Today was my last day in Paris. As I board the train to spend a week in London, I want to reflect on my first blog post where I discussed some of the things I was looking forward to for the trip.
The first thing I was looking forward to was the beach volleyball game. I was incredibly lucky to get to see the United States play as when I bought tickets the teams were not determined yet. The venue was beautiful and the atmosphere was very exciting. I had never been to a beach volleyball game before and had so much fun with the cheers. At 10 pm, the stadium turned off the lights so we could see the Eiffel Tower sparkle, which was an amazing view.
The second thing I was excited about was volunteering at SponsorshipX. I volunteered on Thursday and worked on registration. I was able to watch a few speakers on my breaks and explore Canada House after. I even got some Lululemon Team Canada merch! I really enjoyed Canada House and meeting those in charge of the conference.
Since it was my first time in Paris, I was also looking forward to exploring the city. Although we were incredibly busy I still had time to go to a few tourist spots like the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Trimpoh, and the Catacombs. I definitely want to come back to Paris soon to see the city and see how the atmosphere is different when the Olympics are not happening. One of the big things I still need to do is go to the museums but I got lucky to see the Rodin Museum while hearing from P&G!
My fourth goal of going to Champion’s Park unfortunately did not happen. I did have the opportunity to see many Olympic athletes while volunteering at USA House and also while out and about in the city. I am happy I got to attend so many hospitality houses because I believe those had a similar atmosphere and crowd, especially the French House.
My last goal was to meet new people and I definitely accomplished this. I had such a great time getting to know the students on this program, especially being an undergraduate and hearing about their experiences getting a Masters in a program I am considering. I also enjoyed meeting new people while volunteering at the USA House. Although surveys were challenging to get, talking to people while at events or traveling was also a great way to hear about others experiences and learn more about the Games.
I am so thankful for this experience and am looking forward to having a class reunion soon!