Mom and dad picked me up from the airpot and brought me to my condo. It was like time had stood still for the entire two months; nothing had changed. In fact, outside my condo, nothing else has changed. Work, friends, life. Pretty much just the way I left them. Sochi feels like a dream.
For all you dedicated readers... here are some behind-the-scenes tidbits that never made it to the blog. The first is my favourite little fact that I was, honestly, nervous to write about in Russia. Now that's I'm safe in Canada, freedom of speech is not an issue :p
Right under my nose
I've said it before, and I will say it again and again, I loved my team at the Sanki Sliding Centre during the Olympics. The beautiful venue and the long hours made for easy camaraderie. I made some lifelong friends, and bobsled will always hold a special place in my heart for Olympics to come. While I was volunteering away, minding my own business, I had NO CLUE there was an FSB agent lurking right under my nose. FSB is pretty much the FBI of Russia. Turns out our press team was graced with the presence of an undercover cop. I'll let you guess which one was the agent....
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| Which one of these is not like the others.... |
Guessed the big burly guy in the front? While that choice seems predictable, it is correct. Denis was a super nice dude. He even took me to Sochi and showed me around...possibly to make sure I wasn't a threat to the Russian Federation?
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| Myself with double agent Denis. |
Every shift we worked together, Denis was always on his phone. I thought it was quite unprofessional. He would say it was his mother. I thought it odd, but brushed it off. When Dimitry Medvedev visited our venue, Denis was abuzz with helping security and double checking our press zone. I just thought he was taking his job very seriously. All along, our gentle Denis was really a double agent.
In the end, our venue was safe and nothing happened to any athletes, staff, or volunteers. It just makes me think how many more double agents there were implanted into the volunteer community...
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| "Why is Denis ALWAYS on that damn phone??" |
Sochi sights
I've been extremely positive about my time in Sochi, because it was just that - positive. You may have noticed in my interviews that I was asked some questions about the political situation in Russia, which I brushed off in hopes of dispelling some of the negative press surrounding the games.
Yes, my time was positive, but I did see first hand some of the realities of having the Olympics in a vacation destination. Just like in Turin, Italy, there was construction everywhere. When you throw an international event like the Olympics into a place normally frequented only by tourists, there's bound to be delays in creating the proper infrastructure for the games. Here's a look at what I saw along the way.
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| There was, of course, a heavy military presence. |
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| Lukoil was EVERYWHERE! I know Alberta is no stranger to oil companies' presence, but Lukoil pipes were above ground along the entire Olympic highway. They also had a big factory beside my residence. |
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| Here's a look at the Lukoil pipes running along the landscape. |
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| This photo doesn't do it justice, but the landscaping in Sochi left much to be desired. This area was torn up to build the new Olympic highway, but like most of Sochi, was never landscaped back to its original beauty. Rushing to greet the Olympics left landscaping at the bottom of the priority list. |
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| A lot of mud, especially when it rained or snowed. |
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| I wasn't kidding about the lack of landscaping.... |
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| When a project wasn't complete, they covered the building with a curtain that LOOKS like a building... yeah it nearly fooled me ;) Not |
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| Construction everywhere. |
If I could do it all over again
1. Bring my iPhone. Not so I could be glued to the screen the whole time, but to be able to take a quick photo unnoticed. I could have snapped a shot of Prince Albert of Monaco if I'd had a coy cellphone instead of an obvious camera. Also, instagram is nearly impossible to load photos onto from a desktop. Lesson learned.
2. Pack a Canadian hockey jersey. While all the small Canadian souvenirs I brought were a hit, I should have been more loud and proud! It certainly kept my friend busy when he visited Sochi.
3. No more souvenirs! After packing home easily 20 lb. of souvenirs, I swear I will never buy a cheap trinket again. Sochi meant something to me, not to every friend I got a matryoshka or a tea cosy. I may have to go to a masseuse to iron out the kinks in my back from carrying so much extra weight in my backpack. It's also embarrassing to need help putting my carry-on in the overhead compartment of the plane... Can someone PLEASE remind me of this revelation before my next trip? My house is so full of knickknacks, I don't think there's space for more.
4. TRIPLE check my itinerary. I will never miss another plane by sheer ignorance again. Ever.
I did a few things right!
While I'd do a few things differently, here are some tips for any future travellers that helped make my trip much easier.
1. Skype. If you don't have it, get it. I recommend getting Skype credit. This way you can call a landline or cellphone number. It's dirt cheap compared to calling from abroad. If your loved ones happen to have Skype, even better! Seeing is believing ;)
2. Backpacking it. Cobblestones will break your luggage wheels. I've seen it happen time and time again. While my backpack broke, I plan on replacing it and using it whenever I go to a place that isn't smoothly paved. It's much easier to carry a backpack than a suitcase with broken wheels. If you're just going to Vegas, I won't judge you for wheeling around. I promise.
3. Tide to go. Sure you can buy laundry detergent abroad, but the scent of tide is powerful enough to kill odours when washing your laundry in the sink or bathtub. Give yourself sufficient drying time as well. I spent one day in wet socks because I didn't plan out my laundry schedule.
4. Ebooks will save you. I was hesitant to try my new Kindle paper white, but it is a miraculous device. Not only is it small and easy to pack around, it's also capable of holding dozens of books! I blazed through the Game of Thrones series and finished Dan Brown's new book Inferno in a matter of days thanks to the ease of the Kindle. No more trading in books at a hostel. Download your favourites reads before a trip and voila! Saves time and space.
So that is all. My ramblings have come to a close as I get back to 'normal' life here in Edmonton. A reminder to all my Russian amigos - my door is open! For all you travellers out there, please check out couchsurfing. It changed my life and drastically improved my travel experience in Europe. What makes a place unique? The people that you meet. Trust me on this one...
I've also been asked what the best part of my trip was. In terms of my Olympic experience, I'm torn between meeting the Jamaican bobsled team or hosting the media conference for Canada's gold medal in women's bobsled. In terms of Russia, going to meet my tutor Vladimir in Rostov was a big check off my bucket list. You can't talk to someone online for years and not go to see them when you're in the neighbourhood :)
All in all, I have no regrets. I will always look back on Sochi fondly. See you in South Korea in 2018...Rio 2016 maybe...maybe??
Thank you for the comments and feedback on the blog. It's a lot of work, especially with sketchy internet connections abroad. This blog kept me connected to home and made the home sickness much less bitter.
Don't forget! I'm running a half marathon for the Children's Wish Foundation. If you are interesting in making a donation to motivate me to run faster, here's the link. Thank you for following my journey through Russia and beyond. It's been a slice!
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