One of the best things about being here at Whistler, is that it seems like it is the happiest place on earth. Up until this time in my life, Disneyland held that esteemed honor. I don't think I've ever been in a place where conversation flow like they do here, with complete strangers. There is a camaraderie among people from all over the world.
Take, for instance, the 4 men from Sweden. I was walking through the village after work with my volunteer uniform on, which really is a license to get asked questions. Anything from where is the washroom, to where is my hotel?
One evening, I was walking through the village, and looked over at 4 men dressed in black, with hardsided rolling black suitcases to match. They all had the look of, "where am I, and what do I do next". They knew enough to point at me (in my smurf uniform) and address me in very broken English, "Can you help?"
"Yes", I say, and walk towards their group.
The one who called me over, clearly knows no more English, and motions to his friend to talk to me. I can tell it is either Norwegian or Swedish that they are speaking to one another. So, I ask, "Er du Norsk og Svensk?"
He responds, "Vi ar fra Sverige", translated means from Sweden.
I go on and say, "Jeg vet litte Norsk", which means I know a little Norwegian. Now, I say this because Norwegians and Swedes can talk to each other in their own languages and get by. I'm not sure that with my little Norwegian, their little English and our situation, that we are going to be able to tell our life stories and understand anything. So, try as we might. They were looking for Earl's restaurant, next to their hotel, as it turns out, and I was trying to tell them how to get there. It is difficult to give directions in the village anyway with the way the village turns one direction and then another.
So, I decide rather than use my bad Norwegian, and try to communicate, I said I would take them to Earls so they could find where they needed to go.
As we walked, it took about 5 minutes to get there, they told me that they were there to see the Nordic skiers in the morning, and were staying the rest of the week. We talked about Anja Paerson's crash in the downhill and subsequent bronze medal the next day. It's amazing what words and gestures can do to round out the conversation. Between the 5 of us, we were able to talk and gesture about Anja's crash so everyone knew what we were talking about. There was laughter and gestures, and an instant like for one another. This is what happens here. All over, every day. When we arrived at Earls, they shook my hand vigorously, say thank you, over and over and asked if I wanted to have a drink with them. As much as that would have been fun, and a nice gesture, I really had things I had to get done that evening, and it was rather late, so declined. But the gratefulness they extended for such a small favor was special.
While on the Peak to Peak gondola, was another interesting encounter. Due to the Olympics, there are people riding the Whistler gondola up the hill in street clothes, getting to the top, riding the Peak to Peak gondola over to the Blackcomb side for lunch, and then riding back the same way they came. On Monday, I had a day off and decided to go skiing. It was a glorious day without a cloud in the sky. I skied over on the Whistler side for awhile, ran into Pat Murphy from Schweitzer, with whom we ski race, and skied alongside the Olympic courses. You can't get on the course, but you can see it.
On the gondola, were 3 men who had never seen anything like this. 2 of the 3 had never skied and were in awe of the view. It was absolutely stunning. I have to say, the Peak to Peak makes me a little squeamish. It is 4.3 kilometers in length and I can't remember how high off the ground it is, but the tall fir trees look like blades of grass from the height. Because the gondola nearly stopped, I think I made a sound that was detected a bit of nervousness on my part. The 3 men were saying that they felt a bit like that, too. Across from me was a ski instructor from Australia who said, "it doesn't usually do that, mates". So, people start talking.
So, the conversation starts, "Where are you from" and they were from Ontario. One of them states that he isn't afraid because he has gone skydiving before. Then the razzing begins, "yeah, you went skydiving before you had responsibilities, wife, kids..." the other one adds, "before you had any brain cells" to which the other one adds, "and now he has no more brain cells anyway. Let's go kill some more" and they start laughing. It eases the tension and the gondola starts moving again.
The men ask where I am from, and I say, "the states", and they start razzing me about the hockey game, the BIG game, US against Canada. The US won 5-3 in an upset and the Canadians want their revenge. The are expecting the gold in hockey, and the game with the US was a huge upset to them. I tell them I am very sorry, and hoped that their next game against Germany would give them a victory (which they do 8-2). We get off of the gondola, and another invitation to drinks, but I want to ski....and tell them that. Actually, I was quite nice about it, "I'm sorry but I'd rather ski than get drunk with the likes of you."....Just kidding. I didn't really say that, but just said that the slopes were calling and I needed to go....
I hopped on my skis and went to find the best turns possible.
At my workplace, one of the torchbearers for the Olympic torch works also. For a contribution to the Boys and Girls Club of Vancouver, you can have your picture taken with the torchbearer and carry the torch for a moment. So, I gave a contribution, and he started taking my picture. The best part is what I learned. The torch was carried for nearly 28,000 miles and Don, the torchbearer in the picture carried it through downtown Vancouver for over 300 meters. He got to keep the torch, and it sits, well protected right behind our workplace behind glass when pictures aren't being taken. When he was carrying the torch, he said it was difficult to run because people swarmed around him and wanted to run with him. He loved the experience. The red mittens that were used have been a sensation around here and the village ran out. I had people stop me in the village at the end of last week asking me if I knew where they could buy red mittens. Fortunately more mittens were ordered and made and now they can be found again. Elianor, my work buddy, gave me a pair my first day at work, so I will have them to remember these events.
Yesterday, while at work, the woman who writes our daily newsletter became ill and couldn't come into work. Candance, my deputy manager came up and said, "How would you like to write the newsletter today? I hear you like to blog, so how about writing a couple of articles?" I know this entails going out to the venue and interviewing someone and writing about it. I agree to do it, go into the computer room to look at the layout, and start the process. The paper is called "The Icy Times" since this venue is possible because of an Icy track. I take the camera outside (in the rain, unfortunately) and try to find volunteers who will let me write about them.
At the top of curve 11 is Mike Bailey, who is on the track crew. I had met him when I was pulling shades in the sun, and was intrigued by his knowledge of the course. I go up, and find out he is paid staff, and ask him questions. I found out he if from Calgary, and had worked the track there for several years. He came out over a year ago to Whistler to work the track here when he heard it was going to be an Olympic track. He loves his work and can't imagine doing much else. The best thing about his job? Each day is different and brings a different challenge to overcome. The ice changes with temperature and humidity, and his job is to manage all of the conditions. They have a variety of tools they use to scrape ice, build ice, smooth ice and refrigerate ice. It is amazing what they can do.
I also met Dorothy, from the Northshore of Vancouver. She came to the volunteer because a friend of her son talked her into it. "I am not a jock" she confesses with a smile, but I love meeting people from all over the world. Her experiences have been very interesting. She talked a lot to the girlfriend of the single luger from India who had great runs. She has talked to athlete's parents and coaches and loves working with the other volunteers. She says with a smile, "the volunteers here are lovely".
I put a few more things into our newsletter, and it was ready to print, after proofing.
I'm glad I am here, and pleased that there is time to just chat with people wherever you go. The time crunch of being at home with work, the commute and the home responsibilities is not here, so there is time to sit and talk, and I like this.
There are a few more days left here, and I feel more relaxed than I have in years. Even though I am volunteering, it just isn't the same kind of work when you're home every day and working. It's just different, and I'm about ready to put in my last shift as a volunteer, and I am sad about it. I have come to really care for the people with whom I work, and I know there won't be anything like this again in my life, unless I go to Russia in 2014.....which is highly unlikely. So, it is time to savor every last moment....and understand the meaning of it. I will stay here for a few more days, but my volunteering is nearly over.....it's hard to believe.
There is still ladies figure skating, more hockey, 4 man bobsleigh, women's GS, hockey and slalom. So, more events are to come....
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