Wednesday 22 August 2012

Day 22 – Thursday 9th August


This morning I headed down to Charing Cross to meet Mum and Alice – the first time I’ve seen them since moving to London in mid-July.  It was really nice to catch up on what they’ve been up to and to share my own stories.  It was the first time I’d really been anywhere in my ‘civvies’.  It was really strange not being stared at, or asked questions.  I love everyone’s questions and conversations.  I don’t want London to turn back into an impersonal city after this!

We made our way to Hyde Park to watch the long-distance swim in the Serpentine.  It was a free event, so there were a lot of people trying to take as much of a slice of the Olympic fever as was possible.  Many people were crowded by the water’s edge to watch the action, but there were as many sitting on the lawn, soaking up the warmth of the sun, watching the swimmers race to and fro.  It’s really great to see that the Olympics are this popular in the eye of the people outside the ‘bubble’ I’ve been spending my weeks in.

We watched from the water’s edge for a couple of laps before heading to the lawn to watch from there.  It was a really lovely morning, and great to see the Olympics from a spectator’s perspective.

As the swimmers were finishing we headed to Stratford for lunch.  After spotting a Spud-U-Like, we tried to sit down to eat.  Impossible.  There were so many people waiting for seats, many eating standing up.  Difficult with a jacket potato.  In the end we shared a table with some spectators, who left and were replaced by another Games Maker – one of the guys standing in the street directing spectators to the Olympic Park.  He was really enthusiastic about his job, which was really lovely to hear.  Mum also mentioned the positive comments there have  been about the Games Makers, which made me really happy about the time and effort we have all spent here.  I’m in such a bubble – I miss all of this!

I was in such a good mood when I came back – I’ve really enjoyed meeting up with friends and family before my shifts when I’ve had the opportunity, involving them in a part of my day.  As I was finding tea in the break room (“like a good English girl” say the Venezuelans.  They know me so well!), I managed to watch the end of Nicola Adams’s boxing match, winning the first Olympic Gold Medal awarded to a female boxer.  It has been mentioned many times over the last fortnight that this has been an iconic Olympics with regards to gender equality, with it also being the first time every country has sent a female athlete to compete.  There’s a lot of work to do, but I’m so glad that the Olympic spirit is helping countries to make those first baby steps.  I’m so proud of our world for moving forward at whatever pace and glad that it’s happening here in London.

Whilst I was in the break room we were given a huge box of Cadbury chocolate.  They must have forgotten the ‘free chocolate’ part of the job, because for the first week or two there was nothing, but now we’ve been having chocolate every day.  There’s also some sort of banana epidemic, as every dinner table has had a huge plastic box of bananas, and people have been handing bananas out at the dining room door.  The obvious answers are banana bread and smoothies.  I’d love a smoothie one day!

Anyway, I caught up with the golf cart giving athletes, officials and volunteers alike free chocolate as if they couldn’t get rid of it fast enough, and grabbed a huge handful for the Venezuelans.  The looks on their faces when I gave them the chocolate was a joy.  It was such a small thing, but this is the sort of moment I love my job for.  Be it chocolate or translation or just a small ‘hi’, I love making people happy.

It was a bittersweet day, as Fabiola the table tennis player/ flag-bearer, left today, and many more are leaving over the next couple of days.  It’s making me sad to see everyone leave.  How’s this gone so quickly?

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