The First Olympics Post

Hello all and welcome to what is bound to be the first of many posts that have something to do with the pending arrival of the 2008 Summer Olympics in this great city. As many of you that know me are aware of, one of the major reasons why I am in China teaching English is to gain a familiarity with the city, allowing me to set a base to allow me to be back in Beijing for the Olympics. I have been a fan of this great event since 1988 and have been excited about the chance to attend them in person here in about a year and a half...or 515 days (give or take; there are countdowns to the start of the Games posted all over the city, including on Tiananmen Square. Just today ticket plans were announced. It requires a Chinese address (which I now have) and also a Visa valid for more than six months (which I am pretty sure I have), but I am still waiting to see if I am approved to buy during the first round of sales. This round begins to go on sale on April 1st so be thinking happy thoughts for me on April Fools Day.

This weekend I took my first visit to the new venues for the Olympics. This has to be the world's largest construction project currently found in the world. It took me over an hour to walk around the site, making it about half way around. The construction of many of the buildings have not yet progressed beyond the initial stages, though all of the largest buildings have their structures intact. These are, in my humble opinion, the most impressive architectural monuments to sport that can be found on the face of the earth. These are incredibly beautiful building that will help these Olympics to serve as a showcase for this entire nation. They are marvels of engineering while also fulfilling a need for visual stimulation. There are some of the most stunning building that I have seen, eliciting feelings of grandeur and skill. The athletes that have the privelege to compete here will be competing in state of the art facilities never before seen for athletic endeavors. The main Olympic Stadium, sight of Track and Field Competitions, Soccer matches and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies has been called the birds nest stadium. It features a series of interwoven metal that makes it very much resemble a birds nest. The pool (surprise, surprise) is my favorite building on the grounds. It features a set of blue panels that are illuminated (or will be) at night, making the entire building appear to be a glowing blue box. It has been called the cube and will be the site of almost all of the Olympic Swimming, Diving, Water Polo and Synchronized Swimming events. These are the two "headlining" buildings. I took lots of pictures on Friday, however, due to the high pollution levels they all came out pretty hazy. I will have to go back on a clearer day to show you all the full beauty of these magnificent structures.