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?
No comments:
Post a Comment