Laura in Vancouver and Whistler for the 2010 Olympics

Well, after much planning, and with the support of my family and friends and great employers I am finally in British Columbia to volunteer at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games!
I got to Vancouver on Feb 9, 2010 thanks to the excellent and timely service of Air Canada and after collecting my luggage - all of which was accounted for - I headed off to downtown Vancouver via the new Canada Line. This is an incredible way to get from the airport to the downtown area, easy, fast, and affordable.
I had a brief stay in Vancouver, with enough time to visit with friends and my sister who is also volunteering here. I am now one of the "blue jackets" according to Olympic organizers or the "smurfs" according to my fellow volunteers. We are all very excited to be a part of this experience and I will look foward to sharing more with you once I things get started.
While in Vancouver I was lucky to do a bit of walking about and even though the Games were still days away at that time, you could just feel the excitement and energy. Lots of preparation still occuring, with building construction being hastily completed and streets being cleaned up and closed off. With that being said, when you speak with people here there is mixed emotion about the Games, the cost, the benefits, the inconvenience. Hopefully, we can come together, to celebrate what is about to occur and and commit to working towards what needs to occur to make things better.
I have now made my way to Whistler where I will be volunteering. Whistler is absolutely beautiful and I have enjoyed walking about and taking in the sights and breathing this mountain air. Whistler is the home for the alpine and sliding and nordic events. There is a lot of excitement here and the crowd of people is ecclectic with locals and athletes and visitors. There is a lot to do and a lot to see.
So until I blog again, I hope that everyone will take the time to cheer on our athletes. Watch the opening cermonies on February 12, 2010. I was lucky to attend the dress rehearsal and I can tell you it will be amazing.
Laura