My 16 year old son is mad at me. When I call home his anger is palpable. He does not understand why I leave home for extended periods of time every couple of years to work at the Olympics. He won’t listen when I try to explain so I’m putting it out to the world. Being part of a production team at the Olympics is, … Continue reading Why I Work at the Olympics
I walked out of my hotel room this morning carrying a plastic bottle of water and by the time I was at the front desk it was empty. I handed it to the concierge and asked if he could throw it out. Before I could correct myself a hotel manager did it for me. Recycle! From what I can tell, Canada is an enlightened country. There are as many … Continue reading Enlightened Canada
I walked out of my hotel room in Vancouver this morning to see a flock of seagulls squacking their heads off. That’s the most noise I’ve heard since I arrived in Canada. Toto, we’re not in Beijing anymore. In 2008, with the Olympic Games a week and a half away, the city was buzzing with anticipation and chaotic with last minute preparations. Thousands of people were … Continue reading Olympics: Canada Style
This blog was born so that I could post to my friends, family and anyone else interested from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Now on the eve of 2010 Olympics, as I prepare to board an airplane for British Columbia, I find myself blogging again and reflecting on the only other time I was in Vancouver. I was 10 years old and my great uncle … Continue reading Greyhound Bus to Vancouver
One year ago I was in Beijing, China for a three month gig working at the Olympics. In November 2008 I headed to Kampala, Uganda again to do more television production work for BeadforLife (http://beadforlife.org) then immediately after a quick trip to Delhi, India for a wedding. No exotic destinations this summer but I’m hungry for an overseas trip. I’m already thinking about what to do … Continue reading Vacation in Afghanistan
The truth, my friend Song and I agreed, is somewhere in between. When people see things from completely different points of view, more than likely the reality lies in the middle. Song and I were having lunch towards the end of the Olympics in the International Broadcast Centre cafeteria and I asked her what she planned to do after the games ended. She said she’d like … Continue reading The Truth About China
The Olympic Games are less than three weeks away and Beijing is spiffing up. When you have a workforce of over a billion people you can get lots done in a short time. Every day the city transforms itself more and more. Signage has gone up from one end of town to the other. You drive over logos in special Olympic lanes, see Fuwas and banners … Continue reading Olympic Countdown
There were two places on my must see list on this journey to China and this past weekend in an Olympic sightseeing marathon I visited both. On Saturday friends and I flew to Xian for a whirlwind day trip to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and on Sunday three of us visited the Great Wall of China. The Terra Cotta Warriors are amazing to ponder. … Continue reading Ginger and the Great Wall
Mr. Li gets the good Olympic citizen award. I left my new Nike sweatshirt in his taxi following a ride to the Emperor Hotel. After a couple days of searching my Chinese colleague tracked him down and learned he had delivered the item to the hotel thinking I was a guest there. When she told him otherwise, he retrieved it and delivered it to me at work clear across … Continue reading Hen hao (very good) taxi ride
Sunday in Beijing and I feel the city is mine. The sky is a beautiful blue (yes, it does happen) and the sun is out. In two and a half weeks I have found a French bakery for cappuccinos, a restaurant I love called Hutong Pizza and I rode the subway. I’m making my way through the city with confidence. Today I decide to visit … Continue reading For the love of Panda Bears
Vicky Collins Online 