now is a lot of pain in his shoulders, neck, and back, but other more long-term and serious symptoms still have a chance of occurring gradually, I guess. Before he left our office he asked if I could take him around the Bird's Nest at night so he could take pictures. I saw some amazing views of the Nest and he took some great shots that he's promised to email to me.

I actually had time to go out last night after work, too, and it was a bunch of peoples' last nights here so I had to go. A small group of us just went out to Houhai, that bar street that wraps around a little lake in the middle of the city, for a little bit and sat at an outdoor table next to the water. I didn't have to be in to work until this afternoon, so we stayed in Houhai pretty late, but it was really very relaxing.

This morning was the first morning I woke up without the annoying beeping sound coming from the alarm clock on my nightstand. Instead, it was the housekeepers pounding on my bedroom door that woke me up and I couldn't tell them to go away because I woke up with no voice and am apparently getting sick, which is just awesome. When I finally decided to get up, I met my friend from Syracuse and his dad who works for NBC for lunch at the IBC. While we were sitting there we saw gymnastics gold medalist Shawn Johnson and her family, and 2-time wrestling gold medalist in '00 and '04, Rulon Gardner, both eating lunch. It was hilarious, actually, because Shawn is the tiniest girl I've ever seen and Rulon sat down with a full plate of pasta, 3 sandwiches, and a hot dog and called it his "pre-lunch snack." He's the biggest guy I've ever seen. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the two of them together.

I finally went into the Bird's Nest for the first time today after lunch. There were no events going on so we just got to walk in. The Nest is incredible enough from the outside, but inside is even better. The seats are never-ending and the whole top is open so it's all natural lighting. The torch is in plain view from the seats and stands majestically over the top of the Nest. We sat down in front row seats and imagined what it would be like to watch an event from there with the track only about five feet in front of us. I was actually more curious as to what it would be like to compete there than anything else. It must be the biggest rush of adrenaline ever.

I'm hoping that the diving broadcast manager will let me go check out the women's beach volleyball final tomorrow morning instead of coming into the office early. Americans Misty May and Kerri Walsh are playing a Chinese team for the gold. I'm dying to be there!

I'm also hoping that once all of the aquatics sports are over and the closing ceremonies have passed, we might possibly get to swim in the Cube. My hopes are still so high to get to do that!

The beauty of Beijing

8/18/08 14:58 Local time, Broadcast Compound

It really seems like not too long ago that I was counting down the days until I was leaving to come here, and now I find myself counting down until I get to go home. I do miss everything a lot, but it's not due to lack of excitement over here by any means. Swimming ended yesterday morning with Michael Phelps winning his 8th gold in the 4x100 medley relay, thereby passing Mark Spitz in an all-time count of gold medals in one Games. It was so exciting to watch as Jason Lezak finished the anchor leg of the relay way ahead of his Australian competition. As he came into the wall, I watched Michael put his head against Brendan Hansen's (he swam the breaststroke leg of the relay) and then put his hands over his mouth in astonishment. Even he couldn't believe that he had actually done it. He celebrated the victory with his teammates, then turned to the crowd before walking off the pool deck and raised his arms in triumph. Obviously, I cried.

And then took about a hundred pictures.

After the session was over, I got to sit in on the Costas booth when he interviewed Michael live in the Cube. While we were waiting for the interview to start (there was a big crowd of people swarming the booth), I met Debbie Phelps and Michael's two sisters. I started talking to his mom about swimming and we both got emotional and she ended up crying on my shoulder. She gave me some great advice and told me to never give up on this sport. It was such a great moment and I will never in a million years forget what she said to me.

We had a long break in the afternoon between swimming and diving so some of the interns blew up some air mattresses to take naps on in one of the trailers. Since I had been there since 5am, I managed to pass out in an instant, but no more than an hour into my glorious nap did a friend wake me up. He's a production assistant for swimming and he's the same year as me at Syracuse, but we didn't know each other prior to this trip because we're in different majors in Newhouse. We've gotten to be pretty close friends here, and his dad is actually the second or third highest guy up on the NBC executive chain. When he woke me up, he told me I had to go with him to the IBC right away but he wouldn't tell me why. When we got there, we went inside and he found his dad outside the studio surrounded by a huge crowd of people. Apparently, Michael Phelps was inside doing an interview with his mom and Bob Costas and we were getting to go in to watch. I couldn't believe it and I really thought he was kidding but, sure enough, at a break in the interview, his dad opened the doors to the studio for us, and next thing I know I'm standing ten feet away from the interview.

Costas' interview was actually ending when we got in, but Brian Williams from the Nightly News was getting ready to start his. While he was getting everything set up, Bob came over to us, gave us a big high five, said, "We've got the Syracuse contingency over here," then stood with us to watch the interview. It was awesome to get to see how the interview was conducted, and it was even better because I was so interested in what Michael had to say. I stood there with my jaw dropped almost the entire time.

When he was done being interviewed, Michael was taking pictures with all of the NBC executives that were standing in the studio to watch. When all of that excitement died down (Michael had to rush out -- his McDonald's was getting cold), I asked Bob if he would take a picture with me. He loved the idea, but he said we had to do it on the actual set, so he brought me over to the couch where Michael had just been interviewed and that's where I got my picture. His wife came over to take a shot, too, so I got to meet her as well and I took a picture for her of the two of them sitting together on the set. I really couldn't believe what was happening.

As if all of this wasn't enough, my friend's dad came over to me after all of the pictures and handed me a piece of paper that had written on it, "To Dani, Never limit yourself" and then was signed. It was from Brendan Hansen, my absolute favorite swimmer. I almost cried. I asked the guy if I could hug him because I was so happy, but he pointed to his son and said, "Well hug him, he's the one who did it for you." I seriously could not believe that someone would go so out of their way to do something like that for me. It was the nicest thing ever. The days here really do just keep getting better.

Last night was a medal round of diving, and I had to be stage manager for it, which I thought I would really enjoy but really ended up not liking at all. I was so tired by that point that I was literally falling asleep in the commentary booth. It went by much slower than the swimming sessions and honestly wasn't nearly as exciting as I anticipated it to be. I didn't end up getting out of work until about midnight, making yesterday my longest workday of my life: almost 20 hours. It was miserable at the end.

Thankfully I didn't have to be back into work until 3pm today since diving is only happening at night, but a group of interns decided to take our morning to go to the Summer Palace just outside the city. We had heard that it used to be a summer home for ancient emperors and that it was huge and could never be seen in its entirety in just one day, but I was seriously unprepared for what we actually saw. First thing when we walked in, we were standing on the edge of this huge lake completely surrounded by mountains with massive ancient Chinese buildings all the way around the lake. There were boats tied to a dock that were modeled as Chinese dragons and willow trees draping over giant lily pads and fluorescent pink flowers sprouting up from the water. There were elaborate bridges and statues lining a walkway all the way around the lake through all of the trees. The buildings were mostly tucked away in the trees going up the mountains, but as we got closer to each one they quickly became more and more beautiful.

I've already talked about how amazing ancient Chinese architecture is, but it's specifically the roofs of all of these buildings and the intricate and artistic details that make them all so gorgeous. We went to this one gallery that had displays of ancient jade vases and ceramic dishes from the Qing dynasty as well as holy statues that the emperors used to have displayed in the Summer Palace. We saw ancient thrones and religious symbols, a lot of which we unfortunately weren't allowed to take pictures of, and we walked down the longest corridor in the world that had the most beautifully detailed walls and ceilings.

We made our way around the lake to the actual palace itself, which was completely breathtaking from the very first glance. We climbed up the stairs of the whole palace, all of which were made of pure marble, and as we got higher we could see nothing but mountains on one side of the lake and the Beijing skyline on the other. It was a gorgeous and clear day so every view was absolutely breathtaking.

At the top of the palace was the Buddhist Incense Tower, which had miniature statues of the Buddha laid in all over every single wall. We could see the entire city from up there, it was incredible. We walked back down the back of the palace to get out and at the bottom of the stairs we were basically forced by these 2 Chinese women to put on long silk robes and Chinese headdresses to have our pictures taken on this bridge that went over a cute little river. It all happened so quickly that before we could even try to escape these sellers they had all 5 of us, 3 girls and 2 boys, in robes and elaborate headdresses. We decided we'd pay the 10 RMB per person fee to have these women take our picture, but eventually an entire crowd of locals had gathered around us because they apparently found it hilarious to see 5 Americans in these ancient Chinese get-ups and they, too, wanted to take our picture. We even had some locals jumping into the pictures with us. We quickly became quite the attraction.

After our Summer Palace adventure, we were all starving, but a McDonald's was the only food place nearby. I haven't eaten McD's in years, but when you're as hungry as we all were, it's a decent choice. What was funny about it was that we could actually see it from the top of the Buddhist Incense Tower, so it was like we were standing on something so historically Chinese, yet looking down on the epitome of an American food joint. When we got there, we were the only Americans inside. How ironic.

Everything back here on the compound is quickly winding down and that's what's making me so anxious to leave. Our managers and most of our swimming crew left yesterday after we took an entire crew picture inside the Water Cube. It was sad to see them go and it made me want to leave with them. Only another 9 days here and I'll be on my way home, too. Until then, I'm going to try to do some more sightseeing, help out with the diving events, and maybe catch some more competitions at other venues. The Games sure are quickly coming to a close!

Best day in Beijing

8/17/08 5:46am Local Time, Broadcast Compound

Yes it's 5:45am, and yes I've been at work for about an hour already. Claire and I had to come in early because Bob Costas is broadcasting his entire primetime show live from the Water Cube this morning. I'm actually watching them set everything up right now for Dan and Rowdy to do a live pop in a couple minutes. I'm watching them on one monitor and listening to the producer and director on an intercom in our office on the compound. It's pretty cool to be hearing everything going on behind the scenes but seeing the final product that's being aired in America.

All of yesterday's excitement still hasn't quite settled in on me yet. After the whole Costas thing yesterday morning, I got to sit in the commentary booth with Dan and Rowdy to watch Michael Phelps make history by winning the 100 fly by 1 one hundredth of a second to capture his record seventh gold medal of these Games alone. That race gave me chills. The entire place went silent for the finish because it was so close. Everyone thought Michael had blown it because his finish was terrible and he took an extra short stroke into the wall. All heads turned up to the scoreboard and the whole crowd erupted in cheers as Michael jumped up in the water and Dan and Rowdy jumped out of their seats in pure elation. It couldn't have been a more perfect scenario -- no race gets closer than that and no swimmer has ever been as great as Michael Phelps.

After the session was over, Michael did a live interview with Bob Costas from the IBC and Mark Spitz, the only other person to win 7 golds in 1 Games, via satellite at his home in Detroit. Michael was on deck at the Cube when his mom and sisters came running down to hug and kiss him and he started crying. I was watching from the control room on our compound (it was on camera but not on air) and I just lost it and was crying through the whole thing. To see the happiness on Michael's face, hear the congratulatory remarks from Mark Spitz, and see the pride of Michael's family was so overwhelming. It was the greatest race in swimming history and I got to witness it. It gave me goose bumps. And seeing Dan and Rowdy get so excited on air was an interesting sight, too. The two of them were like little kids waking up on Christmas morning they were so excited. The whole experience was just incredible. Everyone everywhere is already talking about it.

In the women's 800 free a little later in the morning, a British 19-year-old broke a 19-year-old world record set by Janet Evans back in the '80s. It was the longest standing world record in any Olympic sport. Janet Evans was sitting in the commentary booth with Dan and Rowdy when her record went down, and I got to meet her when everything settled down after the race. She was hiding out of sight of all of the cameras because she was crying a little and didn't want anyone to see. I know how hard it is to watch someone break your own record, but I can't imagine what it must have been like to see her WORLD record that stood for so long get broken.

The last final of the day was the men's 50 free, and a guy from Brazil won it and started crying at the finish because he was so excited. He cried through his national anthem, too, and after his victory march around the pool, all of his teammates came rushing out of their seats onto the deck to hug and congratulate him. They huddled around him in celebration as he cried in the middle. I, of course, started crying for him, as well. It was such a great moment to witness -- so emotional and just so exciting.

After the morning's events, a few of the girls and I decided to go on a quick adventure into a random part of the city. We got off the subway and started walking and found a pretty cute little food market and some little pawn shops. We saw entire ducks displayed in the windows of the food vendors, as well as duck feet and wings and legs and everything else weird and gross looking. It's such a different world here! We also wandered into a small alleyway that had some interesting architecture and we found a strip of bars in a park along a river with long willow trees and low arched brick bridges hanging over the water. It was gorgeous and I ended up with a few really fantastic pictures.

The best pictures of the day, though, and probably from my entire trip here, came from our trip to the Great Wall yesterday. Our broadcast manager, Cathy, and our tech manager, Ken, took all 5 swimming interns and 2 of our editors in vans to the Wall. It was quite a shock on our drive out there because one minute we were in the crowded and congested city and then I closed my eyes and woke up to these towering and jagged mountains, all green in every direction and striped with rock, with this never-ending wall outlining the peaks. It was unbelievable even from a distance. When we got there, there was a strip of little souvenir shops with people hassling us like they do at the silk market. We saw men walking donkeys loaded with gear up and down the hill with all the shops. Those guys sell drinks to tourists on the Wall but have to carry them up and down every single day.

We all rode in a cable car to get up the Wall and the views from the top were indescribable. The mountains were endless and the Wall stretched over all of them. It was amazing to actually stop and think that I was standing on one piece of an over 3,000 mile long wall built so long ago. As we made our way down, it just got more beautiful with every step. The stairs were all slanted and crooked because the ground underneath them has shifted over the centuries. There were holes at the bottom of the Wall that you could just picture Chinese guards peeking through making sure no invaders got through so many years ago. We saw old cannons along the way pointing out over one side of the Wall, and down in the valley on that side was a great view of Mongolia.

There were hideouts along the way that had huge archways over narrow and steep stairwells that led down to safety spots. There was writing carved into every building and spears sprouting from the tops of each roof. The views were breathtaking. It was completely unreal to actually be there in the presence of so much history.

The weather was gorgeous for us -- by far the clearest day we've had so far, and not too hot or humid. After about an hour of hiking the Wall, we came to a point where we could take a toboggan down the side of the mountain. We each got our own little sleds and we were the drivers down a huge metal slide with big hills and winding turns. We had so much fun!

When we got back to the bottom, we did some shopping and I got a bright yellow T-shirt with a giant picture of the Wall and it says "I Climbed the Great Wall" in English and in Chinese and there is a giant picture of a Chinese dragon on the back. It's the ugliest thing I've ever seen, but that's what makes it so awesome. I had to have it!

After the shopping, our tech manager took us 5 interns to this American sports bar back in the city. He paid for drinks and dinner for all 5 of us! Our bosses say they're generous with us because they know we're not being paid to be here. I can't complain. I devoured a Hawaiian Pizza and we all shared a plate of nachos. It was so good to be having American food for once even though we're on the other side of the world!

Back in the pool today, Michael Phelps will be going for his record 8th gold medal in the final day of swimming competition and 41-year-old Dara Torres is a favorite for gold in the women's 50 free. We're in for some serious excitement here today on this last day of swimming!

A good way to start a day

8/16/08 9:02am Local Time, Water Cube

It's coming to a point where I'm actually having to remind myself that I’m still on the other side of the world watching the fastest swimmers compete in the most gorgeous facility on Earth. I remind myself that no, this is not normal, everyday life like it sometimes seems to have become. These are the Olympics and I am in China. I am still having a hard time coming to terms with that.

Yesterday's swimming was a nice little wake-up call to the aquatics staff. Rebecca Soni started it off by pulling a huge upset over Australia's Leisel Jones to win gold in the 200 breast. To be there to see the expressions on the swimmers' faces when they win their first Olympic gold is priceless. I was so happy for her.

Ryan Lochte ended up winning the 200 back over Aaron Peirsol for his first individual gold, as well. And of course, Michael Phelps came out with another gold and another world record in the 200 IM. The Americans won 3 of the possible 4 golds yesterday to finish off their best session of the meet so far.

This morning will be Michael Phelps' biggest challenge for gold: the 100 fly. It's a tight final and anything can happen in just 100 meters. I'm so excited to watch. And I’m in the commentary booth again today, too, so I get the best seat in the house for all of it.

I've saved the very best story for last today for 2 reasons: one being that it just happened about an hour ago, and the other being that it hasn't really sunk in yet that it did actually happen. I was told first thing this morning to get in a golf cart and go wait outside the Water Cube to drive people from there to the IBC. I found out soon after that it was Bob Costas himself that I would be driving and my broadcast manager, Cathy, made a special point out of letting me meet him. Two other carts were waiting there with me because Bob travels with a 17 person entourage, I guess. I saw a large group of people walking out of the Cube, Cathy leading the pack. She yelled to me and asked me if I was ready, and she brought Bob right over to me to introduce me. He shook my hand and was asking me how I've been enjoying everything so far and I seriously almost fell over. I was so excited. Cathy said he remembered talking to me on the phone back in October and he was excited to meet me. He told his group that he was getting in my cart to the IBC and he sat down next to me and just started talking away. I really couldn't believe what was actually happening. This was a bigger deal to me than meeting any athlete or any interviewer or any producer. My heart was almost pounding out of my chest, but luckily this time I managed to keep my composure and have an intelligent conversation (or so I hope). It was completely out of this world -- like a dream come true, not even exaggerating. And just the fact that he remembered talking to me back in the fall was a huge honor. It was the absolute best way to start my day.

On top of everything, I'm getting to go to the Great Wall this afternoon with a group of people from work. It's a gorgeous, clear, blue sky day (yesterday was, too, and the moon and a few stars were actually out last night!) and I can't wait to take some pictures!

Exhaustion definitely setting in

8/15/08 8:20am Local Time, Broadcast Compound

As much as I hate to admit it, I think everyone around here is getting a little anxious for swimming to be over. The weather, the crowds, the running around, the bad air, the lack of sleep -- it's all starting to get to people and everyone is kind of starting to miss home. It's not that swimming isn't exciting; I mean Michael Phelps has already made history with more gold medals, and now today he has a huge challenge in front of him (2 actually) with Ryan Lochte chasing him down in the 200 IM final and a tight field in the 100 fly semi. On top of that, Aaron Peirsol and Ryan Lochte are battling it out today in the 200 back final and Rebecca Soni has a chance to dethrone the Australian "Lethal" Leisel Jones. I'm so excited to watch today!

I really haven't done much the past 2 days because I've been so tired. There was no diving yesterday so I got to sleep all afternoon in our tape library trailer. My roommate here (who's a logger on the compound) took a picture of the room I was in because there were 3 other people on the floor with me, 1 in the hammock, and 1 in a chair. As I said, people are starting to get a little tired.

Hopefully today's races will wake some people up, and tomorrow a bunch of people I work with and I are finally going to the Great Wall because swimming is only happening in the morning! Yesterday an NBC group went and the weather ended up being terrible and stormy and one of our camera guys was struck by lightning. He's fine, I guess, aside from some burns on his shoulder. It was all over the news around the IBC and eventually word got home, too, I think.

Another day of work, another day watching Olympic swimming starts now.

A view from the commentary booth

8/14/08 8:22am Local Time, Broadcast Compound

My favorite part of this entire experience is seeing how much effort goes into the process when the outcome is so smooth and put together. Yesterday I got to sit in the commentary booth. Dan and Rowdy had papers flying everywhere and they were constantly rushing through research to find out the most minute detail on a swimmer, but when they were on air, they were so composed and organized. The USA Swimming girl who sits at the desk was the same way. She never goes on air, but during all of the races she holds up signs to Rowdy and Dan that say peoples' splits and if someone is under or near an American, Olympic, or World record. It really just blows my mind to see all of the work that goes into the broadcast.

The only thing I really had to help with in the commentary booth was setting up mic wires for Dan and Rowdy when they would talk into the camera and collect results papers as they came out. And of course run errands for people, which really, I have gotten very used to.

The only thing that happened yesterday was Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history. Actually, the way I say that makes it sound like an understatement. The man has now won 10 Olympic gold medals, the last 2 of which he received yesterday morning to break the record. He didn't even seem excited after his 200 fly victory because his goggles had leaked. We could see him get out of the pool and mouth to his coach Bob Bowman, "I couldn't see a thing." And he still broke a world record.

This whole process is becoming a bit routine now, unfortunately. I'm actually kind of secretly waiting for the swimming to end so my hours will get a little better and I can maybe catch up on sleep. This schedule is seriously beginning to get to me.

The men behind the broadcast

8/13/08 7:44am Local time, Broadcast Compound

Over the course of the past 3 days, I think I've slept for a total of 12 hours. Work is getting crazy, but I am loving every minute of it and learning so much that I don't mind not getting a lot of sleep. The only thing that's kind of hard for me is when friends call or text me to go out or go sightseeing and I can't because I’m working 16 hour shifts on average. I keep telling them, "After swimming is over, after swimming is over." But hey, story of my life, right? And seeing this level of competition is definitely worth paying attention to every minute of.

For both the finals session yesterday morning and the prelim session last night (it's still weird to say that finals are in the morning), I sat in on the control room and watched the producer and director hard at work. During the live broadcast in the morning, if any single second of any shot was off even the slightest bit, everyone freaked out and started screaming at each other. Things always got resolved, but it's crazy to see how precise these people are and how much teamwork goes into a project like this. I really don't know how they do it day after day after day.

Everyone in the control room talks to like 6 different people at a time. The producer is screaming at everyone, trying to make sure replays and reaction shots are recorded and played back exactly when they need to be. The director is on his headset talking to all of the cameramen, telling them what to shoot and how to shoot it. Then there's a time guy talking to people running the meet about when athlete parades are going to start and when the heats are going to start, all down to the second. There's also a USA Swimming representative in the control room who communicates with Dan and Rowdy in the commentator booth. If Dan and Rowdy need any factual information about swimmers or statistics or anything, all the way down to exactly how much time certain swimmers have in between races if they're in multiple events, they ask Mike Unger, our USA Swimming genius. And if he doesn't know off the top of his head, he finds it out immediately. It's rare to see him not know something, though. There's also a girl who sits in the commentator booth in front of a computer for the same purpose, and a guy who stands with Andrea in her interview box. The precision is incredible.

Although I enjoyed the control room and learned a lot from it, it's not nearly as exciting as being in the mix zone. I'm hopefully going to be in the commentator booth for the day today, so my next stories should be a little more interesting than trying to describe all of the technical, behind-the-scenes stuff. Oh, and of course, Michael Phelps is going for his record 9th gold medal today. Go USA!

A day in history for the '08 Games

8/11/08 21:50 Local Time, Broadcast Compound

The men's 4x100 freestyle relay has a powerful history in American swimming. The U.S. team went undefeated for years, until they were touched out by the Aussie team with Ian Thorpe in the 2000 Sydney Games. In Athens, the Americans lost another spot and only claimed the bronze. This morning, they recaptured their glory by touching out an impressive French team and claiming the world record by nearly 4 seconds. And I witnessed it all from the pool deck.

I was positioned with Andrea Kremer again for the day. After a disappointing finish for Katie Hoff in the 400 IM (she was touched out for silver, though she was favored for gold) and a heartbreaking performance by Brendan Hansen in the 100 breast (he placed 4th and his long-time rival Kosuke Kitajima won in world record fashion), the Americans were ready for a standout performance from their relay. Michael Phelps led off the team in American record time, then Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones battled it out with the French second and third leg swimmers. By the time the American anchor, Jason Lezak, dove into the water, his team was almost an entire body length behind the French and their anchor swimmer was the world record holder in the 100 free.

At the 50, Lezak had made up some ground, but not nearly enough. I watched his teammates waiting for him behind the blocks at the other end. Three grown men -- Olympians -- screaming their brains out as they gripped onto each other in wild anticipation for Lezak to hit the wall first. With about 15 meters to go, the French swimmer started to fade, and Lezak made his move to chase him down. Lezak hit the wall just ahead of the French team to capture the gold, and I watched as Phelps and Weber-Gale erupted in excitement. Everyone in the mix zone went crazy; reporters from all over the world. The excitement was contagious. The highlight of the '04 Games was Phelps' reaction to his team's victory in the 4x200 free relay, and this moment will be the highlight of these Beijing Games. And I saw it all from the pool deck! The power, the excitement, the glory. It was all right in front of me.

I was there for the interview with the 4 guys after the race, too, and the greatest part about that was the ear to ear grins on all of their faces and the fact that it wasn't a single one of them that made that happiness -- it was all of them together. Lezak's split was the fastest in history by almost a full second.

Everyone in the Control Room back on the compound went crazy, too, apparently. Someone took a picture of everyone in the truck when the relay team won and our producer wants to have it blown up and printed for everyone on our crew. It's a crazy cool picture.

I didn't do anything for diving again, and I was with Andrea once more for prelims tonight, which were short and kind of uneventful. After tonight's session, I got to sit in on a production meeting to plan out tomorrow's live broadcast of finals. Everything was so well planned out and organized, and I got to see part of the work that goes into the planning of a huge broadcast like this. These people are so brilliant.

I don't think I'll be doing much tomorrow, but it's definitely been quite the ride so far, and the swimming has only just begun. I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the week.

Meet from the Mix Zone

8/10/08 21:56 Local time, Broadcast compound

Each day I stay in Beijing gets better than the last in some form or another. Today I experienced swimming in a way I've never seen it before -- as a broadcaster. Starting with finals this morning (they're swum in the morning here so they can be broadcast primetime back home) of the men's 400 IM, men's 400 free, women's 400 IM, and women's 4x100 free relay, as well as some semifinals of the shorter races, there was never a dull moment.

When I got to work this morning, one of the first things I had to do was run tickets to all the cameramen already set up in the venue, since swimming is a "high demand" event and our media credentials aren't enough to justify our presence in the Cube. Since some of the camera guys were wandering around on deck already, I was given a bib to wear that granted me deck access and basically let me roam free wherever I wanted to go in the pool area. When I found the last camera guy I was looking for, who was standing in the mix zone where Andrea Kremer does her interviews from, he said he could use an extra pair of hands during the meet to help move equipment around, and since I already had the bib on and was already on deck I just got to stay there for the entire duration of the finals session. I saw Michael Phelps crush his own world record in the 400 IM and 41-year-old Dara Torres swim the second fastest relay split ever in women's swimming history from about 20 feet away, and I was standing right directly behind Andrea when she conducted all of her live interviews of the morning, including Phelps'.

I got to watch Andrea do her job and when she wasn't on air she was running me through everything she does to prepare her questions and everything for the next athlete. I really couldn't believe I was right there seeing with my own eyes what millions of people were seeing on their television screens back home. And the camera guy down there who I was helping out loves me and keeps telling me he wants me to have the best positions possible so I can "look like a real superstar" to my bosses. It seems like everyone here for NBC wants to help me succeed because they can see the genuine interest and passion I have for both swimming and broadcasting.

On top of that, I'm learning so much from every single person I meet. I'm getting priceless advice from so many different angles -- the cameramen are telling me what to look for to compose a good shot, Andrea is telling me how to interview and give updates, the editors are showing me how to put together those crazy videos they show on TV that give you chills. Not to mention the fact that I'm working with the most decorated sports producer in history. Watching Tommy Roy do his job is like watching the most precise operation come together under one force of power. The man is a genius.

All of this is leaving me with no doubts in my mind that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I love the business, everything from the hectic behind-the-scenes schedules to the interviews with world-class athletes. It's so exciting to think that I'm 21 years old and I know what my career goals are already. And I’m meeting all of the right people here to help me get to where I want to be.

I gladly gave up my diving position today to be able to work more preliminary swimming races from the deck tonight. The mix zone is crazy, but I love it so much. Each station has their own little booth, but then freelance reporters and Olympic committee recorders crowd behind the booths when a superstar athlete like Phelps comes over for an interview. And tonight, a surprise B-relay from the U.S. broke a world record out of the first heat of prelims. Their interview was my favorite. I mean, here were 4 guys who together weren't expected to do much that shocked the entire place with a new world record. They were beyond excited. It was so inspiring to see.

President Bush also showed up to the final session this morning. It was pretty crazy. He came with so many service people that it was almost impossible to spot him out in the crowd, but it was really a once in a lifetime chance I had to see the President at a swim meet. When Larsen Jensen won his medal in the 400 free, he gave his flowers to Laura Bush in the stands. It was one of the classiest things I've ever seen a swimmer do.

So my job may be early mornings and late nights, and a lot of trucking people around in golf carts everywhere under the sun, but when it gets exciting, it really gets exciting. And this is my entire future and 16 years of my past and present all rolled into one big smiling face on the deck in the Water Cube. I'm so glad that other people are recognizing that, too...and it just so happens to be all of the important ones.