That one time I saw an Olympic event

GUYS. I SAW MY FIRST OLYMPIC EVENT LAST WEEK.

While our group had no media passes, and most tickets for events still available were set aside for Brits only, there are a few things that you can gather for absolutely free.

So I got up super early with a few others, hopped on the Tube to Hyde Park and joined the crowd to watch the women’s triathlon.

I admit that in the past, I never got over-the-top excited about the Olympics. It was just something that happened every couple of years and I would tune in for some gymnastics and figure skating, and that was about it.

But being here in the midst of everything, it just changes your whole perspective and ramps up the energy by about 500%. Maybe more.

I felt it first while watching the opening ceremonies from Victoria Park. [link to blog post]

And there have just been other moments where it’s just a wave of excitement and I repeat it again: “I’m at the Olympics.”

It’s so cool to see all the Team GB pride. Their energy of supporting their athletes in their home country is just so infectious. And all those kids with Union Jacks are just adorable.

But really, if the U.S. is granted another Games in my lifetime, whether summer or winter, I will go. Just so I can experience this energy all over again on my home turf.

Evening strolls along the Thames

One night during my second rotation in London, a group of girls and I wandered down to the Thames to get some photos of the London Eye.

Evening walks on the river just might be my new favorite thing. The way the sunset mixed with the lights across the river and along the walkways was just gorgeous. And it’s no secret that I have a slight obsession with sunsets already. My Instagram is proof of that.

However, that evening did teach me that my camera, while taking fantastic photos in the daytime, doesn’t really cut it at night. That shot of the Eye after dark is so fuzzy! But that investment will just have to wait.

It didn’t take away from the experience.

Did you know that the colors of the Eye are being driven by Tweets about the Olympics? Check out my friend Emily’s graphic (with the photo by Val!) about it that ran in the Chicago Tribune here.

Work, work, work...where's the 'play?'

Let's be honest, it's not all sights and cider across the pond right now. At least, not for me.

I'm not off in England for three weeks on vacation, soaking up the sights and blowing money on the cute little shops that line literally every street. Really, this is where money comes to die. Of course, I have to reign mine in from the ledge and only let it slip away when it's something pertinent to my survival. Until my last few days, maybe. Then I'll make it my goal to get all British pounds out of my possession. That's an OK plan, right?

Anyways, I digress.

I am finishing up my second of three rotations in England, and I still have so much sightseeing I want have to do. Our graphics team has just been working so hard. When we're in Worcester, we're up in Flat 7 working on graphics. When we're in London, we invade the basement of Starbucks (or Flat 1) and work on graphics. We don't even get much sleep.

To an extent, this is an impressive display of dedication. On the other hand, it is frustrating. Because we seem to be letting our balance of work and play shift toward work. A lot. Think an 80/20 ratio.

And for it being our first trip to London for the majority of us, it's sometimes hard to be OK with how little time we are allowing ourselves to explore this amazing, foreign city. Or even just relax.

There are so many times that I am so burnt out that I don't even want to go out and wander, but rather curl up with some tea and scones reading 'Pride and Prejudice.' And, yes, I do realize just how English that sounds. It's called embracing the culture, mmkay?

But we push on. Because we know that this experience is one beyond any we may ever get in the future. Greater than many others will ever get the chance to have.

And that is something to be grateful for.

I constantly remind myself that I can come back in the future to see London. The chance of me immersing myself in the media workings of the Olympic Games in a foreign city, again? Slim to none.

So I'm just trying to make the most of what time I do have to be a tourist. Tomorrow evening, I'm on a bus back to Worcester for a few days. But I'm going to start my morning at 7 a.m. to hit up an Olympic event. Then I'm going to wander down to the river, past St. Paul's Cathedral and down to see Big Ben and Westminster. Then I'm going to hop the Tube back to King's Cross to get my picture at Platform 9 3/4. Because, let's be honest. You just can not come to London and not get that picture.

Yes. I'm going to make it happen.

And now all I want to do is reread "The Other Boleyn Girl"

On the last day of my first rotation in London, a few girls and I hit up the Tower of London. And one of them is a huge fan of the Tudor time period. So she was pretty much geeking out the entire time and was basically a supplemental tour guide. Which, of course, our tour was cancelled five minutes inside the gate because the London skies opened up and it poured rain. So Kait and I bought audio tours and just went off on our own.

 Everything was so cool. I love how there is such a huge mix of modern elements and history in the city, just like the Tower is just tucked in the city still right of a Tube station, and it is the only thing that survived in the London fire.

We also got a great view of the Tower Bridge sporting the Olympic rings! Games decor is everywhere in this city (as it should be). You could also see the Shard poking over building almost everywhere you turned inside the Tower's walls.

We saw where prisoners were kept and the graffiti they left behind. 

We saw where Anne Boleyn lived, and then the gates she came through to die.

And we saw the Crown Jewels. Yes, the Crown Jewels. Of course, no photography allowed in there, but it was pretty amazing.

 

There was just so much history to soak in at the Tower of London. And this is how I like to explore it. I never enjoyed learning out of traditional history books, memorizing facts and dates to spit out on a test. I like to find a piece I'm interested in, and find specific books or movies or places to go about it and take it in for all it is.

Let the Games begin

Now I am fully aware that I am nearly a week late in getting this post up, but as you may have noticed, it's been crazy busy here across the pond.

But now that I have found the time, let me tell you about one of the single most memorable moments of my life. No joke.

On the night of the opening ceremonies, a group of us headed out to Victoria Park for one of the largest viewing parties in London. The line — or, ahem, "queue" — was ridiculously long and we thought we might not even make it in. But, alas, we did.

 

I cannot even tell you how amazing it was to stand among this humungous crowd comprised of people from all over the world (but, you know, mostly Brits) and celebrate the opening of the Games. Everyone was just bursting with pride and support of their home country and it was crazy intense energy.

Not to mention we weren't far from Olympic Park, so we could see all the fireworks lighting up the sky before we saw them on our big screen. 

And so much cheering and singing and just...overwhelming, in the absolute best way possible.

The highlight of the night, though, was singing "Hey Jude" with hundreds of people. It was just so amazing how something as simple as a song can create a connection between strangers that transcends language and culture. 

 

And that continued when the ceremonies ended, and the crowds poured out of Victoria Park and flooded the streets heading for the Tube and bus stations. Really, it was just awesome. So awesome.

Of course, after the adrenaline from everything started wearing off, getting back to the flats became an unwelcome chore. The line for the Tube was about a half mile long outside on the sidewalk. Walking would take almost two hours. So we navigated buses part of the way, then tortured our feet a little longer and walked the rest of way. 

At this point, I hadn't had food or water in about 14 hours, so I was about to pass out. By the time I guzzled water, ate some fruit and settled into bed, the sun was rising.

But in all honesty, I wouldn't trade that night for anything. It easily ranks as one of the top moments of my life. And that may be slightly exaggerated, but not much. 

I still think back on that night, get "Hey Jude" stuck in my head, and say to myself: "We're at the Olympics."

Somehow, this is real life.

Hitting the ground running

I admit, I sort of left you guys hanging yesterday. What a tease, right?

Well, today could be a little more of that, but I have two more scheduled posts coming your way over the next couple days, and I'm hoping to get stuff up more regularly after that.

Because, guess what?! The graphics team is finally getting a little down time.

We landed in London just a little over a week ago, and got on a bus straight to the University of Worcester campus. And I decided to combat jet lag by going to bed at 9 p.m. and sleeping for 12 hours straight. I'm not going to lie, it was kind of fantastic.

The next day, we had lots of group meetings, and got a lot of cool promotional materials for BSU at the Games.

 

Before/during/after these meetings, the graphics team was hard at work. We literally worked for about 14 hours in a hot flat that day. But our work paid off, because we had about four contributions to the Chicago Tribune's special section for the Olympics! (Since then, we have had a few more run, and I had one done solely by myself published.)

We basically felt like straight champs. And we still got up at 7 a.m. to board a bus to London the next day. 

Those first few days were an exhausting, exciting blur that seemed to last a lifetime and no time at all. Major contradiction, I know. We worked hard and basically claimed the basement of the local Starbucks as our own. We didn't even have the slightest clue what the other groups were working on because we were in our own little world.

But man, it is all worth it. The dirty feet, the sweaty flats, the crazy public transportation, the exhaustion, everything. Because London is beautiful. And I'm at the freaking Olympics.

 

While we may be super busy and working so hard, we are still trying to find time to work in fun London/England/Olympics things. Yesterday, we took a break in Worcester and had some quintessential English tea and scones topped with jam and clotted cream. It was absolutely delicious and such a great way to relax. 

We also went to the biggest opening ceremonies viewing party at Victoria Park, which that post is coming your way later tonight, and a few girls and I hit up the Tower of London on the last day of our first rotation in the city. (Watch for that post tomorrow.)

As for now, I have a graphic close to completion, and working on coming up with more ideas. But I'm also looking forward to having a little chill time and being a tourist for a few days.

Like tonight. We are heading out to soak up London at night along the Thames.

So until next time, cheerio.