Learning Mandarin and being blown away by the architecture!

7/29/08 20:15 Local Time, Media Village

Even when the days are slow at work and there really isn't much actual work to be done, I still love my job. We're still going to be setting up the broadcast compound for the Water Cube for a few more days, but today I went on a pretty exciting adventure. My broadcast manager sent me in an NBC van out to pick up some boxes, but didn't tell me where I was going or what I was picking up. All I knew was that I was looking for someone named Amy. So I hopped in the van with an Olympic Committee driver who didn't speak any English and his translator in the passenger seat. We drove for about 45 minutes, me still having no clue where we were going, and finally arrived at this huge warehouse and the drivers were asking me where I needed to go. I kind of felt like Anne Hathaway in "The Devil Wears Prada" having to run all of these impossible errands. When I finally found a door, I found out there were 3 Amys that worked there and I had no clue which one I was looking for or what I was looking for, and hardly anyone spoke English. When I finally found the boxes I needed (by some miracle) and got them back to our compound, I unpacked them to find all kinds of NBC Olympics merchandise that we got to decorate all of the offices with. I've got my eye on a Beijing 2008 cloth banner when we take the set down in a few weeks...

When we had some down time today, the 3 Chinese girls we're interning with were teaching us Mandarin and giving us suggestions on good restaurants and shopping in Beijing. After work, Claire and Shannon and I ventured our way to the Bird's Nest, where the Opening and Closing ceremonies and track and field events are being held, which is directly across the street from the Water Cube. We're friends with the 2 guys interning there setting up their compound and they had told us on our lunch break that if we went over we would be able to walk on the actual track inside. We were so excited, and were even practicing poses for ridiculous pictures we wanted to take on our walk over, but, unfortunately, we got there too late and every single gate was closed. The plan is to go during our lunch break tomorrow now. We're trying to see one new venue every day before the Games start because the entire area is blocked off to the public right now so it's not at all crowded.

The Bird's Nest is the biggest venue in all of the Games. It is a tangle of all these woven pieces of metal around the whole outside that literally make it look like a nest. And they have the coolest statues outside of it. The details of these venues are what make them so amazing -- even the lighting along the ground on the sidewalks looked like miniature nests.

Right next to the Bird's Nest is a high, geometrically-shaped tower with huge glass elevators that go all the way up both sides. That's where they're going to be filming the Today Show from! It's so neat to see. And it actually rained last night and a little bit today so the air cleared up enough to see farther than we ever have yet. The city skyline between all of these venues and broadcast towers is absolutely gorgeous.

We were all too tired to do anything tonight after work, so we took a shuttle from the IBC back to the Media Village to settle in for the night. On the bus, though, we met 3 Australian radio journalists, one of whom has lived in Beijing for the past 4 years, who were telling us about more good places to visit if we get the time. They told us about this one place that serves all-you-can-eat hot pots (which I guess are some really surprisingly delicious Chinese entrees?) and drinks are buffet-style, as well. One of the guys gave us his business card and they offered to take us there tomorrow night if we want. We are seriously considering it; I'm really interested in these hot pot things.

I found out today that one of our jobs as interns might be running back and forth between the broadcast compound and the NBC commentary box that's right at the finish line in the pool. If I get to meet Rowdy Gaines, I will probably fall over the second I shake his hand. That would be such an incredible opportunity! I know that after everything is set up and our broadcasts are starting, my job is going
to get way more exciting -- and I seriously cannot wait for that day!
8-8-08 is coming up so soon...

The adventure continues, I love this place!!

22:48 Beijing Time, Media Village

The more time I spend in this city, the more I fall completely head over heels in love with it. Last night, I got to go to the Lake District with my friend, Mike, for a late dinner. The place was incredible. First of all, there were people going crazy dancing everywhere in the streets without regard for anyone or anything else. Then, as we walked farther in, it was as though someone randomly plopped a lake in the middle of the city and built up a brand new city all around it. The outdoor restaurants around the whole lake (which was really more like the size of a large pond), the music, the bars, the colored lights...everything was so ethnic and unique. I fell in love with it the second I got there. And at dinner, I even got daring and tried an aloe and lily appetizer (it looked like lemon Jell-O) and had fried breadsticks with pork in this delicious sauce as an entree. And I even ate successfully with chopsticks! I'm just glad it was dark outside so I couldn't really see what I was eating, otherwise I might have freaked myself out and missed out on a truly unique experience.

Today was our first official day of work at our venues. Let me just say, the Water Cube is so beautifully magnificent that it literally takes your breath away. The thing is massive. We got to go inside to explore for a bit after work and Claire and Shannon and I (all swimmers) literally almost passed out in excitement when we finally got in. The pool is the most incredible thing I have ever seen in terms of pools, and the architecture is so state-of-the-art. And in less than 2 weeks all of the best swimmers in the world will be competing in it! The place gave such an amazing first impression. Even all of the bleacher seats had little bubbles etched onto their backs.

In terms of work, today we had to set up the NBC editing and broadcasting offices across the street from our venue. The whole cluster looks like they took a movie production set straight out of Hollywood and threw it around the world so it landed in Beijing. There are temporary trailers up everywhere, each one serving a different purpose, and we had to unpack and set up everything inside them to make them into workable spaces. I'm most excited about the editing and voice-over trailers, especially the voice-over one, because that's where all of the talent (on-air people) come in to record their voice tracks to go over their videos of the swimming if it's not broadcast live. So far, even though nothing exciting has really happened, I love my job!

We met up with some other interns after work and decided to go to the silk and pearl market tonight. The place is this 6-story building with vendors lined up everywhere selling everything from jeans to handbags to silk and jewelry. And bargaining is tougher than I anticipated! I got so frustrated with the people sometimes that I would literally just throw them the money I was offering and take what I was buying and run. I ended up leaving with some very ethnic silks and some pieces of pearl jewelry (all real pearls with 14k gold clasps, just like Gordon from United told me to get!) and I spent hardly any money. It was great! We're planning on going back as soon as we possibly can.

I love having the freedom to explore the city and take in all of the culture before my job gets really intense when the Games start. And I think I am really starting to pick up on some Mandarin and learn my way around a bit. It's still hard to believe at times that I'm in a foreign city on the other side of the world but, so far, I am certainly having the time of my life!

My first full day...

7/27/08 20:08 Beijing Time, Media Village

I had quite the eventful first full day in Beijing today! I woke up a lot during the night last night because of the jet lag, but by the time I had to get up I actually felt pretty rested, but maybe that's still just the excitement taking over. Breakfast is complimentary in the Media Village, but the selection was hardly anything to brag about. The first person I saw when I walked in the building, though, was Shannon Archer, another swimmer from home. I was so glad to see her!

After breakfast, we met with our internship coordinator, Professor Hollenback, who happens to be from Newhouse, and hopped on a shuttle bus to the International Broadcast Center (IBC) for orientation. There are huge security checks outside the BVillage at the West Gate before boarding any of the shuttles to the venues. They made us drink from our water bottles, take pictures with our cameras, put my little bottle of perfume on my wrists, and even take a breath from the inhaler I carry with me everywhere, all for security purposes. Once we got through and were wanded down, the bus ride was actually fairly pleasant. We passed by a lot of venues that I haven't seen yet, too, so that was exciting.

The IBC itself is this huge, majestic building absolutely surrounded by security, within which each individual country represented in the Games has its own assigned section for their international broadcasts. The NBC section is by far the biggest one, and we got to see every broadcasting studio in it on our tour. We stopped in the cafeteria, where there's free Starbucks and gelato (!!!), and met some NBC people who introduced us to the broadcast managers at each of our venues. They're the people we report to first. It turns out Claire and I are the only 2 interns specifically assigned to swimming, and Shannon and this boy, Aidan, are the only ones on diving, so they're putting the 4 of us together under "aquatic sports". Now I get to see both swimming AND diving!

I feel like such a small fish in a big pond in the IBC, but the goal is to do my job as well as I possibly can and get myself noticed -- make myself stand out from the other 110 or so interns as much as I possibly can. I want to do my best for them here.

After orientation, Shannon and I decided to go to Tianenman Square with another girl from my school, Nassdja, because we all had the day off and were encouraged to explore the city and experience the culture. Talk about an adventure! We took a taxi (none of the drivers speak any English so we literally have to show them a card that says "please take me to..." in Mandarin) the entire 35-minute drive to the Square. The total toll for the cab both ways was like 7 bucks each or so, so we definitely weren't complaining! The entire area around Tianenman Square is completely dedicated to the Olympics. It's so inspiring to see how proud these people are to be hosting these Games!

The first place we visited was an area of Holy Gardens all dedicated to certain Gods. It is absolutely breathtaking. The architecture was all so traditional and the colors and details on all of the buildings were brilliant -- I couldn't stop taking pictures. Oh, and apparently neither can Chinese people. I literally was asked to take pictures with 3 groups of Chinese people at random, including one little girl whose parents wanted me to kneel down next to her so she could put her arm around me for a picture. And when they didn't ask, they would just randomly stand next to us and have a friend take a picture without us really knowing. Apparently, they really love Americans? Who knows...

Tianenman Square is so interesting mostly just because of the history rooted there. Again, the architecture was just unbelievable. There were vendors everywhere trying to sell us everything, and I actually bought a beautiful painting of my name in symbols that are bamboo for long life in the "D", 2 love birds in the "A", a Chinese dragon in the "N", and another bamboo stick for the "I". I love it -- the colors are fantastic!

We wanted to venture into the Forbidden City just beyond Tianenman Square, but by the time we got there it was already closed (everything here closes so early it's ridiculous), so we could only take pictures of the walls surrounding it, which were still beautiful.

It was so hot and humid all day that we were just completely spent after our adventure, but it was SO worth it! And, hopefully, tonight if one of the other interns, Mike, gets out of work early enough, we're venturing to the Lake District, which supposedly boasts a strip of delicious ethnic restaurants and bars. And tomorrow it's rise and shine bright and early to catch an 8:00 bus to the IBC for my first official day of work! I can't wait.

I am here....amazing Beijing!

8:35pm China time, North Star Media Village, Beijing, China

I've finally arrived!! The day I've been waiting for for over 7 months is finally here. And, surprisingly enough, the trek here wasn't too terrible. I had a 5 hour layover in Washington, DC, but luckily a girl with an NBC backpack that was a mirror image of mine (except mine had running shoes hanging off it, of course!), came up to me in the airport and asked if I was an intern. Her name is Claire, and it turns out she is a swimmer from Notre Dame and I have seen her at Big Easts before. We were instant friends on that commonality alone, and we've stuck together since that first minute we met. It was a huge plane we were on from DC to Beijing -- economy class was a bit cramped, but it was easy to get up to walk around, and luckily I did manage to sleep through at least half of it. It was crazy to be watching the clock on my iPod tick later and later, yet it was still broad daylight if we lifted the window shades. We ended up flying north and slightly west, so we were over huge ice caps a lot of the way that the guy in the seat next to me (who was a networking correspondent for NBC) actually took pictures of while I was sleeping and is going to e-mail to me. It's one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Throughout the whole flight, the flight attendants were super friendly and very talkative. Toward the end of the trip, one of the attendants, Gordon, who was an older man with curly gray hair that poked out in all directions that was kind of reminiscent of Albert Einstein, started talking to me about the city of Beijing. I ended up walking off that plane with a piece of paper that he wrote out for me with the names of vendors he knows at the silk and pearl markets in Beijing. He made me promise never to pay more than 15% of the seller's initial asking price, and he directed me where to go to find the best strings of pearls and even Tiffany's jewelry at some serious bargain prices. Needless to say, Claire and I fully intend on going to these markets as soon as possible. And hey, if nothing else, I have a new friend, Gordon, from United Airlines flight 897.

As soon as the plane touched down, it was suddenly everything Olympics in every direction, and I just felt this huge rush of excitement surge over me as I sat patiently in my seat while we taxied into our gate. The Beijing airport is seriously HUGE. And the second we stepped out of our terminal, we found a group gathering of NBC workers around a Chinese volunteer holding an NBC sign. It was totally smooth sailing from there! Having my credentials validated as my visa was a breeze, and I finally have my very first stamp on my passport! I would have been completely overwhelmed had I not found that NBC group, because literally everything was in Chinese the second we stepped off our flight and I felt lost enough as it was. And I will never forget the first moment we walked through the sliding doors into the outer part of the airport. I could hardly breathe all of a sudden because the heat and humidity were so intense -- like nothing I've ever experienced before. The air is so hazy that it's difficult to determine if it is actually a sunny day out and near impossible to see the entire city skyline.

The people of Beijing sure are proud to be hosting these Summer Games. Every single telephone pole along the highway displayed an Olympic flag on our way to the Media Village, and even the lanes of the road had the Olympic rings painted on in places as we drove over them. I was seriously surprised at how welcoming all of the people were. I didn't have to lift a single bag between the airport and my apartment, and everyone involved in the Games here is just so welcoming, hospitable, and friendly. And they love when we try to speak Chinese! The extent of my use given my comfort level with the language has only been "hello" and "thank you", but hey, I'm working on it.

The Media Village is like Disneyland in China. There are little shuttle cars carting media people everywhere and the whole huge place is decorated with Olympic flags and slogan, "One World, One Dream", which I absolutely love. Every building has a different purpose here, and it would take an entire day in and of itself just to explore and become acquainted with the entire village. My room is so far above and beyond anything that I had ever imagined that I am still in shock that I'm actually going to be living here for the next month. I have my own room, which is in the corner of the aprtment so I have 2 walls of just windows overlooking the Media Village and the entire city of Beijing. I'm on the 20th floor, so the view is incredible, and the buildings nearby are lit with red and white lights at the top at night. I wish I could see farther out than I can, but the haze makes that incredibly difficult.

I share a bathroom with one other girl and the whole aprtment with 3 others, but none of them are here yet. The bathrooms have gorgeous glass-wall showers and beautiful sinks, and the Olympic Committee even gave us bottles of baby oil and shampoo, toothpaste and a toothbrush, and a really cute little pink bath mat for the shower (I'm a little ashamed that I've become enough of a girly girl to thoroughly enjoy a simple pink bath mat). Our living room is simple, but very nice. Each room has its own separate TV and they gave us little tote bags filled with goodies for us to take home like pins, an umbrella, a keychain -- all official Olympics gear, of course!

This may sound silly, but I am so excited to see all of the Chinese writing everywhere and try to get accustomed to the Chinese monetary system. Claire and I have figured out that it's a little over 6 RMBs to 1 U.S. dollar...which makes everything here incredibly cheap! We ventured out of the Media Village a bit (only about a block, but holy cow, what a difference!) to search for hair dryers that would fit in the outlets here and dry our hair curly for us (the humidity makes good hair days a thing of the past), so we went to this store called Loftus, which had everything from clothes to groceries to electrical appliances and washers/dryers -- and suddenly, not a single other American. At first, we accidentally wandered into a Chinese home furnishings store that never ended, but we thankfully managed to find our way out of there and to Loftus (although I'm convinced all of the Chinese people outside of the MV were secretly laughing at us, and saying, "Stupid American girls!", knowing that we'd never understand them).

At first, the hustle and bustle of the Chinese crowds was overwhelming, but now I see it just as an adventure. I love the sights and all of the sounds, and the people have been nothing but friendly. I have met a few more NBC people (the 2 women who work in the NBC logistics office in the building next door love Claire and I), but only a few other interns. Tomorrow morning is orientation, though, so hopefully we'll meet some more people then! And if we finish early enough tomorrow, we might get a chance to go see the Great Wall! My fingers are certainly crossed. And for the next 4 weeks, mine and Claire's motto is: "We can sleep when we die!!"

I'm feeling the butterflies!

9:15pm EST, The last hours in NY...

Now I sit with less than 36 hours until my flight out of Albany, and I've been making my rounds to say goodbye to friends and coaches and teammates all day. I had my final dinner out with my parents (the whole "last supper" thing makes it seem like I'm leaving home forever) and actually managed to get most of my packing done. As much as I am afraid to say it, I think I have everything ready to go. I just don't want to jinx myself. That's why I add the "THINK" part to that statement.

With my trip so close now, it's starting to hit me incredibly hard. I have literally been counting down the months, weeks, and days since December, and now it's less than just 2 days away. I'm starting to mildly freak out about Chinese customs when I arrive at the airport in Beijing and the fact that there may very well be no other interns to befriend on my flight. Oh and let's not forget the 13-hour flight itself over massive oceans. My mom and I were actually just talking about if I was scared to travel so far by myself because even she would feel nervous to do so. I told her the flat out truth that yes, I'm nervous beyond belief, but I know that once I arrive and get settled in, even though I may feel uncomfortable for a while in a new and foreign city, the excitement will just overwhelm any fears I have. And I know for a fact that once I set my eyes on the pool, nothing else will matter, because in that moment, everything I have ever hoped to see in my sport will be right in front of me. It's thinking of that very moment that keeps me up at night. That's the part that gives me the butterflies. That's the part I've imagined since I was 6 years old.

My dream is about to begin, and I hope that I will get to share it a bit with everyone getting the chance to periodically check my site. It's crazy to think that my next entry on here will be sent from Beijing! So until then, goodbye, New York!!

Time to learn some Chinese

6:20pm EST, home sweet home...

Just 8 days until departure! The packing has gone nowhere over the past week, but the excitement levels sure have skyrocketed! I got my final packet from NBC in the mail a couple days ago with my NBC credentials and my Visa to get into China. My Visa is actually another credential in and of itself that allows me access to all of the competition and training venues while I'm there, as well as giving me prime event access, which I'm not exactly sure of the meaning, but it sounds pretty exciting and at least somewhat exclusive for the media. I also found out that I'm staying in the Media Village area in Beijing, which is basically across the street from the pool and the site where the Today Show is going to be filming.

The building that the pool itself is in looks amazing. I've googled it hundreds of times because I just can't get enough of looking at it. The outside is built to look like bubble wrap, and it's nicknamed "The Watercube" because it lights up all in blue light at night. The inside features a state-of-the-art, top-notch $150 million International Competition pool. It's being called the "cool" building of the Games that is said to be changing the face of architecture when it comes to athletic complexes. And I get to work at it every day for the next month!

In the meantime, I've been studying up on some Chinese words and phrases. I think I've mastered at least 3 important phrases: "My name is", "Where is the bathroom", and "Please help, I'm lost." My final packet came with a little pocket pack that has maps of the Beijing subway, a map of the entire Olympic area of Beijing, and some common and important Chinese phrases. I also just bought a travel size "Mandarin Chinese At A Glance" book, so I think I should be set. The next step is actually working up the confidence to use the language while I'm over there instead of being fearful of looking and sounding like a dumb American tourist! I've read, though, that Chinese people are very appreciative of any attempt by an American to learn their language, so hopefully people will recognize this early effort I'm putting into it.

I had a long conversation with my internship coordinator from my school to tie up any loose ends or resolve any questions I had left lingering in my mind before I leave. She walked me through the basics, but also gave me a couple bits of very bad news. The first: lack of communication by phone. I don't know what I'm going to do if I have no way of calling home while I'm over there! And the second, and worse of the two: laptop use is strongly discouraged for NBC workers. I guess the Chinese government is so strict that they monitor every word you type on any computer or send over any network, as well as give themselves access to every file on your computer, and they will likely open everything and question anything. I was told that there will be computers in my housing complex in the Media Village, but even there I have to be careful with every word I say, so e-mailing people and posting frequent blogs would be extremely difficult, unfortunately. I do, however, have a back-up plan (I'm a journalist; we know no other way than to have a Plan B...or C or D or E, for that matter). For right now, the goal is to write a letter home every night after work and have it in snail mail by the next day. Although it's overseas mailing, I've been assured that letters will arrive home quickly. When my mom at home receives my letters, she will transcribe them for me and post them here on my blog. Entries will be posted about a week later than things will actually be happening, I'm assuming, but it's better than nothing, and it's certainly a way to keep you homefolks updated.

So be prepared for a little bit of a time lapse. Every word on here will still be coming directly from me while I am in Beijing, but they will come up late. I plan to update the entire blog with photos and additional comments when I return home to the States, so keep an eye out for that even after I return (my return date is August 27th).

Zai djiehn! (That's Mandarin for goodbye...see, I'm a pro!)

Sitting pretty at 17 days...

9:05pm EST, Still home in NY...

Just about 2 1/2 weeks left until departure and time couldn't be moving any more slowly. I've thought about starting the mass quantities of packing I have yet to do at times, but it only takes one minor distraction like an instant message or a text to make me forget about being at all productive. Or swimming coverage on TV, of course.

The good news of the week: I have received a confirmation e-mail from NBC Olympics asking if all of my contact information is correct before I receive my final mailing that has my NBC credential and final information with it. The e-mail also, thankfully, included my assigned venue which is, in fact, the pool! It's nice to have it finally confirmed. I'm not just hoping for it anymore, everything is set and ready to go, and I am about to witness the one thing I have dreamt about for so long.

Trials have finally concluded, and for those of you who missed it, well, you missed quite a show! 8 nights of unforgettable celebrations, upsets, world records, and let's be honest, men in bathing suits! There has been so much hype over the new laser-cut Speedo suits that supposedly give an edge to any swimmer who wears them, but I think world records would have gone down regardless of the apparel.

One of the most upsetting points for me was watching Brendan Hansen come in 4th place in finals of the 200m breaststroke when he was expected to easily win (only the top 2 finishers in each event make the Olympic team, but luckily he had won the 100m breaststroke earlier in the meet to secure his spot on the team, at least in that event). The best part about Hansen's story, though, was how he reacted to his finish and commended his two teammates for taking the top two Olympic positions. There are such good stories up all over the Internet now quoting him saying that if he can't beat his Japanese rival Kosuke Kitajima (who, in my opinion, cheated in the '04 Games to win the golds in both breaststroke events and break both of Hansen's previous world records, but no one asked me...), he is going to do everything in his power to make sure that his teammates do. If that isn't just downright heartwarming, I don't know what is. It's such a good reflection upon USA Swimming and everyone involved in it.

And of course, the story of the Games, Michael Phelps, was great as always, but he breaks world records like it is nothing. He is a perfect swimming specimen. But the most shocking story of the Trials had to have been Dara Torres, the 41-year-old who qualified for her fifth straight Olympic team in both sprint freestyle events. Considering she's swimming against girls literally half her age, and has been doing so for so long, she has quite the extraordinary story. I can't wait to see her in action in Beijing.

The excitement of thinking that I will be a witness to these great athletes in their highest level of competition is higher than ever right now. I'm actually considering having my dopamine levels checked I'm so antsy to get this started! Okay, so I'm a little kidding on that, but it gives you an idea of just how anxious I am.

For now, let the official packing begin!

The first of many...

7:30pm EST, Stuck in NY for 3 more weeks...

Welcome to my 2008 Olympic blog! I guess the best way to go about something like this is to give a little background info on myself for those of you reading this who may not know me, that way when I start posting my real blog entries, I can be myself and talk about things that matter to me without having to worry about people wondering how all of this started. First, the most general: I'm 21 years old and about to start my senior year at Syracuse University, where I'm studying broadcast journalism in the Newhouse School of Communications. I've been a competitive swimmer for as long as I can remember and I now swim for the D1 team at SU. It has been a (mostly) successful 3 years of school and swimming thus far, and I know that this chapter of my life is preluding many bigger and better things in my future.

Sports have always held a special place in my heart, and I am a die-hard New England sports fan (born and raised, what can I say?), but swimming is about to be the main theme of this blog, so be forewarned. The sport has given me everything I have ever hoped or expected it would: a healthy heart, a powerful dedication to hard work, recognition of my accomplishments on many levels, my ticket to an outstanding school studying a field that I am truly passionate about, and finally, as of December of this past year, my dream internship.

The road to this internship actually started way back in September, when I heard that NBC was coming to Newhouse to conduct interviews for internship positions at the Beijing Games. I think it's safe to bet that I was probably one of the first people in my career development center to pick up an application the day they were released; I was so excited I could barely contain myself. Shortly after, I had my interview with the NBC Olympic committee and was sitting tight to hear any kind of response back from them for the next month.

It wasn't until early October that I was in the locker room after swim practice one afternoon and my cell phone rang, which was unusual because cell phones don't normally get reception in the locker rooms. I looked at the number and didn't recognize it, so I decided to just answer it quickly, expecting it to be a wrong number and bad reception wouldn't matter anyway because the call would have no reason to be longer than 10 seconds. I answered, and heard a man's voice on the other end of the phone asking if he had the right person. I assured him that it was, in fact, me that he was talking to, and then I heard, "Hi Dani, this is Bob Costas calling..." Let's just say it was not a graceful exit I made from the locker room in my manic rush to an area with better reception (I nearly knocked myself out on an open locker, before proceeding to wipe out half the girls on my team on the slippery locker room floor). So I ended up sitting in the freezing cold lobby of the athletic building, bathing suit still dripping wet on me, a towel thrown over my shoulders in a rush, talking to the one and only Bob Costas, who had somehow gotten a hold of my internship application and wanted to hear more about the classes I was taking and the experience I had with swimming. God knows I had tons to talk about!

I raced back into the locker room after hanging up my phone, changed in such a rush that people probably thought there was a fire somewhere, called my mom in hysterical tears of excitement, then raced back to my apartment to call everyone I knew. It wasn't until December, though, that I received my confirmation e-mail that I had gotten a position as an intern at the 2008 Games.

Now yes, it obviously would be exciting for any college student to land this internship, anyone at all actually, but for someone like me who's been swimming for the past 16 years of my life, this is quite literally a dream come true. When you grow up idolizing the likes of Lenny Krayzelburg, Jenny Thompson and Amanda Beard, and you read books on Olympic athletes' experiences and journeys to success the way some people read romance or mystery novels, this is it. For me, this is 16 years of discipline, determination, hard work, tears, strict diets, sacrificing a normal woman's body to have the broad shoulders and thunder thighs that "make you faster", thousands of dollars in racing suits and hotel rooms and caps and goggles and sandles, all of it finally paying off in a bigger way than I had ever realistically imagined. I know that every 6-year-old who gets on those starting blocks at a swim meet for the first time is forever plagued with dreams of standing on that top Olympic podium from that very first moment, but a very few number of people ever actually make it there. In my mind, I've made it.

Instead of competing (which really became an unrealistic goal long ago -- college swimming was as far as I had ever even had the desire to go), I get to help with something that I love and something that is going to be so much bigger than me that it will be nothing short of inspiring. The coverage and broadcasts of these Olympics are going to be the most intense yet, with every NBC affiliate showing some or all of the sports, new Web features and updates, streaming video...the possibilities are endless with all of the new technologies at hand. And to be honest, I will be happy even serving coffee for the people who do all of this! I admire the work so much and I am hoping to learn as much as I possibly can, while at the same time getting the experience of a lifetime that so many swimmers dream about. Being in the presence of such outstanding athletes all around me, all brought together for one common purpose, is going to be jaw-dropping. Even watching the swimming trials on TV this week is making me want to cry because I still can't quite believe that I will get to be in Beijing for all of it. The commercials with video clips of all the sports that show the Olympic rings at the end give me chills.

I leave on the morning of Friday, July 25th, and until then I am just awaiting my final mailing with my NBC credentials, more details on my position and the venue I will be located at, and everything else I need to know before I depart. I'll be in China until August 27th, and I'm hoping to keep a consistently updated blog for the duration of my journey. Until I leave, I'll most likely be leaving weekly updates on the process of getting ready to go and any new details I find out along the way. That is, if I can subdue my excitement for a long enough time to write what I hope will be a few slightly intelligent and insightful blogs!

I hope that people will come away from reading my future stories with a new appreciation for Olympic sports and simply the understanding that this is something that I am so passionate about that I want to share it with as many people as I can. So until the good stuff really starts, enjoy!