A day in Sochi

Olympic park is a solid 45 minutes away from Sochi city centre. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to have two guides from my press team take me into the heart of the city. I can see why it is such a popular vacation destination for Russians. From the great weather, the palm trees, to of course, the beach, there’s plenty to do in Sochi. Every shop was full of Olympic themed trinkets. My plan? Wait until the games are over. The shops will be slashing prices no doubt to clear their shelves. 

Olympic spirit!

My guides brought me to a lovely restaurant overlooking the sea, called the Lighthouse. I had a Russian classic - mushroom soup. Not the cream of mushroom I am accustomed to back home. For dessert, a mixed berry pie. 

After lunch, we hit the beach. I was absolutely terrified to see the sea full of jellyfish! Perhaps I’ll keep my toes out for now...

My team mate Larissa

As an avid mascoteur at home, I relish any moment to take a photo with one of my own!

Sochi train station

There are cultural displays a plenty!

There's police at almost every intersection. I've never felt so safe in my life!

I was happy to see almost everyone dressed to support the Russian team. It reminded me of Vancouver and the nationalism that flowed in the streets. I am also happy to report I now have a Russian cellphone! It has already come in handy. I had to tell my supervisor I would be late for my shift today. I missed the bus (which only runs every half hour to the mountains) My last shift I was also late due to my camera malfunction. Next time, I’ll just have to get there extra early!

To top off an already great day in the sunshine, I watched the opening ceremonies from a bar about 5 km away from Olympic park. The best part? No lineups, no crowds, and I still got a glimpse of the fireworks afterwards. Back home, I would have watched them from a bar very similar to the one I had here. It’s being in Russia that makes it even more exciting! Exactly like when I watched the Australian open on a TV in Australia. Just that much more special ;)

Probably the closest I'll get to Putin

Represent!

Let the games begin!

A Russian miracle

It's not often you hear of a truly good-hearted people-helping-people story at such a big event as the Olympics. With so many people coming and going, it can be hard to make someone's day. So many faces pass you by and even I, a friendly Canadian, am overwhelmed by the number of people around me.

Yesterday, I left my camera on the bus. The second I realized my precious memory-taking machine was not on my person, I rushed frantically back through security to the transit centre and watched my bus drive off. A cheerful volunteer tried to console me and even tried to radio the bus driver to, alas no avail. Not only had I lost the camera itself, but I'd also lost all the memories. The volunteer took down my supervisor's phone number (I really need a phone!) and I left with my heart broken.

About an hour later, I decided to try my luck again at the transport centre. The same bright-eyed volunteer was still there and when she saw me she smiled. She told me they had got in contact with the driver and he would be bringing it back from the coast in about an hour. As I waited out in the cold for my special delivery, I thought about how lucky I was. This feat would be near impossible in Edmonton, let alone in Russia. When the bus arrived, the driver lifted my camera triumphantly over the crowds of journalists piling onto his bus. As my hands clasped around my prized possession, I shouted over and over again "Spaseba Balshoy!" Which mean, Thank you VERY MUCH!!

With the help of a caring volunteer and an attentive bus driver, I am now able to share these cultural shots of Russia :) Enjoy!

Cultural display at the main media center.

Massive Matryoshka dolls.

Tea anyone?

I'd also like to thank Tom Braid for the lovely article in the Edmonton Sun. If you haven't read it yet, have a look! Another interesting link - a look at Sochi hotspots in an interactive, creative way!

Photo tour before the big day!

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics start tomorrow. I got into the park and took a few snapshots of 'Olympiski Park' before chaos hits.

The Black Sea

Why not fish?

Maybe in March I will dip my toes in...

Beautiful promenade along the sea.

Construction... It's happening everywhere.

Stray dogs are everywhere - I've even seen them in the mountain cluster

Fischt Stadium (opening and closing ceremonies)

Destination Olympic torch

Security balloon 

Olympic rings!

Ice cube curling center

Palm trees at the winter olympics??

Russia house

Switzerland house

Canada house!

I will most definitely be getting on that roller coaster!

No mirrors in public washrooms. Seems to be a European thing (there were no mirrors in Amsterdam either)

Sochi. Hot. Cool. Yours.

There's no lack of security.

Volunteer perks

Last night was the highlight of my trip. My group of 13 press assistant volunteers, plus many more, were able to attend the rehearsal for the opening ceremonies. Fischt stadium is a sight to be seen. The open air stadium proved to be quite chilly, considering we were sitting for more than two hours (and we weren’t even shown the whole show!)

When I was given my ticket, I was told not to bring a camera. I was also told to never wear my uniform off-shift. I took these directions very seriously. At the entrance to every venue there’s a full pat-down and x-ray scan for your bags. My paranoia played out scenarios of my camera being confiscated and then not being able to get it back. As the obedient Canadian that I am, I left both my warm uniform and camera at home. Not only did I miss out on some awesome photographs of the grounds at night and the firework show, but I also nearly froze solid sitting in the stadium. 

A local woman was kind to me and let me borrow her blanket. She had a contagious smile that went on for miles, and even invited me to come visit her in Krasnodar between the Olympics and Paralympic games. I have a feeling I may take her up on her offer. There have been a few Russians who have truly gone above and beyond to make me comfortable in their country. While the majority rarely smile, it seems the younger generation of volunteers are eager to show what their country has to offer.

As for the opening ceremonies? It was incredible. Like almost every other aspect of the 2014 Olympics, Russia went above and beyond. Be sure to watch and ‘get lucky’ ;)

proud volunteer colours!

First day at work

The bus ride out to Krasnaya Polyana is long, about 50 minutes from the main media centre, but it definitely has it’s perks. The rolling hills soon turn into the Caucasus Mountain range, and all I have to do to enjoy is sit back on the comfortable bus and gaze out the window. From my residence, it takes a solid 1.5 hours to get to work. Sounds long and tedious, but I am one of the lucky ones. As a press volunteer, I have access to the media transportation system. After speaking to volunteers outside my function who have told me it can take 2 - 2.5 hours, I am grateful to be where I am.

The first thing I noticed in the mountain cluster was the lack of snow. The mountain peaks were covered in the white stuff, but I was surprised at how brown the rest of the topography was. The most stark difference from these mountains to the Rockies in Canada is the lack of evergreen trees. Deciduous trees dominate the landscape. In the middle of winter, their naked brown branches make for an almost depressing sight. Fall is probably an amazing time to see these mountains. Right now however, like the rest of the country, brown is the dominate colour. 

On the other hand, our uniforms make up for any lack of colour elsewhere. Another volunteer coined the term ‘walking bag of skittles’ and it describes the garments perfectly. The design is a patchwork quilt of all the local patterns from across the country. I am most excited to hit the slopes back home next winter knowing probably no one else will have the same snow suit. We were given everything we’d need for the cold weather of the mountain cluster, including thermal underwear, snow boots and heavy duty winter gloves. Thank you Sochi 2014 for the most unique souvenir a girl could ask for!

Orientation at the Sanki sliding center involved a powerpoint (about an hour long), completely in Russian. On my team of 13, there is only one other native english speaker - a gent from Britain. We both sat through the entire presentation without any translations available. Thankfully some of the photos were self-explanatory. I guess if it was really important, they’d let us know? 

My crew at Sanki - Press Assistants

View from Sanki

Sanki - Gondola connects all venues

The Sanki media centre can hold 280 journalist/photographers, and we’ll have 6 press assistants on per shift (two shifts per day). Tomorrow it all begins at 5 am. A quick breakfast of porridge and blini (russian crepes), followed by the three buses to my venue and a 5 hour shift. I’m grateful to have the mountains as my backdrop for the Olympics. While the sea is beautiful, my heart lies in the mountains. 

Dinner of borscht

Breakfast of blini

Day one

I’m writing this on day three, because I was in no state to write anything earlier and the lack of wifi poses a challenge. 

On arrival, I was grateful to have my colleague, little Anastasia, greet me at the airport and bring me into the volunteer world. The sun in Sochi beamed down and seemed to recharge my batteries. Here’s to hoping for a shadow of a tan on my return to Canada!

The security checks are many. Thankfully I had a little translator, because my bags of Canadian pins was flagged as ‘metal’ and I had to pull my pack apart to show they were harmless traders items.

We’ve all been placed in special volunteer housing complexes. Mine is deceiving called Hotel Omega. Aside from the fact it’s a new building, it is far from a hotel. After a room mixup (no key to my assigned room) I was reassigned to building 17, section 2, room 304. When I first walked in to expel my 42 pound bag and shed my winter jacket and boots, I was relieved to see only two single beds. One roommate? I was expecting at least 4 times as many people to a room. Not only do I have just the one roommate, but we have a balcony and antechamber outside the bedroom. Sounds great, right? Well, there’s light bulbs missing, and only one key to every room...yes, one key! We need to sign the key in and out. The greatest downside is the lack of laundry and wifi. I’m sorely regretting not bringing my cellphone, but alas, I have enough Tide to get me through the next two months.

Hotel Omega

In a whirl, Anastasia got me out of there and onto meet my team leader, Nadya. Nadya took me into Olympic Park where we stood in line for about an hour to get our accreditation. Wait. This line-up wasn’t our accreditation. It was a lineup to confirm we ARE accredited.  A young boy bursting with acne signed a little paper and onto the next line we went. Two hours in this lineup...and I was not aptly dressed. The sun at the beginning of the day had given me a false sense of confidence. As a proud Canadian, I should easily be able handle the chilly weather... Well, guess again. Standing still in a cue for hours without food or drink was nearly unbearable. I wish I had been better prepared. My toes went numb as I tried to do a little jig to warm up my extremities. 

More than once, a group of old fat russians were let in front of the rest of us. Each time one of these “companies” were let through, we were pushed closer and closer to the barricade. On a positive note, the close quarters helped me warm up. Finally we were let through but the flood of people behind us pushed me into the barricade to the point where a security guard had to cradle me in his arm to get me through. Finally, four hours later I got my accreditation pass (I wish I had taken a better photo!)

The golden ticket

Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Well, then there was the uniform line. As the sun began to go down, so did the temperature. This line was the worst by far. You could tell the volunteers at the front had been there for a while. After half an hour with no signs of movement, someone came and let about 30 people in. The stampede that followed was terrifying. I stand at 5’10 and can hold my own, but the rush of bodies behind me threw me off balance and I was nearly trampled. 

Packed in like sardines, another 45 minutes passed and the stampede hit again. I don’t know why I shouted, but I repeatedly said “Whoah, think about this people” to an audience of mostly Russian volunteers. This wave I managed to get through, but a small girl beside me was trampled by another woman. She was in tears and had black marks on her face. I hugged her, but I was not impressed. There’s no reason why the process could not have been smoother. We were all given appointments for accreditation, but that clearly didn’t mean anything. I heard some volunteers were waiting in line for over 7 hours without a bathroom in sight. A little coffee station, or even a bottle of water, would have made a world of difference. 

Alas, I was finally fitted for my uniform. A short man looked at me and flat out said, “large on the bottom, smaller on top.” To my dismay, he was spot on. I am indeed a large in the snow pants and a medium in the jacket. As I was sitting in the nearly empty change rooms, I thought, “wow, they could have been letting way more people inside to at least keep warm.”

I was crushed to find out those who work in the mountain cluster do not get a pair of runners. Right before leaving Canada, I decided to leave my runners back for the sole reason I knew I’d be packing around two pairs. Now I’ll have to find time to get into Sochi and buy a pair. Five hours later, I am now an official ‘walking bag of skittles.’ (Thanks for the perfect term Rob!)

Delayed by a day...

For the past week at work, my colleagues have been asking me: "are you excited?" "are you excited yet??"
My answer has consistently stayed the same - no. The circumstances over the last 24 hours will justify this response.
I flew from Edmonton to Calgary to find out my flight to Amsterdam was cancelled. The pilot was 'sick.' The agent explained to me it would be cheaper for KLM to put us all up in a hotel and figure out our connecting flights tomorrow, instead of hiring a new pilot. I would have normally questioned that rational, but I decided to embrace the situation.
Now, aren't you all glad I wasn't over-the-moon excited for travel day? If I had been, I would have been crushed by the news. Luckily, I have a soft spot for Calgary and was able to make the best of my extra night on Canadian turf. The fact my first shift doesn't start until February 4th also helped me relax a little.

Detour over Calgary January 31.

Everything happens for a reason

With just under 24 hours in Calgary, I certainly made the best of my time. When life gives you lemons - go to a local pub and get a beer. I had lunch with a dear friend who is moving to the UK next month. The stars aligned to let us see each other one more time before her new adventure begins. I also caught up with another friend I hadn't seen in far too long. Funny how things work out! I also managed to make some new friends and dance the night away :)

I had no problem enjoying the king-sized bed at the Acclaim hotel all to myself. STARFISH!

Last meal: Tim Horton's cinnamon french toast bagel. Why didn't anyone tell me this existed??

Back on track

With a bit of a hangover; travel day #2 began February 1st at 1:30pm. As someone who could be called well-travelled, I have trained myself to sleep anywhere. Airplanes, airports, buses, trains... I’ve mastered them all. This trip has been no different. I’m sitting in the Moscow airport trying to find a cozy safe spot to lay my head for the next 12 hours. I considered going into the city, but I’ve already been AND my layover is from 6pm - 6am. My russian isn’t fluent enough to navigate the nightlife of this chilly city. I’d have been much more adventurous during the day. With my current luck I'd miss my flight, so I'll just have to put on my adventurer's hat for the return trip.

In the end, I'll be getting to Sochi exactly 24 hours later than expected. I'll still be greeted by a fellow volunteer at the airport and shown to my hotel. The first thing I plan on doing is to take a much needed shower...and I've still got over 15 hours to go before I can wash my hair! I hope to update the blog as soon as I get settled. Of course, pictures to come soon!