The adventures of Micheline Martel continues...

Micheline Martel, a teacher at École Sainte-Lucie, is continuing her ongoing adventures as a volunteer in Vancouver for the Olympics 2010. “I am really living my Olympic dream. The town of Whistler is buzzing with excitement. They say it will be like Christmas but on steroids. That is how exciting it is. We see athletes and their teams all over the place. They are visiting with their friends and families. The athletes are from everywhere around the world. I have never heard so many different languages! I went for a jog on a circuit that surrounds the village. Surrounded by mountains, it is absolutely magnificent.

They say that we must be careful for the bears. They are all over the place. They don't seem too dangerous. My host family was telling me that last summer, a bear visited his garage and emptied 62 bottles of Coke. I guess that is very good advertisement for Coca Cola!”

Micheline has had the opportunity to witness preliminary ski jumps, the first competitive Olympic event. She mentioned that “It was absolutely amazing to see the athletes jump from so high and to land easily on their two feet. They make it seem so easy.” “Security is very tight. There are detectors everywhere. Of course, I had to set off the beeper as I came in. After several attempts, it was noted that my belt was setting off the alarm. I also met the mascots Quatchi and Miga. They came to see me in my office. What a nice surprise! The opening ceremonies were quite impressive and represented well our beautiful country, Canada. I watched the ceremonies from my office because I was working. The excitement was felt throughout the village.” “Our sympathies are extended to the family and friends of the athlete from Georgia. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. It is raining today at the bottom of the mountain. This means that it is snowing at the top of the mountain. The alpine skiing competition was delayed until Monday because of the weather conditions. Denis, my husband is busy working on the slopes, all in preparation for the competitions.” “I can hear the loud canons warning us of avalanches in the mountains.” Micheline says that these measures are used to prevent accidents. “I am so excited! We received tickets for the medal ceremony. We went and had such good seats. It was exciting to witness Alexandre Bilodeau receiving the gold medal...the first gold medal won during a Canadian Olympic. There are giant screens all over the place. It is great because whether we are right there next to the stage or in the village, the news is simultaneous. The exhilaration is felt throughout the whole area. Denis, my husband saw the skiing races yesterday. He had a one on one chat with Steve Padborski. What a thrill!”

Micheline went to see the luge races. Micheline will continue to give updates on her experience along with many photos of what is happening at the Olympics.