Mike Kuchno takes advantage of the clear sky to get a photo of himself "holding up" the torch at Olympic National Stadium.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Clear Night Sky
Not only was the sky so clear today that you could actually see the sun, but it remained so this evening, as evidenced by the clear shot of the moon taken from the baseball venue.Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Tonight, our crew split up into two groups, with some going to watch softball and others to baseball. At the baseball game between Canada and Korea, I was intrigued by the Korean spectators' precision with which they cheered for their team. Here, you can see a guy with a whistle and white gloves, who is sort of the "cheer conductor," and uniformed cheerleaders behind him, who lead their partisans in a chorus of cheers, which amazingly, everyone seems to know!Meeting with US Diplomats
This afternoon, Marti Blum, Jenn Ashley, and Whitney DePrizio joined me in a meeting with two representatives of the US Embassy in China (unfortunately, other students who wished to attend were misdirected in the taxi ride over to the meeting location), who briefed us on the purpose of embassies and consulates, and the role of career foreign service officers. The gentlemen were friendly and engaging, and freely shared some of their experiences in the US foreign service, including the advice that more Americans should really learn to speak Mandarin (hint, hint). Because the meeting was frank and off the record, no specific details can be provided here -- and no photographs were allowed -- but suffice to say that the students obtained a rare look-see at what our diplomats do abroad.
Brazilian BBQ Lunch
Taking a break from standard Chinese fare (which, by the way, has been absolutely delicious!), Rob, Jake, Marti, Dr. Covell, Mike, Jenn, Whitney, Shaq, and I took in a Brazilian BBQ lunch at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (where Whitney spied Al Roker, Matt Lauer, and Meredith Vieira from NBC's Today Show) across the way from the Bird's Nest. As you can tell from the photo, no one was unhappy with the experience!Clear Blue Sky
Today was the first day since we arrived in Beijing that we had a true-blue, clear-sky day . . . and it was all the more magnificent for the opening day of the track and field events at the National Olympic Stadium, which we attended.Chinese Courtesy
After our transportation ordeal by bus to the track and field venue today, our frustration was compounded when we were met by queues of thousands -- if not tens of thousands -- of people waiting to go through the security clearance to enter the Olympic Green. Unexpectedly, however, we were pleasantly surprised when we were taken by hand by a volunteer to an "express" queue, where we were able to enter the Olympic Green in relatively short order. We could only surmise that this "courtesy" was due to our rather obvious appearance as foreigners. Of course, this kind gesture only further elevated our already high opinion of the Chinese Olympic volunteers.
