Vancouver Bound!!

Sometimes I have a hard time believing that the life that I’m living is really mine. I’ve been to England, Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. I’ve climbed mountains in Athens and Colorado. I’ve run into Michael Phelps and 2008 U.S. Olympic flagbearer Lopez Lomong and cheered on the English National football team at Wembley Stadium. All in the past year. That’s why I have an even harder time believing that it can get any better. But, in just a little bit over a months time, I’m going to the Olympics. On Feb. 2, I’ll fly out of Newark, New Jersey and land in Vancouver where I’ll be stationed for the next month. I’m working as a runner with the research department of NBC at the International Broadcast Centre in downtown Vancouver. This basically means that I’ll be a general intern that does whatever I’m asked to do… make photocopies, run tapes, get coffee, etc. Besides these basic facts, I don’t know much more about my job, and I have no idea what to expect from the experience. I have a lot of friends who have been to Olympic Games, both Torino and Beijing, and I’ve been trying to get as much advice as possible. But I still have no idea what to expect. I have a feeling that I will be busy. I’m envisioning a lot of sleepless nights and caffeine-driven days frantically running around the inside of broadcast studios as history is made and the world watches. Which is really really cool.
In the meantime, I’m doing everything I can to prepare for my four weeks. I’m reading up on the history of the winter Olympics and Vancouver and following the progress of athletes still trying to qualify for the Games. I want to be as knowledgeable as possible when I get off of that plane, in the hopes of making my boss’ job easier and my job more fulfilling. I’ll be posting here sporadically in the weeks leading up to the Games, and hopefully pretty regularly once I get to Vancouver. So check back once in a while to read about my experience at the 21st Winter Olympics!!