The Last One...

I'm sad to say this will be my final post on this Beijing blog! It's been really fun to share my experiences in China with everyone back home and if I ever do anything as exciting again I'll be sure to write all about it.


I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the chance to see the USA men's and women's volleyball teams play in the gold medal match. The women, who were heavy underdogs, put up a good fight but was eventually overpowered by Brazil.

After the women's team played I had the opportunity to take pictures and congratulate them on exceeding all expectations and finishing with a silver. Logan Tom, who I've spoken with a few times after the initial bathroom meeting, gave me a hug and was more than happy to let me examine her silver medal.

(Me and Logan after the medal ceremony)

The men also faced Brazil in the finals, but the result was in our favor as they defeated the defending Olympic champs 3 sets to 1. I can't even begin to describe what it's like to watch your country win a gold medal in person. I didn't think it would be emotional or anything, but watching these grown men break down and sob and jump into the stands to hug and kiss their families was so heartwarming. It made it that much more bitter sweet knowing these guys overcame a horrible tragedy as well. I later heard they dedicated their gold medals to head coach Hugh McCutcheon. Every American in the stadium sung the National Anthem as loud as possible.



(Video of the men's gold medal ceremony)

I again had the opportunity to meet-and-greet the men's team after the medal ceremony. You don't know what true happiness is until you speak with someone who has just won a gold medal. Riley Salmon, one of the outside hitters, was nice enough to put my name on the guest list for the gold medal party at the USA House since there was really only two American volunteers working at volleyball.

(Me and Scott Touzinsky with his gold medal)

Later that night, me and a few of the girls got dressed up and headed over to the USA House. Every country has a "house" that is for athletes and sponsors only. To get in you have to be from that country and invited by either an athlete or a sponsor. Unfortunately I didn't know that the party ended earlier in the evening and we had shown up a bit too late. But it was nice to see the volleyball teams there and get a quick glimpse of the USA House.

We figured there would be a lot of athletes out that night just because the closing ceremonies were at 8 p.m. and all the remaining athletes were leaving the following day. Everywhere we looked Olympic athletes were celebrating their victories and enjoying the last night of the Olympics.

Of course we all wanted to do a little dancing on this last eventful night. Wearing our Olympic credentials helped us get into this place called China Doll, which can be difficult to get into. We were all just hanging out minding our own business when I recognized three athletes standing next to us. They were Rich Lambourne, Sean Rooney and Jennifer Joines. All three are volleyball players that I've seen everyday for the past three weeks.

(Hanging out with Jennifer Joines and Sean Rooney...ignore the cheesy smiles on mine and Rooney's faces)

Lambourne was still wearing his gold medal. Once they realized we were all Americans and that my roommate Sandie and I had worked at volleyball, we hung out for the rest of the night. I think they were flattered we actually recognized them and knew more about them than just their names. Other than Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh, there aren't many widely known volleyball players. They were so down to earth and really just regular people.

A few hours later Lambourne was having a really good time and decided to let me wear his gold medal. Fortunately we took pictures for evidence. That was probably the highlight of my night. The rest of the time we did a lot of people watching as athletes from all over the world were showing off their moves on the dance floor.

(Me wearing a gold medal!)

I guess it made sense to cap off the trip by having a fun night with volleyball players.

In other news, I've made so many business contacts recently. I was even offered a job with the FIVB. It seemed like an unbelievable offer until I was told I would have to relocate to Switzerland. I think I'm going to pass haha.

I've also met so many wonderful people and it was difficult to say goodbye to everyone I worked with the past month. I can't wait to come home on Thursday and be able to tell everyone my stories in person!

I appreciate everyone's support the past two months and I'm grateful there were so many people willing to help me get to China in the first place. Thanks for reading my blog and if you want to know more about my trip, China and the Olympics feel free to contact me!

Week 6 in Beijing! Last Week of the Olympics!

Although it's a lot of fun working at the Olympics, the hours are long and I feel a bit more tired each day. I really don't know how the managers are doing it. They come in for 8 a.m. and don't leave until 2:30 a.m. They all look exhausted and haven't had a single day off since August 4th when the media center in the venue opened.

It's really cool though to talk with all the journalists at the games (that is when they aren't complaining). I've spoken the most with Anne Peterson from the Associated Press. If you happened to have read her article on the China-USA women's match, you'll notice she included the President of China, Hu Jintao, was in attendance. I'll definitely take credit for that.

She asked me why it was so crazy in the venue that day and I said, "Hu Jintao is on his way." She replied, "Who's that??"

I was very much surprised someone from AP didn't know who Hu Jintao was. So I told her, "That's the president of China." She thanked me for telling her that important piece of info and immediately typed it into her notes on her laptop. So I like to think I contributed to an AP sports story. But I still think the best part was actually having Hu Jintao sit 20 feet away from me at the match.

(Me, Gillian, and Lorna with USA's Clay Stanley...so good looking haha.)

In other news, both the men's and women's teams made it out of the preliminaries in excellent shape. Last night, the women beat Italy 3 sets to 2 and will face Cuba in the semifinals on Thursday. The men, who were 5-0 in the preliminaries, play tonight. I got to speak with both coaching staffs this week, including men's head coach Hugh McCutcheon. He returned to the team a few days ago after the tragic murder of his father-in-law in Beijing. All the coaches were extremely friendly and told me how happy they were I get to experience this Olympics with them. They even gave me their official pins to wear haha.

(Probably the best player in the world, Rosir Calderon from Cuba.)

Pins are a huge deal at the Olympics. Every team has its official pin they trade with the opponent before each game as a sign of friendship and respect between countries. Basically, everyone else involved with the Olympics has a pin too. Even Emerson College sent us with 15 bags of pins to share. I'm proud to say both the men's and women's volleyball coaches will be sporting Emerson pins during their quest for the gold.

Last night at work was quite interesting. I met China's version of Justin Timberlake. His name is Gu JuJi and he is one of the biggest pop stars in the country right now and he just happened to be sitting in the press tribunes. After the match I chatted with Mark Spear from the Boston Globe. He of course covers the Celtics back home. When I told him I go to school in Boston he asked me if I was one of the Emerson girls.

My classmates and I have been doing a lot of work on our school blog. The address is blog.emerson.edu/beijing. We developed a geotagging map so everyone can see pictures of where we've been in China. It's an interesting site and I strongly recommend taking a look at it.

Only one week left! I'm excited to come back home and start my senior year. Graduation is only nine months away. Ahhh scary thought!

Enjoy the last weeks of summer!

Week 5 Continued...

I accomplished one of my longtime goals last night! I finally got to see Olympic softball. BOCOG provided Emerson with tickets to several events and softball happened to be one of them. Lucky for me, the ticket was good for a doubleheader that night.
(Fengtai Sports Center Softball Field)

The first game featured China against Netherlands. China won easily 10-2. The second game was much more interesting. Australia played Japan in what turned out to be power vs. power. A solo shot to deep center gave Japan the edge 4-3.

Three other Emerson students attended the game with me and we were seated next to a few older couples from San Diego. They all worked for Budweiser and since Bud is one of the main sponsors of the Olympics, they were given tickets to nearly every event. I was sitting right next to a gentleman who was wearing an Arizona softball shirt with #44 on it. I asked him if he was an Arizona fan. He told me that he is a pitching coach and a girl he tought for many years pitched at Arizona. He asked, "Have you ever heard of Alicia Hollowell?"

For those who really know the game of softball, the name Alicia Hollowell is one you're not likely to forget. Hollowell led Arizona to a National Championship in 2006. She holds the strikeout record for the Women's College World Series and was a two-time first team All-American. She is one of the greatest pitchers ever. In my opinion, she is third next to only Jennie Finch and Cat Osterman. And here I am sitting next to the man that taught her how to throw.

We talked softball for the entire Japan-Australia game and he gave me some great tips and information. Not a bad person to learn from.

During the Netherlands-China game I went out to concession and behind me in line was the entire Netherlands Olympic baseball team. I started talking with one guy who is in the Pirates farm system and was actually called up to the Majors for a short stint last season. When I told him I was from Boston he asked me if I knew where Pawtucket was because he had played there several times. Small world.

(Me with some of the Netherlands baseball team)

BOCOG also invited all foreign volunteers to track and field at the Bird's Nest this coming Saturday. I was excited about this opportunity until I found out Saturday is also the men's 100m final. The 100m final determines the fastest man in the world and Tyson Gay will be the star of that race. The 100m final is the main event of the Olympics and I cannot believe I'm going to be right there for it!

Two weeks and I'll be home!

Week 5 in Beijing: Bathroom Talk with Logan Tom

I'll start with how I met Logan Tom. For those who have never heard of her, Logan is an outside hitter for the US women's volleyball team. Although she is one of the best players in the world, she is probably best known for her scantily clad modeling pictures.

(Logan Tom is also a pro beach volleyball player.)

During my break, I went to use the ladies' room. But the nearest bathrooms are of course squat toilets. Since the bathrooms we use are private and not open to spectators, I was the only one in there washing my hands and fixing my hair. All of sudden I heard a voice behind me say, "Hi, excuse me?" I turned around and there in full uniform and warm-up is Logan Tom. I replied with the first words that came to my head, "Hey, what's up?"

She had the "I really need to go" look on her face. "Do you know where I can find western toilets?" I of course had scouted out where the western toilets were the minute I started working at Capital Gymnasium. I said, "Yeah, would you like me to show you where they are?"

"That would be awesome," she said. There's quite a distance between the bathrooms we were in and the western one, so we started walking and talking. "I'm Logan by the way."

I replied, "I'm Catie...I really enjoy watching you guys play." I couldn't think of much to say because earlier in the day Logan didn't play so well and the US was dominated in straight sets against gold medal contender Cuba. I didn't want to bring up any sore subjects.

We talked a little more about how confusing this building was to navigate, but I could kind of tell she really needed to get to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I was standing back at my post when I saw her pass by again. She turned around and gave me a thumbs up and yelled "Thanks!"

Obviously I had just saved Logan Tom from a bathroom crisis.

It turns out USA and Cuba were at the night games scouting powerhouse China and Poland.

Last week, I was lucky enough to watch the USA women's team practice and see all of them play up close.

I would love to write more but I just received a ticket to softball tonight so I must get ready!! I'll probably add more later!

Congrats Jessie!!! See everyone in 16 days :-)

Week 4 In Beijing!

The trip is halfway over! I can't believe it. The Olympics start Friday and my 18 days of continuous work start then too.

Luck must be on my side! The press operations department at my venue was given 5 tickets to the Opening Ceremony dress rehearsal. Our managers set up a lottery to fairly distribute the tickets and my number was the second one called! Since the Opening Ceremony is supposed to be top secret until Friday, I couldn't bring my camera. It was still absolutely amazing to see though. Definitely watch it Friday, August 8th at 8p.m. I believe. The beginning was my favorite part (but I'll let you see for yourself).

(Me and Adrienne working hard???)

Work's been going well. Our venue officially opened to the media yesterday. I've gotten to chat with some people from NBC, AP, Reuters and a few other smaller agencies. A few American guys doing technical work for Beijing Olympic Broadcasting showed me where their secret coffee room is since my favorite beverage is hard to come by in China.

It's incredible how small of a world it actually is. I was recently at a meeting that was conducted in Chinese so I got my own personal translator. Before the meeting started, she and I talked about school and where we were from. I told her I currently live and go to school in Boston. She looked totally shocked that I said Boston but I couldn't understand why. She then told me her parents moved to America a few years ago and live in downtown Boston...only a few blocks from my apartment. She had just gotten back a week ago from visiting them.

(The court all set up for the Olympics!)

The other day I was walking with my friend Alex to meet some people for dinner. Walking toward us were two girls that were clearly American. One girl had a University of Massachusetts shirt on. Of course we felt obligated to say hello. It turns out they both go to UMass-Amherst and are studying for a month in Beijing. One of the girls knew Alex's cousin who played on the school's football team.

Yet another small-world experience occurred last week at work. A Chinese student told me that she had an aunt and uncle in America. She said her uncle is a surgeon and they moved there seven years ago. I asked her if she knew what city or state they lived in. She said "They live in Harr-ford??" Her English isn't great but I could definitely tell she was trying to say Hartford. I replied, "Hartford, Connecticut?" She answered with much enthusiasm, "Yes! That's the place!" I started laughing and told her that my hometown is only two hours north of Hartford. She couldn't believe I even knew where it was.

Other than that, not too much has been going on. I worked seven consecutive days and now am enjoying Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday off. I'll probably be spending most of this down-time doing classwork. I'll have much more to talk about next week...I get to watch USA vs. Japan the first night of the Olympics! Should be a great match. :-)

Week 3 in Beijing! (This week is much more opinionated so brace yourself).

The past three weeks have flown by! I'll be home in a month! I'm working long hours Monday-Friday at the volleyball venue now. I've learned a lot about what goes into preparing a stadium to host an Olympic competition...which has led me to be slightly nervous about Beijing's actual readiness for August 8th.

(A section of the press workroom.)

BOCOG (the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games) hired the best and brightest Chinese to be the press managers. Many of the supervisors are successful professionals. One supervisor I spoke with is currently working on her Ph.D. These people are intelligent. There's just one catch, no one has experience working in media, nevermind sports media. There are a few people here and there who carry a background in journalism. But most of the supervisors I've spoken with just offered their time and services to BOCOG because the Olympics is something all Beijing citizens want to be a part of.

My supervisor today actually told the rest of my co-workers to direct all questions to me from now on because I'm the only one who has sports industry experience. I got a little stressed out at this point. I do have experience in print journalism and spent last summer with the WNBA...but the 35 reporters at the UIC Pavillion in Chicago just isn't the same as the 400 journalists expected to attend each volleyball match. I don't really feel I'm qualified to be giving instructions or advice on how to smoothly operate press tribunes at an Olympic event. Hopefully all will go well once August rolls around.

(Press Operations is made up of people from the UK, Italy, China, Australia and the US...as beautifully presented in a poster we made.)

Thankfully, Frederico Rossi, an Italian who has worked at the three previous Olympics and the World Cup, is there to supervise all press operations. He has clarified many things for us and made everyone a little more at ease. There is also a Brazilian woman doing the same job in photo operations.

It's also very interesting to get a different view point of issues and events both in China and around the world. Everything I've ever read about China in the US I took as the complete truth. Yet, when I came here I learned that not everything is exactly how America perceives it. I'm starting to get a better understanding of how each country puts its own spin on international events. To prove my point, I read an article today on MSN.com (http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/8384022?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002) that was supposed to be about two Chinese gymnasts that may be too young to compete in the Olympics. The article discussed the dispute, but at the end starting throwing some cheap shots at China. The author wrote, "The Chinese government is working feverishly to present a positive image of an open, friendly, progressive nation. But visa restrictions, toxic air pollution, freedom of the press issues and a problem-filled torch relay have presented a far different image to the world."

First of all, the word "toxic" is being misused. Toxic implies/is defined as poisonous and deadly. I'm alive and well today in the worst polluted city in China...I even went for a run this afternoon. So "toxic" is presenting an image that just isn't true. Yes, there is terrible smog in Beijing, but guess what, according to statistics Los Angeles is worse. And this "problem-filled torch relay" was really just a couple of small incidents that were handled properly and accordingly. I would definitely not qualify it as "problem-filled". And I'm not sure I believe all that about visa restrictions either. Everyday I see more and more foreigners walking the streets, clearly people are filing in for the start of the Games in 12 days.

Don't get me wrong China does have its problems, but it seems as if western powers want the country to fail. And obviously there is no bigger stage than the Olympics. I've only been here three weeks but I've met some incredible people who are generally stereotyped and misconstrued in western media. I really think the rest of the world should cut them a break during the Olympics. American journalists in particular should take note: In an Olympics rule book I read it specifically states that the Games are not a place for political, religious or inter-cultural issues. This is a sporting event that every country and person should have the right to enjoy. In my opinion, there needs to be more focus on the athletics than political quarrels and differences. I could easily ramble on for hours on this particular topic. But I'll spare you your sanity.

(A random picture to lighten the mood. A bunch of us out at Kokomo this weekend.)

In less serious news, I had a great weekend. My friend Alex's parents were in town and let us swim and use the gym at their hotel. It was a nice break from the dormitory. On Sunday I visited the Silk market. Which is basically Beijing's black market. Some stuff they sell is obviously knock-off, other things just look stolen. All I know is that I bought a Coach wallet and purse for 200 yuan...or $28 American dollars. I also bought my mom a 100 percent silk scarf for $4 after much negotiating. The woman originally tried to charge me $200 American dollars. I give all the credit to my roommate Sandie for getting the price that ridiculously low.

Happy Birthday 19th birthday to my baby sister on August 3rd (You're going to love the knock-off Dolce & Gabbana purse I got you haha)! And Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad on August 2nd!

Week 2 in Beijing!

Job training for the Olympics began this past week. I'm one of two Americans working at the volleyball venue, the rest are from Australia, England and China. I only got two days of work in before the weekend, but so far so good! I've been officially assigned to the Press Tribunes. Tribunes are where written and broadcast media watch the games. Fortunately for me the tribunes are located center court about halfway up the bleachers. I'll be able to watch all 56 volleyball matches that are being held in the stadium.

(The spectator entrance of Capital Indoor Stadium)

More specifically, I'll be running stat sheets, escorting media to and from, and making sure everyting runs smoothly before, during and after matches in the tribune area. The shifts we'll be working during the Olympics are sort of long. The managers told us to expect 9-10 hour shifts for 16 consecutive days during the Games. I'm sure it'll go quick though with matches continually being played.

In more exciting news, China Radio International interviewed myself and classmate Adrienne on our experiences here in Beijing thus far and our views on the Olympics. The interview lasted well over 20 minutes and will be broadcast throughout China sometime this week. I received an e-mail that said an English webcast will also be available. So definitely check out http://www.crienglish.com/. On the homepage there is a link called "webcasts". The interview should be found somewhere in there. I'm not sure yet, but when I have further details on when/how to listen to the interview I'll post it on here.

I also got my first taste of Beijing nightlife. We ventured down into the Sanlitun district which was built specifically for western visitors. We ate at a swanky Italian restaurant called Ciro's Pomodoro and met the owner Ciro Orsini himself. Ciro's restaurant is filled with pictures of him and various celebrities. Pomodoro apparently is a chain restaurant with locations in Moscow, London, Paris, Los Angeles and other major cities. Two of his closest friends also happen to be Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. Of course he gave us a 100RMB discount off our total bill. It was especially nice because in America the bill at a place like Ciro's definitely would have topped two or three hundred dollars for myself and the three other girls I was with. But in China the total came to 590RMB which translates into about 87 American dollars.

After dinner we walked the street which was lit up like the Vegas strip. We stopped in at a disco/techno club, but quickly found it wasn't our type of place. I think it was the transvestite pole dancer that scared us away, although he was one of the best dancers I've ever seen. We heard some familiar rock music coming from another bar and made that our next stop. There was a Chinese band playing popular songs by Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, and Kelly Clarkson (an interesting mix to say the least). They turned out to be quite good and entertaining.

(This is one of the only pictures I took from our night out in Sanlitun. The street was lit up by those awesome neon trees...and that's my friend Alex in white.)

I was amazed to see that about half the people at these places were westerners. Most sounded like they were European, but we did run into a ton of people from Africa and South America.

I'd have to rate the Sanlitun district as one of the more fun places to visit in Beijing. We'll definitely be back next weekend.

But before I let you all go, I have to wish Greg a very happy 23rd birthday! Love you!

I'm sure I'll have plenty more to write next week!

First Week in China

Nihao!

I find myself having a love-hate relationship with China. Yet, I believe most of the frustrations I've experienced are just from being overheated while in extremely crowded tourist areas.

The best example was definitely while visiting the Great Wall. All of the American, Australian and English interns were brought there Saturday around noon time. Since it's China's most famous attraction it was like being at Disney World during peak season.

So obviously Mexico decided it was the perfect time to let their president visit the Wall. For his security, they decided to close the entire wall so he could walk around and take in the magnificence of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, while the rest of us baked and trampled each other in a tiny enclosed space. We waited almost an hour for the president to leave before they would let anyone else up. It was 95 degrees and absolutely sweltering. People were dropping like flies. And then it happened. A little Chinese girl about 9 or 10 years old got sick...all over my foot. Naturally, her mother used this opportunity to push herself and vomitting child to the front of the line as everyone else backed away in disgust. What little water I had left I used to wash the nastiness off my toes and sandals. Other than that, the Great Wall was definitely one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. It can only be described as stunning.

The language barrier hasn't been too much of a problem. Many Chinese learn English in school and are more than happy to help western visitors find their way around. I've picked up some useful phrases as well. My roommate Sandie and I have become friends with the employees of a pizza place right next to campus. Since we eat there almost everyday, the workers help us with our language skills.

Olympic job training starts Thursday and I can't wait! The architecture of the stadiums and venues is incredible. MSN.com today had pictures of all the major venues...I suggest checking them out...they are definitely something to see.

Overall, I'm adjusting pretty well to the culture. Most importantly I haven't gotten sick (knock on wood). I know my parents would have been proud to see me eat a few types of fish this week too (none of which I enjoyed).

I'll leave you with two important facts about China: the karaoke bars are second to none. And everything either symbolizes longevity, ambition or "follow your dreams". I swear its true.

Stay tuned to hear how Olympic job training goes haha...

Getting Ready For China

I was encouraged by a couple of professors to create a blog. Not only do blogs allow me to practice writing skills, but it's a great way for my family, friends, and those who helped finance this trip to stay up to date with my progress before, during and after I head overseas.

I'm into my third month of Mandarin lessons. I'm just now starting to comprehend the basics. Most importantly we learned how to ask for directions to a bathroom and how to order a beer. All kidding aside, I have learned how to ask for help, directions, and various other essential questions.

On the journalism side of things, I was recently reassigned to men's and women's indoor volleyball. I don't know a heck of a lot about volleyball, but I'm sure I'll be well versed by the time August rolls around.

School is ending in just a couple of weeks. I can't believe I'm going to be a senior! Where does the time go?! There really isn't much else to report. I'm sure I'll have some great material for this blog once I get over to Beijing. I'm anxious to see how well I'll adjust to chopsticks and squat toilets.

Talk to you soon.