Lovin' Beijing

Hi Everyone,

It's been a hectic few days since I last wrote, and to be honest, I can't access my own blog from here, so I don't remember what I've shared already.  We worked our first two shifts - one in the Media Press Centre (MPC) and one in the Athlete's Village (OLV).  I have another OLV shift starting in about 2 hours.  I got to work in the front counter area and ended up meeting a lot of people - some more famous than others - Elliott Friedman from CBC, people from NBC and a member of the US Olympic Committee.  Kobe Bryant and the US Men's Basketball team were a few tills down from me, and overall we served probably a few thousand athletes and coaches from around the world.  Evander Holyfield was even staying in our hotel.  Oh yeah, did I mention we got our pictures taken with Michael Phelps, too?  Have to love working for McDonald's.

Yesterday we went to the Great Wall - it was an amazing experience!  We went to a section that's about 1.5 hours by bus and runs along the top of a mountain range.  There is definitely some breathtaking scenery here.  Our guide told us that there is approximately 100,000 km of wall overall stretching from one side of the country to the other. Interestingly enough, it's not all made of the stone you see in pictures. Apparently local resources were used extensively, so in forested areas, the wall is wooden, while in other areas it’s made of clay bricks or stone.  You learn something new every day.

On the way back, we stopped at a little village for lunch at a restaurant called Grandma's House.  The daughter of the people who own it just graduated from the University of British Columbia as a Theatre and Asian Studies major.  She was as excited to talk to Canadians as we were to talk to someone with a Canadian connection.

Anways, breakfast now awaits me, and then my 12-6 shift at the OLV.  More to come in a few days!  Ciao from Beijing!

Comments

[McDonald's Lover]

That is so cool! I can't believe you met Michael Phelps. I also can't believe you saw the U.S.A Basketball team. I love them all but especially Chris Bosh. Good luck and have fun!