Despite getting home late the night before because we
watched the Opening Ceremony (midnight), I still had to get up and go for a
run. Not even that I cared as much for the running part, but rather wanting to
go out on the beach, watch the beautiful sunrise, and feel the ocean breeze.
Growing up in California gave me that love of the ocean air. It’s
distinguishable in an instant and something that people yearn for when living
away from it. I love love Colorado and all that Colorado offers, but each is a
different kind of beauty. On the beach, you see expansive blue horizon and feel
the salty mist whereas standing on top of a 14er, you look out over the rugged
mountains and feel the clean air of un-touched nature. Both wonderful. I have been very fortunate in my life to visit so many places all around the world just like those.
Saturdays here don’t mean days off. Work continues every day
throughout the Games. However, luckily work coming in from the “real” world back at
home subsides on the weekends. People think all I am doing is just working at the Games, but
they might not realize that I have to keep up with all my work that I do on a
day to day basis that might not involve the Games. So, it was a good morning to
get caught up on all of that while it was quiet.
The competitions were underway today! It was much more quiet
at Flamengo with the teams being at competition venues instead. We watched some
events on TV throughout the day (although just on the local feed), cheering on
Team USA. Even though its a 6 hour race and not a popular top-level event, the Cycling Road Race became a favorite during the day to keep on in the background: watching the breakaways and the peletons catching up and the climbs in the mountains and the sprint at the end. There's respect and interest for every sport.
One task of the day was to help packing up some bags of gear
for staff that weren’t able to go through Team Processing. One lady, who is
quite high up in our organization, was right there with us doing it as well. I know these seem like
menial tasks, but they need to get done, and I actually enjoying getting up and
doing tasks like that rather than sitting at a computer all day. My positive
attitude here isn’t just a face I put on, but rather a true enjoyment of being
here and feeling so lucky to do anything to support our Team USA.
I also love love love the crew that I am working with. Everyone in our office are
just fun to be around (including my boss Gary who is always a joy). We laugh and talk and hang out together. I don’t want to say anything
bad about anyone in Houston, but there wasn’t the same click, or even lightheartedness
that we have here. Yes, we are serious with our jobs here, but we make more enjoyment out of
it while doing it. I truly feel honored to be here, and being here with them.
The last task of the night was to run a few errands for our
office. We needed some electronics (ink cartridges that the local company we
contracted with to deliver such but doesn't do, mouse pads, some cords), a coffee
pot (after the last local one broke down after a few days), office supplies,
and snacks among a few other things. So, our driver took us out to Sam’s Club
and Walmart to complete this mission. A 40-minute drive one way just to complete
an errand which we usually can run down the street for in the U.S.
On the drive, we saw more of the inside of Rio. The poverty.
The Favelas. The dirty streets. The decrepit buildings. The smell of the sewage
(it was sickening). The trash in the streets. Graffiti on the walls. Ragged
clothes. Fires burning in the distance of which our driver told us was people
burning tires in order to keep the mosquitos away. This would not be a place where I would feel
safe in. It also broke my heart.
We got in Sam’s Club and couldn’t find anything on our list,
except for snacks. On to Walmart, which we found a few more things, but
definitely not everything. None of the electronics were there, and sharpies
couldn’t be found anywhere. Bridgett (another co-worker) and I were also on a
mission to find an electric tea pot for both our rooms back in the hotel. A small
convenience that us Americans are so accustomed to find in every hotel in the
US, yet more of a luxury item here (especially considering that over 50% of Brazilians live below the
poverty line), or at least not as commonplace. But, it was only $30 and would
provide us with the necessity of comfort, so we purchased it without a second thought.
When we got back after a quick dinner, I set up my teapot to
make some hot chamomile tea with the honey I had brought. I sat in my bed and
thought about how fortunate I am. Here I am, sitting in a nice (or quite nice) hotel room, with a hot
cup of tea, and from a tea kettle that costs about an entire week’s salary for
those people we passed by. Rio also built a golf course that will hardly be
used in the future, and even if it is, how will it be paid for, and will the
water it takes to sustain it be taken from those in need. I don’t regret buying
a teapot, it’s just that seeing all those people in poverty makes you think
about what things truly are necessities. And, it makes you think about the
money being invested into the Games and what impact on the country it will really
have.
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