Beijing and Back

Farewell, Beijing

2008-08-27T06:21:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-26T06:26:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-25T07:22:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-23T06:32:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-22T16:58:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-21T10:30:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-20T07:04:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-18T11:03:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-16T21:31:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-15T22:27:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-14T22:03:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-14T21:57:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-12T21:02:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-11T21:35:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-10T11:13:00.005-04:00

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.

Let the Games begin!

2008-08-10T06:04:00.004-04:00

8/9/08 22:36 Local time, Broadcast Compound

The Olympic torch is officially blazing bright over the Bird's Nest! I saw it for the first time this afternoon on my way to work. The symbolism associated with that torch makes even looking at it from afar an incredible experience. I haven't taken pictures yet, but I do plan on it. It's not every day you actually get to see the Olympic torch in person (well it will be every day for me for the next 2 weeks, I guess...unbelievable).

Since I didn't have to be in to work until 1:00pm today and I was up early anyway, I decided to take an earlier bus to the IBC. Claire came, too, and we decided to stop in at the National Indoor Stadium to watch some of the gymnastics that started this afternoon. I've never been to a gymnastics meet, and I think I was incredibly spoiled to start at the Olympics, but it was one of the coolest sporting events I've ever witnessed. The athletes marched out in 6 groups (USA, Italy, Spain, and 3 mixed groups) and performed on each event by group all simultaneously. It was overwhelming at times because I couldn't really decide who to watch on what event, but after a while I got the hang of it and was able to see a lot of incredible things in a very short amount of time.

Today was also the first day of swimming competition. Finally. I wasn't really assigned to any specific job for preliminaries, so I just sat in the stands and got to watch the races as a spectator. To kick things off, Michael Phelps broke an Olympic record in the 400 IM, both American women made semifinals in the 100 fly, Peter Vanderkaay and Larsen Jensen are both top 16 in the 400 free, Katie Hoff is off to a much better start than her 2004 debut and is going into the finals of the 400 IM in second place, Brendan Hansen is only in 10th in the 100 breast and Mark Gangloff squeezed into 16th place for semis, and the U.S. women's 4x100 free relay is in 2nd place for finals tomorrow morning. It was a pretty eventful preliminary round, but finals tomorrow morning should be even better.

The crowd was pretty big tonight, too, considering it was only a preliminary. The Chinese people were going crazy for all of their swimmers. I just kept thinking how cool that must be for the Chinese team to be swimming in that gorgeous pool in front of a home crowd that just leaks pride everywhere they go.

Diving starts tomorrow afternoon and Phelps will go for his first gold of the meet that could make history. I don't care how many people are rooting for an upset (Ryan Lochte has a legitimate chance of beating Phelps tomorrow), I want to see someone win 8 gold medals in one Olympics. And I want the person to be American, and I want it to be Michael Phelps. Tomorrow will set the tone for the rest of the Games, no matter the sport. Everyone is cheering for Phelps, and I can't wait to be there to witness that 8th gold.

8/8/08

2008-08-09T06:05:00.002-04:00

8/9/08 8:56 Local Time, Media Village

I cannot believe I didn't actually write on 8/8/08 itself! Yesterday was one of the luckiest days in history to the Chinese people and they sure went all out for it. We had to be out of work before 12 noon yesterday because they were locking every entrance into and out of the Olympic Green. So if we stayed at all past noon, we would have been locked in our compound until today, which didn't sound too appealing to anyone, really. When we got out, a few other aquatics interns and I walked to the Olympic Superstore that just opened. The place literally had every single Olympic item you could ever possibly imagine. Needless to say, I got all of my gift shopping done and then some.

Yesterday was the worst weather we've had here by far in terms of heat, humidity, and smog. When I woke up, I couldn't see past more than 2 blocks out my window. I really would have thought they would have made it rain for the Opening Ceremonies, but apparently not. And you really couldn't be outside for more than 5 minutes comfortably, it was so hot and sticky. It was miserable to be walking around outside, so I chose to skip out on sightseeing for the afternoon and hang out in my air-conditioned apartment. There will be more chances to see things after the Games, and hopefully the weather will be a little bit more favorable for us. I'm still dying to see the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven.

Opening Ceremonies absolutely blew my mind. We didn't get to watch it them person (which I was kind of relieved about due to all of the hype over security and threats and everything), so a bunch of the interns watched it on a local network in one girl's Media Village room and ate pizza. It was actually a lot of fun. And every time we saw fireworks on our TV screen, we would run to the windows and we could see and hear them outside. It was almost painful how close we were to it without being able to actually see all of it. They were incredible, as expected, though. The rumor was that every person performing only performed once and there were 2008 people on the field for every act. It was crazy how precise they were. We kept talking about how no other country could have ever pulled that off like that.

Today is our first day of actual broadcasts! It's only prelims of a few events tonight, so I don't know when exactly it will be shown on TV at home, but I'm still excited to be a part of it nonetheless!

More long days and some good advice

2008-08-07T14:12:00.002-04:00

8/7/08 19:20 Local Time, Broadcast Compound

I have come to the official conclusion that I love this job. I may not have gotten to swim in the pool last night like I was hoping, but I did get to be Rowdy Gaines for an hour during our swimming broadcast dress rehearsal. I sat in his place and talked into his headset to our director and commentated on the fake races being staged in the pool. And I got to play with his computer screen, too, where he draws his little lines and arrows when they show replays of the races. It was so cool -- all of the cameras and lights and everything were set up and the tapes were rolling right behind me. When I finished helping inside the venue, rehearsal was still going on so I went into the control room on our broadcast compound and watched the director and producer at work on their end of the broadcast. They walked me through everything they were doing and all the boards they were using. I love thinking about how they are the ones that essentially make every piece of the swimming broadcasts I've watched for so long.

We didn't get out of work last night until 12:30, which made yesterday a 15-hour work day for all of us aquatics interns. And we had to be back here at 9:00 this morning. The first thing I did this morning, though, was escort 6 or 7 U.S. divers onto our compound to talk to our diving producers and commentators. Shannon and I had to entertain the ones who weren't being interviewed at the time, and they were all really cool and fun to hang out with. They all look so young, but they're actually college students or recent graduates. And they're muscular beyond belief. I got to watch part of their practice later on this afternoon, too, which of course was exciting.

I had lunch today with Andrea Kremer, who thankfully was more than willing to talk to me about broadcasting when I started grilling her with questions about how she started. She gave me a lot of great advice on how to make a name for myself in this business. We talked for nearly 45 minutes, through all of which I was incredibly appreciative of her taking the time to help me out. It was definitely memorable advice that I couldn't have learned anywhere else.

I also was assigned my position today for when diving goes on air. I've been given the title "stage manager," which sounds a little more glamorous than it actually is, but it's definitely the best position I could get as an intern. Basically I get to sit in a chair between the 2 commentators in our diving broadcast booth in the Cube and wear a headset to talk to one of the guys back in our control room on the compound. I have to make sure our 2 diving talents, Cynthia Potter and another guy I haven't been introduced to yet, are where they need to be doing what they need to be doing with everything they need to do a successful broadcast. I've really just been given an unlimited access ticket to the best seat in the house for all of the diving competitions. I can't complain. I'm just still excited to hear for sure what I'll be doing for the swimming (I'm still seriously hoping for the Costas platform).

The Today Show is doing their live broadcast from the Ling Long Pagoda broadcasting tower as we speak. We're going to try to walk over there if it's still going on after work, but it's probably not going to happen.

Opening Ceremonies are finally tomorrow! Security has tightened up a lot around the Olympic Green and the streets are getting more crowded by the day. I can't believe it's actually about to happen. I'm so close to experiencing my very first Olympics!

Exciting day for the golf cart drivers

2008-08-06T06:31:00.003-04:00

8/6/08 14:37 Local Time, Broadcast Compound

With only 2 days left until Opening Ceremonies, life on the compound is getting incredibly hectic. Yesterday was a mess at work -- most of our crew arrived for their first day, and our people were running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to orient everyone. I was assigned the lucky job of making 5 copies of a 300-page athlete biography packet (there were 8-10 athletes listed for each event, both men’s and women’s). It took me most of my work day yesterday because we got out early, and then I've been working on finishing them this afternoon. My broadcast manager saw how hard I was working at it and actually complimented me on my efforts. It was the first time I heard her give any kind of feedback to any of the interns. And the guy I made them for is so happy with them, too. It's such a relief to have it done.

We got out of work at 4:30pm yesterday because we had an intern dinner at the 5-star Crowne Plaza Hotel that we had to be dressed up for. At the dinner, we got to meet NBC executives and talents, as well as some former Olympic athletes boasting insanely impressive resumes. Bela Karolyi (the gymnastics coach that carried Kerri Strug off the floor after her dramatic Olympic gold performance some years back) was there, as well as a men's beach volleyball Olympic medalist and a women's soccer player and coach. And, of course, the aquatics family's favorites, Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines, were there, too. Rowdy gave an awesome speech and then they showed a video of his 100 freestyle race in the 1984 Olympics when he won gold. It was cool to sit there with him as he relived his Olympic glory for probably the billionth time. He told us that he still gets chills every time he sees the video and he always silently cheers for himself to go faster, even though the outcome is (thankfully) always the same.

They also showed a video of clips from the '04 Games in Athens. The whole thing gave me chills. I just kept thinking about all of my favorite moments from the swimming in those Games and how in just a few days I'll be witnessing new history firsthand. It got me so excited that I wanted to cry, but luckily I held off this time!

We also met Lester Holt from the Today Show. And in the lobby of the hotel after our dinner I saw Matt Lauer just wandering around talking on his cell phone. I would have normally introduced myself, but he was talking and I didn't want to interrupt him. I'm hoping next time he won't be doing anything.

The food they served us at the dinner was amazing. It consisted of 9 courses total, including shrimp in uncooked egg rolls (it looked like a cross between a spring roll and an egg roll), Chinese pumpkin soup, salmon (which I ate and enjoyed for the first time ever!), fried rice, vegetables, sweet and sour shrimp (my favorite), and this to die for chocolate mousse cake. And to make it all even better and really send all 3 swimming interns over the edge, our boss texted us during dinner and told us to bring our swim suits to work today because they might need us to test the cameras during their run-through tonight! I definitely have it with me, and my camera is raring and ready to go!

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one 24-hour span, I got to do the coolest job this morning at work. My broadcast manager called me away from the bio books that are taking me the rest of my life to complete to ask if I could help drive some of the U.S. swim team down the street to the Main Press Centre for a press conference they were scheduled to do. Obviously, I dropped what I was doing and went in a heartbeat. First I drove Rowdy, Dan Hicks, and Dara Torres from the pool to the MPC, and Shannon had Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman in her cart, which she drove directly in front of mine. After Phelps got out, Shannon and I were talking about how unreal it was that he's the focus of these Games and we just met him. The cameras that followed him around didn't turn off until the second Shannon stepped on the gas, and he was just so nonchalant about it. It was crazy.

This story only gets better. We had to go back to the Water Cube to pick up another group about 15 minutes after the first two. No sooner did I park my golf cart than 3 of the biggest names from the men's U.S. team walked out with 2 of their coaches, and they all climbed into my cart and started talking to me and joking with me. I swear, it was one of the only times in my life I felt speechless. When I turned around and saw Aaron Peirsol behind me, Brendan Hansen next to him, and Ryan Lochte next to me, I literally broke out into a sweat. It was probably the most exciting moment I've experienced in Beijing so far. You can only imagine how absolutely amazed I was.

It's been a pretty quiet day since then, and pretty much all the interns have been doing is reminiscing about last night. A bunch of us went out after our dinner to this place called Sanlitun Street (the cab driver tried to teach us how to pronounce that correctly, but it sounded more French than Chinese coming out of our mouths), which is this huge strip of Western bars and clubs. We only hung out at 2 of the bars, but it was a gorgeous night and they were all outdoors and we were with fun people, so it was a great time.

One of my roommates, Courtney, is actually a Chinese major at school and one of the funniest parts of the night was listening to her get directions from Chinese people and talk to our cab driver. I love the girl!

Hopefully tonight we will get to swim in the Water Cube! Imagine the stories I might have for tonight or tomorrow...

The first 13-hour day

2008-08-04T19:36:00.002-04:00

8/4/08 21:08 Local Time, Broadcast Compound, Water Cube

I find it a bit crazy how much money NBC has been willing to spend just to set up for the broadcasts of these Games. The gymnastics trailers on our compound are all decked out in Chinese souvenirs, including decorative outdoor lanterns, banners with Chinese writing, a gong, and Chinese tea set -- all because the director and producer wanted them, and all on NBC's money. Our producer decided he wants posters of the U.S. swimmers up in his office, so our office people have been in a complete frenzy trying to figure out how to get them for him as quickly as possible. It's like a contest for who can have the best decorated trailer for our 2 weeks of broadcasting. And whatever the producers want, the producers get, even if it's a case of Pepsi in a cooler every day.

Furniture for the offices is another issue. If a trailer needs something that it doesn't already have, someone either goes out and buys it here or it's ordered and shipped here the next day. They've put couches in a bunch of the trailers as well as air mattresses and blankets and pillows for people who just sleep here when the Games start. And today we had to build a sound proof box inside one of the voice over rooms out of 1x4 pieces of lumber and soundproof paneling -- all ordered yesterday and delivered because the producer wanted it. And I realized the one thing they didn't specify at our orientation -- how much money NBC invests in these Games. I'm very curious to know. Oh, we have a hammock outside, too, attached to the only 2 trees in our compound. One of our editors is sound asleep in it right now. He looks like he's going to hit the ground any second.

The U.S. Swim team had its first official practice at the Olympic venue earlier tonight. Shannon and I went over around 5:00 to check it out, but we found out they changed their practice time to 7:00 instead. We watched the Australian team practice as a consolation. Not too shabby.

We've been at work for almost 13 hours now, but Shannon and I did get to head back over to the pool to catch part of the U.S. team practice. It's crazy because I've seen these people before -- I've swam in some of the same meets, I've been on the same pool deck -- but seeing all of them as Olympians practicing in the Olympic pool is an entirely new level. Here, it's like you know what they're here for, you know their goals, you know their competition. We saw so many people, too -- Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay, Ryan Lochte, Dara Torres, Katie Hoff, Margaret Hoelzer, Kate Ziegler, and my personal favorite Brendan Hansen. And watching all of them swim from Bob Costas' broadcast platform above the pool deck with Rowdy Gaines is completely indescribable.

And speaking of Rowdy Gaines, we were all in the office today with him and Dan Hicks and Dan asked me if I swam at school. I told him yes, but I explained how our team is getting cut and our athletic director is creating a women's ice hockey team in our place, and he got all upset for me and said he thought it was a story he could possibly work into his broadcasts. I'm not sure if he was serious or what, but how cool would it be if our story actually got aired?! We proceeded with the conversation to discuss our athletics department, which apparently a lot of the big names know of, and even women's ice hockey and the future of that sport. It's definitely interesting to hear some professional takes on our issue.

The Today Show was filming practice, as well, while we were there. I met one of the producers and a few of the camera people. When I talked to my mom back home, she said they were showing it on TV, and it was cool to tell her that I was standing right there. She was explaining what they were showing and I was telling her that I saw all of it from Costas' platform and knew exactly what she was talking about. I literally was 5 feet away from all of it.

On a side note, the Water Cube is all lit up in different colors right now. It's so amazingly cool. And the broadcast tower is all different colors, too, so the whole Olympic Green is glowing and gorgeous. Only 3 1/2 days until the Games begin! I am legitimately wondering if I will ever make it back to my Media Village room before that torch is lit.

Meeting the big wigs

2008-08-03T22:00:00.002-04:00

8/4/08 7:20am Local Time, Logistics Office, Media Village

One of my favorite things about being here is experiencing bits of every different culture and hearing all of the different accents. The IBC is hopping with people from both sides of the world, and it's so exciting to be added to the mix. Yesterday we actually gave a ride to 3 Ukrainian swimmers in our golf cart to the IBC. We thought how strange it was to see them walking -- the U.S. team would definitely never be left walking anywhere. But we certainly didn't mind giving a lift to a few Olympic swimmers!

We finally met some talent at work yesterday! Rowdy Gaines, Dan Hicks, and Andrea Kremer all walked in together in the afternoon. We were in the catering tent with them and Shannon did a double take on Rowdy and proceeded to flip out. When she introduced herself later in the day, one of our camera guys who was in the office called her out on her excitement and Rowdy came over to give her a big hug. She couldn't stop giggling, because apparently that's what she does when she's uncomfortable. It was quite the scene.

Later in the afternoon, when there was nothing really to do, the guys who control the video tape room (which is the first place the video goes to on our compound from the cameras inside the pool) popped in the "Superbad" DVD on one of their big screens and I sat back with my feet up and watched it with them. The guys are hilarious.

When I got back from work last night, I finally had all of my roommates and I found the rest of the Syracuse people that were coming (the charter plane got in yesterday and brought most of the NBC staff). I showed a couple of my Syracuse friends and a few new interns around the Media Village, then just hung out and watched "Blades of Glory" on HBO with a friend. We take HBO very much for granted in America, and it took having it be the only television station in English for me to realize that.

One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that the Olympic Village has officially been open for a few days now. Every time we drive past it on our way to the IBC, there's a new flag up denoting which countries are staying in which section of the Village. It's getting very colorful!

Another cool thing is the friendliness of everyone in the entire city, which I know I have mentioned before, but it still baffles me. I've decided that it's because everyone is here for one of two purposes: to compete, or to cover the competitions. "One World, One Dream" explains it so perfectly. It's just an unreal experience to be caught up in the middle of it.

It's a very smoggy day today, unfortunately, so I'm hoping not to be working outside very much, but we've been spoiled with blue skies the past couple of days. I can't decide if I like it better when the blazing sun is beating on me but the air is clearer, or if it's better when the air is smoggier but it blocks the sun and feels cooler.

The U.S. Swim team arrives today and is scheduled to practice from 5-7pm. The Today Show is coming in to film practice, and I'm really hoping we'll get to help out when they get here. And -- only 4 days until Opening Ceremonies!

Tear show on the pool deck

2008-08-02T22:47:00.002-04:00

8/3/08 9:02 Local Time, Water Cube Broadcast Compound

It really started to hit me at work yesterday that I'm actually in China and the Olympic Games are actually starting in just a week. Aidan and I got to go on a little tour during work of the inside of the Water Cube and all of NBC's broadcast areas. The first stop was called the Costas Platform, which is probably pretty self-explanatory. He has a spot at one end of the pool up above the blocks overlooking the entire natatorium. The view was incredible -- I put all of the Olympic athletes in the pool in my mind. Then it hit me that I was standing in the exact spot that Bob Costas would be broadcasting from. I suddenly felt my heart pounding against my chest in its flutter of excitement. I actually wanted to cry it was so unreal.

The next stop was the swimming commentary booth located in the stands at the finish line. That's where Rowdy Gaines and Dan Hicks will be during the meet. None of the cameras or computers or anything were set up yet, but I could completely picture it all put together in my mind. All of the other international broadcast stations have booths right around ours, but ours is in the best possible location.

The third stop was the diving commentary booth that looks out over the biggest diving well ever built and the most gorgeous platform towers I've ever seen. We then went down on deck to the mix zone, which is where Andrea Kremer will be doing interviews of all of the athletes after their races. The mix zone was this huge row of little knee-high boxes that lined the length of the diving well. Every country broadcasting had its own box. We stood in Andrea's and took pictures for a while (we, of course, have the best position there, too), and by this point I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I just had to call my mom to tell her where I was standing, even though it was 3:30am in New York. It went to her voicemail, which I was hoping for, and I told her I was so excited that I thought I was going to cry and, sure enough, I started crying. Just a little. The whole experience was so out of this world. It was beyond a dream come true. And on our way out, I even ran my hand through the water. I almost died thinking about what I was actually touching. I seriously asked Aidan to pinch me because I thought I was dreaming.

The rest of the day at work, I got to drive people around in a golf cart to all of the different places on the Olympic Green. I went to the Bird's Nest again and finally saw the broadcast tower up close (where the Today Show is broadcast from). And the Today Show actually starts their broadcasts from here tomorrow! I think they're doing a tour of the sets in our section of the IBC at some point this week, so when that gets aired, just know that that's exactly where I am every morning, noon, and night. It's cool that people at home will get to see that, too.

After work I met up with Ben, a fellow intern who I went out with a few nights ago, and we ventured out to find a good place to eat near the Media Village. We ended up in this one restaurant, where we tried 3 dishes -- one rice with egg and Chinese vegetables, one rice with pork and grilled onions, and one stick of seasoned lamb meat and bamboo -- that only cost us 30 RMB total, including 2 large bottles of Chinese beer. So 15 each...that's like 2 or 3 American dollars each. Can't beat it! The lamb wasn't my favorite, but I did try it, and the other 2 dishes were amazing, even though when we ordered them we had no idea what we were ordering because the menu was all in Chinese and there were no pictures.

After dinner, we just went to this bar right in the Media Village that has fun little tables and umbrellas set up outdoors. And for those of you wondering, Chinese beer is surprisingly delicious. We didn't stay out long, though, because we both had to be up early for work. We did get to see fireworks from the Bird's Nest while we were outside because they were doing a rehearsal for opening ceremonies. They were huge, and that was nothing compared to what the ceremonies actually have in store. And in less than 1 week from today, the swimming will have officially begun! I can barely contain myself.

Sucker for the silk market

2008-08-02T00:05:00.002-04:00

8/1/08 23:38 Local Time, Media Village

When I was planning for my trip to Beijing, I of course was factoring in spending money, but I didn't think I would have much time to go shopping, and I certainly wasn't planning on the silk market. That place is my weakness. Everything is so cheap there, I actually got most of my Christmas shopping done after work today! I need to stay out of that place for a couple of weeks.

We met this one Chinese woman who was selling Coach purses, and she was so funny that we ended up taking a ridiculous picture with her in the middle of the market. People in China love to give peace signs in pictures for some reason, much more so than Americans, but we decided on the universal thumbs up sign for this one instead.

At work today, the producer and director for swimming came onto our compound for the first time. The producer, Tommy Roy, has won more Emmy Awards than any other sports producer in history, and he's one of the nicest guys on the swimming production crew. And he has ties to Syracuse...go figure! I guess he's supposedly a very hyper man who can't sit still in his desk chair and drinks Pepsi 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Since Coke is the official sponsor of these Games, NBC is actually having to specially ship in mass quantities of Pepsi for this guy. The Olympic Committee is NOT happy about that one.

I finally found life in my apartment this morning! My roommate was on her way out the door as I was getting ready for work. Her name is Katie and she just graduated from UCLA. She seems like a really cool girl, but I haven't gotten to spend much time with her yet. Claire and Shannon and I actually ran into her and another intern at the silk market tonight, but we were all going in different directions.

As the Games get closer and closer, the Olympic areas get more and more crowded, and understandably so. It's amazing, though, that the patience level of the Chinese volunteers when dealing with all of these foreigners in their country is still through the roof. I mean, you try throwing this many people from all over the world into New York City, and more people would be miserable and angry with the crowds than they would be helpful. Maybe that's why I like this city so much better!

Better and better with each passing day.

2008-08-01T16:53:00.003-04:00

7/31/08 12:22 Local Time, Media Village

I finally met the swimming broadcast manager today! Her name is Cathy, and the second I introduced myself, she asked if I was the one that knew Bob Costas. It turns out she's known him for 25 years, and when I was talking to her later in the day, she said that when he is at the swimming venue, they usually assign an intern to go around with him, and she said she would make sure I got to do that! I almost dropped dead. The doors this internship is opening for me are incredible, and I've only been here for 5 days. I'm so excited.

It's really going to be a slow couple of days coming up at work, because we almost have the compound completely set up already (with 7 eager interns working on one venue, things get done strangely quickly). Shannon and I had to go on the pool deck today to help with the set-up of a few of our ceiling cameras. We were literally standing behind all of the competition blocks that so many Olympic athletes will be starting from so soon, trying to make all of their dreams come true. It's a crazy thought. While we were standing there, the Canadian, Mexican, Belgian, Turkish, Cuban, and I think 1 or 2 other national teams walked onto the deck to do some workouts. Even though I had no idea who the athletes were, it was still somewhat of an unreal experience to be in their presence.

We went back to the silk market tonight after work with some of the gymnastics interns we see a lot on our compound (we share a compound since the swimming and "gymno" venues are side by side) because we all needed to find closed-toed shoes to wear to work. I got a pair of all black Pumas for like 15 bucks...crazy cheap.

A few new interns got in today, and one of them, Ben, who's working at the basketball venue, came with us to the silk market. He and I stayed there when everyone else went back because we wanted to find some good Chinese food in the area. We found this one really good place to have dinner, and we had pork and grilled pineapples in sweet and sour sauce, dumplings, and I had my first dish of duck with peanuts in this delicious sauce! I'm so proud of myself -- I'm getting so brave with my food selections! It was SO delicious, too. And we had this rice wine that smelled and tasted awful at first but actually went really well with our food. When we finished the ceramic "bottle" it was in, I snagged it off the table and stuffed it in my bag so I left the restaurant with a nice little souvenir for myself. And I had my first adventure on the Beijing subway! Thankfully, it was successful.

I have a new roommate finally, though she was already sleeping by the time I got in. She will learn soon that nights after work are the best times to explore parts of the city. It's my favorite part of the day!

Learning Mandarin and being blown away by the architecture!

2008-07-29T20:11:00.003-04:00

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!!

2008-07-28T21:06:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-07-28T20:42:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-07-27T07:01:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-07-23T21:14:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-17T18:20:00.006-04:00

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...

2008-07-08T20:36:00.008-04:00

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...

2008-07-01T18:10:00.009-04:00

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!