Day 20 – Tuesday 7th August

I really hope that the rest of my time here isn’t like the last couple of days.  I don’t like complaining, because I love being a part of this, but I love being helpful and busy. 

I came in this afternoon to everyone saying that it had been a quiet morning, and warning that it was more likely to be a similar situation for my shift. 

So, imagine my delight when one of the Venezuelans’ guests wanted to take the Tube to ExCel for the boxing, but confessed that she was scared to go on a foreign ‘Metro’ alone.  I totally sympathised with her.  I’ve travelled a lot myself, and even on a normal non-Olympics day, public transport is daunting and sometimes scary, and I’ve always been grateful for friends or at least some company.  So, happily I agreed to take her on the half-hour journey on the Docklands Light Railway. 

There are a couple of exits and entrances to the Olympic Village at various points around the periphery.  One of the most popular routes out leads straight to Stratford International and Westfield Shopping Centre, being the quickest and easiest by far.  Until now.  I don’t know when it started, but members of the public somehow got to know that this is the exit athletes use, and so exiting today involved being surrounded by fans and well-wishers, wanting to exchange pins or have athletes’ autographs and photos.  I’m in two minds about this – it’s cool that everyone’s showing so much support, but I’m also mindful that it’s not helpful for the athletes’ day, and unfair for the people they’re not cheering on.  Also, I might be a little bitter that no one cheered for me!

The journey down to Custom House for ExCel was very pleasant.  It was lovely talking to someone new, learning about where she comes from, and it was my pleasure to give her extra directions to Embankment so she could see Big Ben and the London Eye on a later date.

By the time I had gone down to Custom House and back, it was time for dinner.  The only thing left was to deal with the transport issues I had been warned about yesterday.

My trip ‘out’ today was only a small gesture, and the only thing any of us really did that day, but I was so happy to be able to do it, and she was so grateful.  Making people happy and comfortable makes me very happy, and that’s something I can bear in mind for the future.