Map of the Villages, the Olympic Park and the Mountain Venues |
I made it to
Sochi!
Things here
are very busy so I will have to keep my blog post somewhat short. For the last
few days, I have been living in a bed and breakfast type hotel that the USOC
has rented for the duration of the Games as the outside-the-coastal village
Operation Center. The location is very convenient and only about a mile away
from the coastal village and the Olympic Park (see the map below for a visual
of how the villages, the Olympic Park and mountain venues are laid out). During
working hours, I have been using something called a ‘bump-in pass’ to the
coastal village which allows me to get into the village to begin preparing for
my responsibilities.
Today,
January 30th, is the day the villages officially open which means I
get to move-in this morning and also our first teams arrive! Both the long
track and short track teams will be joining us in the coast and we are all very
excited to for the villages to start filling up with people and energy! Over
the last few days, my colleague, Amanda, and I have been working towards
getting our motor pool and BMW bikes organized, meeting and scheduling our NOC
(National Olympic Committee) Assistants (volunteers specifically assigned to
help Team USA), meeting the majority of the key Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee
NOC Services staff members so that we can now go to them with requests and
issues, and getting a general feel for the village and how everything will
operate.
First
impressions of the coastal village: the buildings are nice and I especially
love the color choices of finishings (lots of beige and chocolate), it is very
spread out so there is a lot of walking involved (I plan on using a bike
today!), but it is also very, very close to the Olympic Park (where the venues
are located) so hopefully that fact plays to the athletes’ favor. In addition,
I love being able to look towards the Olympic Park and see all of the giant
venues lit up at night. It is quite spectacular!
I’ll write
again when I have a few spare minutes…only 9 days until the Games begin!
The Olympic rings at the airport! |
A cruise ship passing by our window in the Coastal Village. Many spectators are planning to stay in the cruise ships. |
The Fisht Stadium (site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies) at night. This is the view from my temporary bed-and-breakfast type hotel room. |
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