Category: PyeongChang

I had my tickets for South Korea with the Singapore Airlines. Prior to my trip, I had no idea about how the flight would be and what food they would serve me. But to my surprise, I was able to select Indian food during my check-in. When I sat down in my seat, I was surprised to see Indian movies and music on their entertainment list. I wasn’t thrilled about these things on my way to Seoul since I left home from DC. It was a great moment of sigh, when my return flight had Indian food and Indian entertainment. After all my hardships in Olympics, these things made me miss my mom’s food and my home in India.

My food experience in South Korea was not a experience I hoped. Since I had my dietary restrictions, food was always a problem. Everytime I had to order food in a restaurant or eat food at the workforce lounge, I had to ask someone what went into the preparation of the food. But once I got the hang of it, I was able to survive the challenge. These pictures are some of my meals which were made especially for me. Apart from this reason, the food was delicious otherwise. Eventhough I had the luxury of eating free meals at the workforce lounge, sometimes I sneaked out for a cheesy food. My best meal out of all my meals in South Korea, would be the one in Haslla Art World. It was a sponsered lunch from one of our GW students’ parents. I am forever thankful for David’s parents for inviting all the students to lunch.

GS25 was the closest convenient store to our accommodation. More than being a convenient store, it was a savior to me. The people who worked in the store (first picture) were the saviors. It was difficult to get around for anything since most of the people in Korea didn’t speak English. These people helped me with a lot of things especially getting a cab. I can’t imagine how I could have survived without these people. I am sure I would have survived without these people perhaps in the hardest way possible. Due to my dietary restrictions, I needed help everytime I bought something from the store. I was able to communicate through both writings and speaking slowly for them to understand me better. On the last day, I wanted to click a picture with them as a memory to treasure. Since I couldn’t find them that day, I asked my friend to click a picture the next day. I heard from my friend that they were so happy that I wanted a picture of them. Now I have the picture to treasure all my memories.

Casa Italia, one of the best houses in Olympics 2018. The Italian house was closed for public entry but our professor could get us in for a tour of the house. My experience with Casa Italia was a unique one. As a curious student, I took out my notebook to take notes during the tour. But little did I know, I would lose my notebook at the end of the tour. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the house during the tour and that was the reason I left my notebook behind. Once I found out that I lost my notebook, I contacted both my professor and her graduate assistant for getting my notebook if it was possible. After a fair amount of emails back and forth, my notebook was discovered at Casa Italia. I am really grateful for all the people who helped me in finding my notebook especially my professor, who helped me in picking up the notebook as well.

I am sure every one of us would accept that getting a cab and explaining the address was the toughest job in our time at South Korea. Almost none of the cab drivers could speak English or even understand the address when communicated. We got help from the locals to write the address of our accommodation in Korean for the taxi drivers. I tried using the taxi apps but I was never successful in getting a cab through the app. So, I was using the old school method (waving at an empty cab) to get a cab whenever I needed one. I met this wonderful lady on my way back from work who spoke English fluently and understood every word of mine. I didn’t have the need to show the Korean translation of our accommodation. I made casual conversation with her during my ride and there are only few cab drivers who are female. What a shame!

Ticket sales have exceeded expectations. POCOG’s goal was to sell 80% of available tickets. They exceeded that by 120% when the Games opened.

I have bought tickets to a few events, but POCOG has started allowing those with credentials to attend for free. If a ticket holder arrives, we need to find another empty seat. But so far it has worked out that I haven’t had to move.

I have attended curling and ice hockey this way. I didn’t attend the events I bought tickets for, but am sure someone else claimed my seat, so I consider it a wash.

Admittedly, it has been a bit slow with my volunteer shifts, so this is another nice peek for the volunteers.

I was able to join three volunteers at the Biathlon Centre to interact with student groups.

I thought there would be more of a program (explain the sport, practice English, etc.) with respect to accompanying them. But we were there to encourage them to cheer on the athletes.

There were several groups we visited throughout the stands.

It was a nice day, and the first of several warm days. The past 2 it has been in the upper 50s/lower 60s. It is supposed to rain today (Thursday), but then start cooling off again this weekend. Not ideal conditions for snow sports.

The check-in/check-out process is very quick. We enter the room, scan our badge and leave. But the Passion Crew management team has been finding creative ways to engage us.

Today, they had a finger curling game. We had to try to flick one of three bottle tops into the house. A consolation prize was a piece of candy.

I won a pair of gloves!

It was my first day of work when I stumbled upon this tree(picture on the left) in Kwandong hockey center. This game venue was my favorite game venue because I got to work most of the games that happened in this venue and this venue was known for only woman’s ice hockey and few men’s ice hockey matches. Although this venue involved lot of walking for the data capture, I really liked working in this hockey center. The tree on the pictures was made by volunteers of this hockey center to express their memories. The second picture was captured on the last day of my work at this hockey center which was the last day of matches in this hockey center as well. To be honest, almost all the post-it in the tree was written in the Korean language and only very few were written in English or any other language. I wanted to write mine in Korean as well and so I got help from a Korean volunteer there to write “I love Kwandong hockey center” and posted on the wall as my contribution. I was lucky that I was able to work at this hockey center because of all the memories I gathered ranging from watching the winning moment of Finland against OAR(Olympic Athletes of Russia) for the bronze medal of Pyeongchang 2018,  president of IOC(International Olympic Committee) Thomas Bach, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo-jong watching the Korea vs Swiss ice hockey match.

One of the challenges for the volunteers is shuttle transportation, both to our work shifts and to see any of the events.

The transportation routes aren’t set up such that I know I am on Route #12 and there is a bus once an hour on the :15. I just know I’m on Route #12 and that there are 3 times in the morning I can catch a bus, then no more until late afternoon.

This is great when I go to my shifts, but not when I’m done at 2. If I want to go to an event afterwards, I don’t have an easy option. I can’t just take Route #27, for example. And once I get to the venue, there are limited options back to Sokcho without having to pay $100 one-way cab fare.

Some individuals are being assigned shifts without transportation scheduled. I have a shift next Saturday at 2 p.m. but the last shuttle leaves at 9:30, so I’ll have about 3 hours to kill before my shift starts.

If there are alternatives, they aren’t being communicated. So, we’re having to be very go-with-the-flow, which some volunteers are having a hard time with. Especially those in accommodations in more remote areas where there isn’t much to do.

I have been assigned to the International Media Team in the Main Press Centre located in Alpensia.

We help staff the News Desk, answering questions the media have about the Games and monitoring what the international press is reporting.

Our functional area manager (FA) also told us that once the Olympics started, there were fewer requests as the reporters were all out “chasing athletes,” so the volunteers didn’t have much to do.

For the Paralympics, they are trying to coordinate outings with school groups to some of the events, including attending medal/victory ceremonies. This is in an effort to promote sport to the younger generations. The outings will likely start the second week of the Games. We are also being sent to some of the events to attend and post to our social media accounts.

During our move from Welli Hilli to the Hyundai Soo Resort in Sokcho (about an hour north of the Alpensia mountain cluster), we received our uniforms.

First, we had to present identification.

We then went around the corner to receive our printed credentials/badge.

We then turned the corner to try on pants, fleece jacket, and ski jacket. They had sample sizes for us to try on. We wrote down which size fit, then tried on boots. After writing that size down, we took our form to the checkout where they gave us our individual articles of clothing. In addition to the above, we received a backpack, knit hat, gloves, and long sleeve t-shirt). It was important to take your time to ensure accurate fitting, as we only get one.

Omega also made available Swatch watches available to the Paralympic volunteers to complete our ensemble. It is a fairly efficient operation!

Our training was held at the Welli Hilli Resort, located a little ways west of PyeongChang. We stayed in the attached Shinan Youth Hostel. The rooms slept 5-6 on mats and a heated floor. I was pleasantly surprised by the comfort. Meals were served in the cafeteria.

After training, I took a short walk around a pond in front of the property. When I came back, I was able to get my picture taken with Bandabi, the Paralympics mascot.

Our final day of training included an overview of the Paralympic sports, basic safety, and gender equality.

The short videos and explanation of each sport got everyone excited. However, tickets may be very tricky to come by. The POCOG goal to sell 80% of the total available tickets has been exceeded by 130%; they’ve sold 275,000 so far. Tickets can be found, but Alpine and Biathlon have both sold out. As have Korean and USA ice hockey and curling matches.

The basic safety training was interesting only in that it was led by an individual who didn’t speak English well. There were also a few phrases that got lost in translation in the volunteer guide. For example: “After checking the vehicle stopped, go where the vehicle is moving.” What was meant, is that it can be hard for a car to stop without sliding in wintry conditions, so make sure the car has come to a complete stop before proceeding. I was also surprised when they attempted CPR basics in less than 10 minutes.

The discussion on gender equality was interesting in that it didn’t just focus on income disparity, but also gender roles. For example: London 2012 was the first to have all-male medal assistant teams to carry medals and flowers at medal ceremonies. POCOG has also established help and report lines regarding sexual violence. They emphasized not being a bystander, but be proactive in reporting incidents.

Chan ho Yoon, my first experience with one of the volunteers and probably the best experience with any of the volunteers during the 2018 Winter Olympic games. After a 21 hour flight, you think you will be able to get to your room and hit the bed. Unfortunately when I landed at 10:30 pm on February 6, there was no KTX train for me to reach Gangneung. The person working at the transport help desk mentioned that the last train was at 10 pm earlier that day and the first train at 5 am the next day. For a minute, I thought I had to spend the whole night in the airport. Luckily, the volunteer asked for my accreditation and said to me that he would be able to help me. He also mentioned that he would talk to the transport manager and somehow fix this for me. The only downside to this help was that I had to wait for an hour. I waited and waited at the airport for 45 minutes and the superhero volunteer came back and told me that they would be able to drop me in a car at my accommodation. It was more than 2 hours since I landed at Incheon airport(time was 12:45 am). I could not thank him enough for solving this crisis because I did not want to travel alone in the strange city and strange country without any prior knowledge. By the time, I boarded the car it was almost 1:30 am and to my surprise, the driver did not speak English. Since I was messed up with all the time zone differences and multiple hours of sleeping on the flight, I could not fall asleep on my way to Gangneung in the car. After four and half hours of drive in the car, I finally arrived at my accommodation and it was almost sunrise. Even though there were few downsides, I really appreciate Chan ho Yoon who helped me at the right time and right place.

Hello! My name is Mitch Biersner. I am an alumnus of the M.T.A. program and previously traveled to the 2006 Winter Games in Torino with Dr. Lisa Delpy Neirotti as a student. Currently, I am a meeting planner for the American Society of Radiologic Technologists in Albuquerque, NM.

I am one of a few individuals connected to the GW program volunteering at the Paralympics. I arrived in the PyeongChang area late on Saturday, March 3.

Training is being held at the Welli Hilli Resort, which is a short drive west from the Paralympic venues. We are staying at the connected Shinan Youth Hostel.

The focus of today’s training was on volunteerism, customer service and understanding individuals with all abilities. We had good discussions that helped ground us for our upcoming assignments.

“Ari-Ari” is a saying that means “make a road where there is no road.” We are encouraged to find solutions to help create a meaningful experience for everyone during the Games.

I have been assigned to the International Media Relations Team and will be working in the Main Press Centre in the Alpensia resort area (where the cross country and biathlon events are taking place). I, along with many other volunteers, will be housed at the Hyundai Soo Resort in Sokcho (about an hour from the MPC, north of Gangneung), located along the northeastern coast.

We were privileged to have some welcoming comments from POCOG President Lee Hee-beom. Current GW sophomore, Zhiqiu Zhao, and I were able to have our picture taken with him.

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.

Ari-Ari!

It is my last day in this extraordinary city and I want to express my gratitude. I never though that I could grow so attached to a city in only three short weeks. Without the Olympics, I probably never would have come to Pyeongchang. Luckily the Olympics gave me the opportunity to experience the rich culture, eat the incredible cuisine, and meet some extraordinary people. This trip has been eye-opening. It makes me proud to be studying tourism and continue to help people experience different cultures.

Before today, the last time the US Women’s hockey team won a gold medal was in 1998. I was fortunate enough to attend the final gold medal game between the USA and Canada where all of this changed. The crowd was incredible. People were cheering loudly and very engaged in the game. After the 3^rd period, the teams were tied with two goals each. This meant that they would decide the winner of the game in a shootout. I have never seen this before and it was one of the most stressful things to watch. Ultimately, the US came out on top and took the gold. After this, they performed the medal ceremony. This win was extremely emotional for the US players and fans alike. It truly made me proud of my country.

Last night I had an amazing time watching Elana Meyers win a silver medal in the bobsled competition. It was my first time going to the sliding center and I was excited to see how popular the venue was. There were many different discipline athletes cheering for their country and it created an exciting atmosphere. We were able to cheer for Elana alongside her husband, father, and many other US athletes. Many Koreans were there cheering with us for the USA. We even made Elana a sign that her husband asked to give to her after the race. The night ended with a visit to the Germany house which was beautiful and a great way to end a great night.

Seoul is an incredible city and I feel fortunate to have had the chance to check it out (even if it was just for eight hours). My tour guide was my good friend’s brother who is currently serving in the US military stationed in South Korea. The day started with exploring the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is crazy that a temple so old, massive, and beautiful is located right in the middle of the city. While there, we stopped in the National Folk Museum of Korea and I was able to see “Wintering,” a special exhibit for the Olympic Winter Games. After that, we headed to the Seoul tower and I was able to see all of Seoul from 236 meters in the sky. After that, we went to the Korean War memorial. It was awesome to see all of the different tanks, planes, and memorabilia from the war. Then, we crossed the street to the army base located right in the middle of Seoul. The US is in the process of shutting down this base, which makes sense because the Korean government stands to make a lot of money by developing that prime real estate. I will definitely be coming back to Seoul in the future. 

Transportation shifts are the longest most tiring shifts that we need to work for data collection. Luckily, while working these shifts, I have been able to work alongside and become friends with many volunteers. The volunteers at the Olympics are absolutely amazing. They are all willing to help answer my questions and are excited to become my friend. I have had many dance parties to keep warm (many of my shifts ended at 11:00 pm in extremely low temperatures) and gained many Instagram followers to stay in touch after the Olympics. I feel fortunate to have met such incredible people.

I ate the most delicious Korean food I’ve ever had yesterday at the Haslla Art Gallery Mr. Lee, a GW student’s father took us out for lunch in celebration of the Lunar New Year. We ate delicious food and drank a rice wine. It was my first time having rice wine, and I know I will have to track down in the US (it was so amazing). There were many courses ranging from salad to chicken soup and everything in between. What’s more, the location of the lunch was at a beautiful art gallery in Gangeung overlooking the water. The Gallery itself featured beautiful works of art. It was truly a lunch to remember. Thank you again to Mr. Lee for a fantastic afternoon.

Today I truly felt the power of the Olympics. I was standing alone when a father and his daughter came over to me. The dad explained that his daughter has been learning English in school, and it was her dream to talk to a native English speaker. The girl was absolutely adorable and we had a very nice conversation. Her dad expressed his gratitude and it really made me think about the power the Olympics has. This little girl had the opportunity to meet somebody different than she had ever known, and I had been granted the same opportunity. During the Olympics, it is easy to get caught up in the sports, medals, and shows, but it is important to realize just how important the little interactions can be. While it was a short interaction, it helped bring the Olympics back into perspective to me, and for that, I share my gratitude to that father and daughter.

While watching speed skating, some classmates and I noticed a few familiar faces in the stands. It turned out to be none other than Al Roker, Hoda, and Savannah. It was crazy to see them in the upper level sitting among the regular spectators. After the 2^nd group finished, we went over to say hello to them. All three of them were very gracious and took the time to talk to us and even take a picture with us. We had seen them filming for NBC in the park, and interviewing Shaun White earlier in the week. Something cool about the Olympics is that you never know who you will be sitting next to. Many people from all over the world are sitting in the same arena, and most are happy to chat before the start of the event.

As much as I’ve loved my time in Korea, I’m very happy to be going home. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything, but I am exhausted. I feel so lucky to have been part of this program and to learn so much about the Olympics, organizing groups, sponsors, and so much more.

Before heading back to Seoul, I was able to attend the Figure Skating Exhibition Gala. This was so fun to be able to see performances by so many of the top figure skaters in the world. This event isn’t scored or judged, so it was awesome to see the figure skaters have fun with their routines and be creative, since there weren’t strict rules to follow. My favorites were the Canadians and Spanish (look up videos of their routines to see why!).

One of my favorite things while I’ve been here was to collect and trade pins with other visitors. I think I got a pretty good collection and hope to be able to add on to it at future Games.

Jessica and I spent our final day in South Korea in Seoul.  One of the sites we wanted to make sure to see was Gyeongbokgung Palace. Located on the north side of the city it was the royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty. The Palace was originally constructed in 1395, however over the years many of the buildings have suffered damages that required reconstruction. We were surprised to see how expansive of an area the palace occupied, over 100 acres. We enjoyed walking the grounds learning about the various buildings and also seeing many young Koreans dressed in Hanbok, traditional Korean clothing. We agreed that Gyeongbokgung Palace is a must see for anyone visiting Seoul.

Before our time in PyeongChang came to an end we wanted to make sure to fit in a visit to House of Switzerland. This hospitality house is located at the bottom of the Yongpyong Resort ski hill. USA is next door and Sweden House is a short walk away. We did not have a chance to go inside where lunch was being served but instead spent some time on the outdoor patio. Many visitors we lounging in chairs watching the events on a big screen. We sipped hot chocolate and looked on from in front of a toasty fire pit. Beer, food and chocolate bars were also being served. Swiss House also boasts a small stage for live music and a miniature hockey rink!

What an incredible few weeks this experience has been. In spite of the long hours, sleepless nights and truly Arctic temperatures I would not trade my time or experiences in PyeongChang.

With my career aspirations focused on a life working in sponsorship or marketing partnerships surrounding large sporting events I started this journey with an all business focus. I quickly learned that your time at the Olympics is what it needs from you rather than what you thought you needed from it. It was in embracing that idea that I found so many amazing experiences I never could have imagined, made some fantastic new friends and met some incredible people from around the world.

Coming from a small town in North Carolina where I spent most of my life rarely straying from state lines, it is hard to describe the value in an experience like this one. From the wealth it has added to my life from a cultural awareness perspective to the fantastic business leaders we had the opportunity to meet that could have a monumental impact on my future – the entire experience has just been phenomenal.

Collecting data for the IOC was certainly one of the least glamour positions I’ve been fortunate enough to hold down, but the privilege of the opportunity and all that came with it was certainly not lost on me.

I feel so grateful to the IOC, Dr. Neirotti, Lisa C, the people of Korea and all those I met throughout my Olympic journey for making this an experience that will last a lifetime.

On the final day of the Olympics one of the most watched, yet least well known, events takes place – known as the Olympic Figure Skating Exhibition Gala. The event is build as a non-competitive showcase that allows the Olympic figure skaters an opportunity to skate through a song of their choice simply as a performance piece, no medals here. Some skaters use this as a moment to showcase their best tricks, while others use it as a moment to draw a few laughs from the crowd.

The event was wall to wall when we arrived with almost every seat filled. I particularly enjoyed Spainish skater Javier Fernandez’s routine, which was set to a soundtrack of the 80s best aerobic songs. His costume transitioned from sweats to a super hero set up; he had the entire crowd laughing throughout his performance.

Other skaters used the platform to deliver chillingly beautiful performances of skill and poise while others used it as an opportunity to pay homage to their country. One skater even took the opportunity to showcase his affinity for Spider-Man by Skating to the Spider-Man theme song remixed by Michael Buble.

You got the feeling watching them perform that for some it was a bittersweet moment to show the world what they can do one last time and for others it was simply a victory lap capping off the end of their Olympic experience.

It was hands down one of my favorite experiences from my time in PyeongChang.

While waiting for the Men’s Gold Medal event in curling, I noticed a bunch of women in USA jackets walk up and sit in front of me while I was counting the number of athletes in the section. I noticed that it was the Women’s Ice Hockey team that just won Gold for defeating Canada’s Women’s team. I was low key freaking out and tried playing it cool while I asked them for a picture. They were more than happy to take one with me, and I even took a picture of the whole team in front of the curling rings for them. It was so awesome to be sitting so close to such amazing athletes. It was definitely a fantastic moment of being at the right place at the right time. I will treasure this picture forever!

We certainly had a good time here! We worked, learned, spectated and  played! Now it’s time to pack it up and hope we make it back safely home!

I happened to be at the right place at the right time and was able to carry the torch for a few precious moments! It was much lighter than I would expect. I noticed the handle was not meant for holding for long periods of time as it did not have grip holds and it would easily become slippery.  Super happy!

On Saturday I headed up to the Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre to watch the Men’s Finals of Big Air. This was Big Air’s Olympic debut and the event drew a huge crowd. I would say it was the most well-attended event that I had seen. I am curious to know if the fact that it was a Saturday drew more local spectators compared to other events. The excitement of the crowd only made the experience even more thrilling. However, I have to admit that while at the event I was slightly confused about the scoring. As it turns out, for the finals, each rider completes three runs. The worst score is dropped and best two scores are combined for a final score. Six judges score on four elements (difficultly, execution, amplitude and landing) and the highest and lowest score for each run is dropped. For me, it was an honor to witness the first-ever Big Air Olympic champions celebrate with each other at the close of the event. In the coming days it will be interesting to see how well the new event was received by the international community.

It only took us until our last night here, but we finally found good Korean BBQ! I wish we would have found it earlier, because I would’ve come back here a few times.

I honestly couldn’t tell you what we had, but the meat, sides, and sauce all made for a tasty meal! I’m excited to go back to American food, though.

In the athlete village, there was a group that was trying to set a world record with their collaborative painting. They encouraged athletes to come participate and paint part of it. On the last day, they had all of the pieces on display for everyone to enjoy.

I thought this was a fun way to get the athletes involved in something other than sport and show a sense of community. The painting ended up really beautiful as well!

The Olympic Truce Mural has been a fixture of the Games for sometime. The mural represents the Ancient Greek tradition to ask athletes set aside their differences during the Games and compete peacefully. Athletes were asked to reaffirm their commitment to this ideal by signing the wall. This mural was displayed in the Pyeongchang Athletes Village. #olympics #pyeongchang2018

On Wednesday the USA men’s hockey team failed to secure a chance at the podium after losing in a shootout to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. This is the second consecutive Games that the team has not medaled after losing in the bronze medal game in Sochi. However, yesterday the USA women’s team beat Team Canada for the gold after a dramatic, 6 round shoutout. Some of us were there to witness their hard fought win and emotional post-game celebration. While most winter Olympians receive their medal at the Medal Ceremony the night of their event, hockey medals are awarded immediately after the game. Angela Ruggerio of the OIC (see my previous post) presented the medals, which must have been a truly special moment for her as she herself has earned 4 olympic medals.

Yesterday, in a moment that will go down as one of the greatest in the history of the Olympics the United States Women’s hockey team defeated Canada in a thrilling shootout to win the Gold medal. This was an amazing moment to be able to witness in person with everyone in attendance on the edge their seats throughout the third period, overtime and the shootout. The atmosphere in the venue was so amazing with Canadian and USA fans going back and forth with cheers for their team. Once the final shootout attempt was stopped by 20 year old goalie Maddie Rooney the Hockey center erupted in cheers as the US women had done the impossible and beaten the team that had won gold in the sport at 4 straight Olympic games with the USA winning their first gold in the sport since the 1998 Olympics in Nagano. Being able to witness this historic event in person was truly amazing and defiantly one I will remember and brag about being at for the rest of my life.

At my shift today, security called me over to approve something (which I have no authority to do…haha). There was a group of Slovenians in crazy costumes that security wasn’t sure if they were allowed to wear, based on IOC rules. I tried to explain that I was only there to count the number of people coming through and that I didn’t actually know the rules/work for the IOC, but they didn’t understand. Eventually, they just decided to let them in.

When they got up to the seating area, everyone was understandably asking to take pictures with them. I think they got sick of it, but that’s part of what happens when you dress up at the Olympics 🙂

Three days before I pack up my luggage, I was fortunate to attend a GW alum reception at Seoul. On the same day I met up with a couple Korean friends that I met in Seattle back in 2015.

That morning, thanks to TripAdvisor, I visited three famous local coffee shops and tried out their caffeinated beverages. All of which are within 15-minute subway ride from Seoul station. I also stopped by the National Korean Museum, and the historical temple Gyeongbokgung (literal: fortune view temple) and its famed gate Gwanghwamun (literal: lavished gate). Spectacular places.

My Korean friend Catherine then took me to a very traditional place for lunch, ginseng chicken soup, seafood pancakes, and of course kimchi. After lunch we coasted around the shopping haven Myeong-Dong and got cosmetics for my girl. Most of the stores have a bogo deal which was great for my trimming wallet.

I was glad that I brought my cards because literally of all the Korean alums that attended the reception, 80% of them are current or retired lawyers, and I was able to exchange cards with them. Very, very cool group ranged from class of ’74 to ’18.

Since probably day one I was intrigued by the pin trading ecosystem at the Games, but never did I think I would be into it so much. Throughout the entirety of my trip, I had probably stopped by the Coca Cola trading center and the open trading areas a dozen times. One, you never know who you will run into/meet (like a former professor at New York who used to attend SINC, or Geoffrey that knows Dr. Neirotti from attending Games), two, you never know what sort of new pins will pop up (the Bridgestone pin traders didn’t show till the last day I was in the park).

Obviously, these pins have become a collateral business with the Games. What I’ve heard from these traders are that they are either legitimately hired by a TOP sponsor or they run a pin trading business in their respective countries. Crazy how this is, can’t imagine how the Summer Games look like.

Honestly, I’m not a huge drinker, and definitely not a night person. I sort of limited my house visits to the daytime. First was the Japan house, we were fortunate to meet the president of the TOCOG and the president of the Ski Association in Japan and I utilized my broken Japanese to communicated with them. On the side note, we were treated unbelievably well by them with all-you-can-eat food.

The Austria House had just opened the night before I visited, everything was fresh and the staff were not overwhelmed yet by customers. There I met (again) a few international pin traders exchanged cards with them. By the time it was 4pm, crowds already began cramming in the House.

The Czech House was the most basic house in its location by the GMV and the relatively cheap food, but what I really enjoyed was the virtual reality presentation of the Czech history (the country is celebrating its centennial).

In a failed attempt of entering the Holland House, I realized how much of an alcoholic culture it could be by just standing outside. The Canada House and the USA House were destinations I’m looking forward to in Tokyo 2020.

Who doesn’t have a childhood crush right? On the 11^th, Jay Ishimaru visited the Gangneung Ice Arena all the way from Japan and we were able to catch up. We went to high school in Oregon together briefly and I remember stuttering when I told her she was like an angel. Yea, I said it. Her alma mater was at Boston College and was a figure skating athlete, I’m hoping to see her again in Tokyo 2020.

The day after my crazy encounters, I was able to get into Team Korea House’s second floor where they have their training room sponsored by Get Set (YISSEM IOC research center), film room and offices. The reception person at the front desk also gave me a Team Korea pin. As a matter of fact, I stopped by the House a few more times just to say hi to the reception guy, cool dude.

February 10^th was the prime example of how things can get turned around in a matter of hours.

On the night of the opening ceremony, Ben, Paul and I tried to sneak in the stadium but failed. The worse thing was that I dropped my glasses on a bus… never returned. That being said I have to miss the USA House next morning to get prescriptioned glasses. This seemingly negative incident took a drastic turn in the next 12 hours.

In the next 12 hours, I ran into Ma Yun (Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba), B2B (kpop group), and the Prime Minister of Japan Anbe. I would have never dreamed of seeing these big shots live, but it indeed happened today, and my social media blew up with comments and impressions. Along the way I traded for 10 new pins and met about a half-dozen pro pin traders. Craziest day in my life I would say so far.

When I asked to observe the luge at the Winter Olympics, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was somewhat surprised spectators really only have a few ticketed locations to observe the athletes during their run. Even then, a lot of the folks who purchased tickets don’t sit in their seats, they stand up near the front of the stands to cheer on the athletes.

Further, I got to work more than one event at the sliding center, which quite honestly I didn’t realize other sports would use the same sliding track! Pretty neat to learn about the different sports and see them in action first hand. I particularly find it interesting the luge uses a sled and the athlete lies on his/her back. In contrast, the skeleton also uses a sled, but the athlete lies their stomach, head first.  I’m really hoping they have cameras in the helmets so the images can be mapped to 3D tech. It would be cool to feel like I’m head first on the skeleton track, going for a run, without actually risking injury to my head! #olympics #gwu #pyeongchang2018

Leading up to the Games, we kept hearing about how fun Heineken House (Holland House) was and how we had to make sure to go.

A big group of us decided to go last night and it lived up to the name! It was fun to be able to do something all together as a group and to hear music that we recognized. I love that so many of the countries have houses where everyone can go relax and enjoy each others’ company while celebrating the victories of the Olympic athletes.

What’s been really neat about the Olympic Games is the ability to visit company pavilions. I was able to check out the Samsung Expeience pavilion in an Athletes Village and spoke with two Samsung reps about the Galaxy Note 8. Being an Apple loyalist and iPhone user for several years, I was curious to learn what the competiton could offer. I’ll admit, I was rather impressed. I was given a tour of the android interface, took my photo, and used a stylist (!!!) to add graphics to the photo. It all seemed really initiative and the Android OS was super fast.

When the reps offered to send the pic I created to me, I felt Somewhat embarrassed so say I had an iPhone and they cousin zap it to me right away. Lol indeed, the reps gave a frown face. So I sent the pic to myself via email instead. Overall, a great display of Korean innovation – and I’m wondering if I might switch to a Samsung phone in the future. #olympics #samsung #pyeongchang2018 #gwu

After our adventure to the Japan House, Katie, Preethy, Cecily, and I went to the PyeongChang Olympic Park. There we watched a beautiful drone show of different pictures in the sky made by drones. It was definitely a site to see, considering all of the shapes and colors the drones could make.

These are few clips I took during the show, but nothing compares to what it was like in real life!

I was working a transpiration shift at Media Village on the 20^th, when I look behind me and saw Soohorang and Bandabi stopping by for a visit! I quickly finished counting a bus that was loading and departing, and made my way over to get a picture with them. The volunteers were offering free polaroid pictures, and they even wrote my name in Korean at the bottom! This is a keepsake I will treasure forever.

The United States Olympic Committee started a mentor recognition program in 2008 called the Order of Ikkos. Named after an Olympic Greek coach, US athletes who ‘podium,’ (aka earn an Olympic medal) are entitled to bestow the medal on one person who greatly impacted their lives, enabling them to become an Olympic athlete. The National Governing Bodies typically have a ceremony where the athlete recognizes an individual for their impact and the medal is awarded. The things you learn while working a USA House volunteer shift…! #olympics #gwu #pyeongchang2018 #medal

When we came to Korea as a class, I didn’t really know any of the other students very well and many come from different degree focus areas.  I am pleased to report that we are all making the most of every moment and friendships are also being made along the way.

The Media Center is the media’s main location for eating and sleeping in the coastal cluster.  The Korean OGOC connected media with the history of paper and writing in their country and an interactive expo for the media to learn appreciate the Korean culture.  They had hold printing tools and a letter press that were operational.  They had you operate them to make your own books and paper prints. They even made you your own Korean name as a stamp to take home and use later.

Additionally, they had clothes from another area to try on.   I thought this was a wonderful idea, and really enjoyed the experience.

Today, I had the chance to visit Japan House! I had heard how delicious the food was, so I was excited to be going and getting a meal that may somehow be less foreign to me.

We were able to eat dumplings, soup, sushi, and a few other Japanese items, which were all a nice change of pace from the food we’ve been having in the workforce lounge. I was particularly happy to be eating something with salt 😉

If I have the time, I’d love to come back here to enjoy another meal!

Sadly, I must not have taken any pictures here…so here is one another classmate took 🙂

This morning we had the opportunity to meet we three members of the IOC, each of whom serve in a different role. Angela Ruggerio is a senior member of the IOC and represents all Olympic athletes in her role as the chairperson of the IOC Athlete’s Commission. Angela is also a four time Olympic medalist with USA Hockey. Meeting with her was exceptional chance to learn more about the Games from several varying perspectives including: athlete, organizing, bidding and administrative. Angela is also an entrepreneur and founded her company, Sports Innovation Lab, a year and a half ago. Angela’s passion for the Olympics and sports in general was so apparent especially as she described the positive message the Games can send to the world, as well as the power of sport.

A few GW Study Abroad Olympics students visited the Canada House and indulged in creating s’mores on the outdoor patio!! This activity was nostalgic for many of us, something we enjoyed doing in the past but haven’t done recently. It was an interesting experience to partake in a familiar activity provided by different country. Perhaps this event reminded us that folks from different countries can share share common cultural bonds, even if its not apparent at first.

While roasting marshmallows at Canada House, the we began chatting with a few Canadians, sharing origin stories, our roles at the Olympics, and how the Games can be improved moving forward. Our initial desire to relive a childhood activity (and fill up with lots of sugar!) ended up being a mechanism to facilitate discussion with new friends and make new memories. Partaking in cultural activities, realizing that we share a common threads, and making new friends is also what makes the Olympic Games a unique, memorable event. #olympics #smores #canadahouse #pyeongchang2018 #memories

I had a blast at the GW Reception! New Horizons had great food, delicious drinks, and of course amazing people. For starters, the food was to die for! The drinks were tasty, and exactly what we all needed for all of our hard work!  Moreover, we met the President of the POCOG, Kun-Hee Lee, at the reception. He is an alumnus of GW, which made the encounter even more special. He shared some topics of the social impacts and discussions of what was being done culturally to PyeongChang, and how it impacted the Games.

On February 16^th, I was working at the curling venue when a family asked me to take their picture in front of a sign. I said of course! And when I was finished, I asked if I could get a picture with their children who were dressed in traditional Korean outfits. They looked so adorable in their outfits, that I couldn’t resist with asking. The family was more than happy to accept, and took our picture!

It’s not something most people probably think about, but the modern day Olympics requires a lot of telecommunications equipment, including thousands of miles of cables. The GW Olympics course granted students a behind the scenes look at what it takes to produce one of the worlds largest celebrations of sport and culture. Lucky, today’s telecommunications equipment is able to let fans view athletes compete in real time – enabling 2-3 billion people to watch – all in part to the immense communication infrastructure. Since so many folks are able to view the Games, I’m fairly certain Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, would be pleased. Though, it’s hard to believe a fair amount of this equipment will be removed after the Games are over. #olympics #comm #pyeongchang2018 #cables #gwu

The Winter Olympics have a unique tradition of having a medal ceremony at night, rather than presenting medals tot eh athletes at their respective venues. PyeongChang’s medal ceremony is help at the Olympic Plaza almost every night and it a great way to see several athletes from different sports come together to celebrate their accomplishments.

A few classmates and I decided to brave the cold and see Shaun White accept his gold medal in Halfpipe. The medal ceremony is a free events with emcess and a detailed schedule. A highlight reel of the sport, the presentation of athletes, the medals, then the national anthem.

After the medal ceremony, a K-Pop concert of the famous boy band BTOB keep the night going. Our toes were numb so we decided to grab some food and head home. We ended up at a traditional Korean BBQ, table top grills and all. We enjoyed the beef ribs rice, and Cass, the Korean beer of choice. The communal eating customs was very prevalent and we left happy, stuffed with food, and ready for bed.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post about our visit to Jet Set Sports, the company’s Co-CEO, Alan Dizdarevik, generously gave our group tickets to the Men’s Free Skating. The event was categorized as high demand, and was by far the most well-attended event that I have been to. For American’s, there has been a lot of hype around Team USA’s Nathan Chen and Adam Rippon, who both unfortunately fell short of medaling. However, it was still thrilling to be in attendance and witness of the world’s top figure skating talent. I was also ecstatic that we happened to see Al Roker, Hoda, and Savannah of The Today Show in the crowd and that they so graciously agreed to take a photo with us.

Today I finally had my first real shift (meaning at an event). I grew up skiing, so that’s the event I was most excited for and luckily got matched to work all alpine shifts!

We had a training session on the first night, but to be able to actually understand my venue made it easier to collect the data needed. This venue is quite large, so I had to first count the PSAs and Workforce Lounge, take a chairlift up to the seating area to count that, then walk back down to collect the parking data that was spread throughout the area between the base and the seating.

Luckily, this venue generally only has 1 session per day, but my venue tomorrow has 2. Trying to get 2 counts of this venue would be tricky and make for a long day.

Today we had the opportunity to meet Alan Dizdarevic, Co-CEO of Jet Set Sports. Jet Set was founded in 1975 by Dizdarevic’s father and is the official Olympics Authorized Ticket Reseller (ATR) for the United States. Alan showed us around their office here in Gangneung and along the way explained their operations for both their businesses: Co Sport (tickets for general customers) and Jet Set (ticket packages for high net worth individuals and corporations). Individuals who purchased tickets after December pick up their tickets at this location and as Dizdarevic described, “is where the Olympic experience begins” for many US ticket holders. As the ART for the US, Jet Set has the largest amount of Olympics tickets in the world. When asked what the hottest ticket is right now, Alan not only responded that it is Men’s Figure Skating, but also offered our group some tickets!

The GW South Korea Winter Tour 2018 group enjoyed a traditional Korean lunch yesterday at the Halssa Art World. The event was hosted by the parents of a current GW student and the dean of the GW Business School also attended! We were humbled to celebrate the New Year with new friends and familiar faces from DC at a beautiful venue. Wishing health and happiness to all! #koreanfood #koreannewyear #lunarnewyear #gwu

Everyone needs a Korean highway wall mural in their life. It’s been great walking around the area to view and learn more about the people of Korea and their culture. #korea #animals #adventure #pyeongchang2018 #umbrella #culture

Wednesday evening, I was leaving the Gangneung Hockey Arena at the end of my shift when I decided to swing by The Today Show set which is located right outside the arena. I found myself being in the right place at the exact right time as I realized as I approached the crowd that Shaun White was just coming on set for an interview.  Earlier in the day, White won his third gold medal in the men’s halfpipe, four years after coming in fourth in Sochi. The day before I had a shift at the Phoenix Snow Park where I had the opportunity to see White score a 98.5 on his second qualification run. During the finals on Tuesday, the majority of our group was at Casa Italia where we watched in awe as White, who was in second place before his final run, won gold. This was only a day after Chloe Kim, also of USA, secured the gold in ladies’ halfpipe. While White would not confirm during the interview whether we would see him on the halfpipe in Beijing in 2022, he did allude to the fact that skateboarding has been added as a Summer Olympics sport. Look out, Tokyo!

Also, be sure to check out my colleagues’ posts about the Medal Ceremony which took place earlier in the evening at the Olympic Park!

It seems so silly, but something I always wanted to have done as a child was get a caricature. They’re generally overpriced, so I had never gotten one until now!

After working a shift at the Athlete Village, I wandered around their plaza and noticed that they were doing free caricatures. I asked if they would do mine, and they said yes and got started right away.

The way he did it was very cool! It wasn’t your typical drawn or painted caricature, he used a tablet and drew it digitally! It was awesome to watch my picture take shape as he added details and layers.

I love the end result! I’m so happy to have something personalized to take home with me.

I went to the medal ceremony last night at the POP, and it was amazing! What made it even more amazing was that Shaun White won another gold medal for the USA, and I was there to witness him get it. Not many people can say they have been to such an incredible and emotion experience in their life, but I am so grateful that I was able to be there!

Photo credit: Ben Hannibal

Today, I was lucky enough to meet up with the man who has inspired my love for the Olympic Games since the age of 5 years old. Frank Carroll is a member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame winning Olympic medals coaching athletes such as Michelle Kwan, Evan Lysacek, Gracie Gold, and Denis Ten but, also happens to be my great uncle. I use to spend my time watching the Winter Olympics at home hoping to catch a glimpse of my Uncle Frank on the television and now getting to watch Olympic figure skating next to him was an amazing experience.

ps. For those who are interested his skater Denis Ten (Kazakhstan) will beginning his competition in men’s singles figure skating tomorrow (2/16)

Tom Duncan, Global Olympics Lead at P&G, met with the GW Winter Tour team yesterday morning at the 2018 Olympic Games P&G Hospitality House in South Korea. Duncan immediately highlighted P&G is the worlds largest advertiser, touching over 5 billion people a year. As a GW business student studying marketing, this was such a unique and valuable opportunity to learn from a worldwide Olympic sponsor – how cool is that?!

The P&G family of brands views the Olympic Games as a celebration of humanity and about 2-3 billion people watch the Games. Given the wide audience, P&G leverages the Games to showcase how it’s many brands enable athletes to achieve their goals through enabling everyday life activities.

The company has used over 300 Olympic athletes in its advertising campaigns to promote its products. Duncan noted P&G brand marketing team must determine if/ how the Olympics can be incorporated into an marketing campaign. Promotions can range from in store activation to social media. However, ultimately the company uses metrics provided by its partners to evaluate the ROI of its campaigns.

The Games also provides P&G an opportunity to meet with different company execs from around the world. Here, P&G can showcase its products and make new business partnerships to enter new markets. The Games provide Olympic sponsors a forum to discuss business deals they may not otherwise have an opportunity to explore.

Speaking with Duncan highlighted the interconnected relationships of sport, business, and marketing; I found Duncan’s insider perspective to be invaluable.

#onlyatgw #olympics #pyeongchang2018 #gwu

During my shift at the Curling venue yesterday, I decided to take a look at the concession options inside and around the Olympic sports venues. What I found was an interesting array of options for fans. The venue offered 3 food stand options which were Western food, K-food, and Grilled and fried food. The western food option is made up of options for fans wishing to enjoy food from western countries such as the USA. These western options include hot dogs, pizza, cup-a-soup, pasta bologense, and Oreo cookies. The K-food stand gives fans the option of tasting some local Korean food options such as TTeok-bokki (spicy stir fried rice cake) and Eomuk (fish cake soup). The final grilled and fried food options gives fans the option of food such as barbecue sausage on a stick, fried dumplings, roasted quarter chicken, and grilled sausage. These options are all unique and interesting but show an effort by PyeongChang to provide options that please both local Korean fans and fans from far away western countries.

I’ve always admired Korean nail art and knew I wanted to get my nails done while we were here. I’ve been scoping out designs for months and was very excited to have them done!

While I didn’t find a place in Seoul that was reasonably priced, I happened to find one in Gangneung! I made an appointment and got them done today! They’re just what I wanted and I’m glad I was able to get my Korean nail art experience.

I finally had my first shift today (since my first 2 got canceled). It was a transport shift, which isn’t as fun as the sporting events but still very useful information for us to gather. I was at the Media Village, which is where most of the media stays and is a major connecting point for all buses.

About an hour into my shift, it started to get really windy. I figured it would pass, no big deal. However, as the day went on, the wind got worse and worse, to the point where the fence and signs were starting to sway and metal trash cans were blowing away. I did my best to hide out from the wind, but it was a long day of dirt blowing into my face.

Right at the end of my shift, one of the big metal signs actually ended up falling over. I couldn’t believe that something cemented into the ground actually fell in front of my eyes! Luckily, no one was too close and no one got hurt, but it could have been a very different scenario had someone happened to be walking by at that moment!

When I got home, I was coated in a layer of dirt, but happy to have worked my first shift.

Trails and Maps in Korea:

While I am here in Korea, I am also training for Boston Marathon.  This means that I need to do several long runs, if I want to feel good while running Boston.  I ran several times while here.  My longest runs have been 18 and 19.5 miles.  I was a little unsure how enjoyable these runs would be as I didn’t know if there would be trails. I was also, told that Asia in general, there are a lot of people, so I was also prepared to weave through crowds. Once I did get here, I learned that  Naver is the best app to view trails and roads and get directions in Korea (not google maps).  I found an amazing trail network in Busan, I was able to run 18 miles easily with-out issues, it was also scenic. I didn’t have time to run in Seoul; however, I may have time on the way home.  Once in the Pyeongchang region, I needed to get that 20 miler in.  Again, I was able to find trails to keep me running for about 20 miles.  They converted a wetlands area in to a trail network. Additionally, there are a couple miles of trail along the beach, that is enjoyable to run.  In both regions (Peyongchang and Buson) there were several local people running, not just me, we smiled and wave as we passed each other.

Below are a couple pictures or my route and the views along the way. Bottom line, I recommend packing your running shoes and rent a bike when you come to Korea!

Korean Culture

It turns out, everyone seems to have an opinion about K-pop and Korean movies.  Since I was going to ride the train from Busan to Seoul, my local Korean friends insisted that I watch the movie “Train to Busan”, the night before I took the train.  This was a Korean Zombie movie,  on the train almost everyone turns into a zombie and dies by the end of the movie. This was filmed or based on the aactual KTX-the high speed train I was riding the next day. There were no English subtitles, but the movie was graphic enough, where they were not needed.  When watching the movie, I was surprised that there was such long tunnels. IT turns out the tunnels are really that long! Clearly, after watching this Movie, I did not sleep on the train ride to Seoul.

Last night I was given the chance to take in the hockey game between the USA women’s hockey team and the Olympic Athletes from Russia. Due to the NHL’s decision not to allow their athletes to participate in the Olympics this year perhaps the best hockey will be seen in the Women’s division. The United States team is full of very talented stars and did not disappoint last night. By the end of the second period the United States had already chased the Russian goalie from the game, scored 4 goals, and had more than three times the number of shots on goal as the Russians. The final score of the game was 5-0 and the USA Women are definitely gearing up for a run at the Gold medal and watching them in person was definitely an amazing experience.

Robot fish have arrived. Friend or foe? The jury may still be out. But, I’m impressed how the Korean tech companies have used the Olympics to showcase technological innovation. #olympics #pyeongchang2018 #olympicstore #fish #robots #skynet

Willkommen means welcome in German! That’s exactly what we were last night in the Austria House. The two Austrian girls were named Kathi and Johannah. They were so sociable and kind with sharing their stories of who they were, and why they are at the Games. Kathi actually came to the Games to work at the Austria House because she won a radio contest, and Johannah was offered a job there.

I believe we made friends for life because of the amount of connections we made and experiences we exchanged. Who knew that I could have so much in common with people who live nowhere near me? Truly incredible!

Although I was unable to see the Olympic opening ceremonies live, I had a great time watching it on TV in the Czech House. I never knew that some countries competing in the Olympics had houses that are open to the public. The Czech House is open to anybody and totally free (unless you count the 9000 won for a beer). There was a diverse crowd there, which made it extremely exciting to watch the ceremonies. If somebody cheered for a country, the whole place would erupt in solidarity. This showcased the Olympic spirit and made for a positive atmosphere to be a part of.

My favorite part of watching the games was when the unified Korea team walked out together. I thought it was very symbolic of peace and the spirit of coming together.

My trip to PyeongChang, South Korea was overwhelming, nerve-wracking, and extremely exciting. Due to unforeseen circumstances, my travel partner was no longer able to make the journey; so I found myself going to Korea alone. I was so nervous sitting in the airport. I had never been anywhere in Asia and had absolutely no idea what to expect when I landed. Luckily, a friendly woman greeted me when I took my seat on the plane. She offered to wipe down my tray table (she’s a nurse and wanted to make sure I stayed healthy during my adventure) and we chatted for hours. This stranger calmed my nerves and the pit in my stomach turned into pure excitement.

The 14-hour plane ride went surprisingly fast and I arrived at Incheon International Airport before I knew it. As soon as I saw Soohorang, the Olympic mascot, in the airport I knew that my adventure had finally begun.

Most folks usually wonder what accommodations athletes receive at the Games. Luckily, the Olympic Village marketplace has a mock bedroom on display. Overall, it’s pretty basic. But stylish and functional nonetheless. #olympics #pyeongchang2018 #bedroomdecor #athletes #olympian

Want some Olympic gear from the 2018 Games?! Me too! Upon arrival at the Olympic Superstore, one feels like they’ve arrived at Disneyland, with an Olympic twist. But, make sure to bring your Visa card. As an official sponsor,  they’re the only accepted at the Games. No Visa, no PyeongChang gear. #olympics #gear #visa #pyeongchang2018

Having grown up ski racing competitively, I was so excited to be working the alpine events!

Unfortunately, when my first shift came along, the event got rescheduled because of strong winds. A bummer, but not the end of the world. I went and met the group for some company meetings. My second shift was supposed to be the next day, but it also got canceled because of the wind.

While I was disappointed to have now lost out on 2 days of racing, I did have the opportunity to go watch the team figure skating competition. I always wanted to be a figure skater as a child, but my mom wouldn’t let me (thanks mom 😉 ). This is always one of my favorite events to watch when the Olympics are on TV, so to see it first hand was so amazing! I watched the amazing Adam Rippon (I love him!!) and watched the phenomenal Alina Zagitova (who is only 15 by the way) win her event. The talent these athletes have is so incredible and I wish I had even a sliver of it.

We had the opportunity to visit the USA House! This is a place that not many people get to see, since it is one of the national houses that is closed to the public. It is decorated so beautifully with Team USA items and sponsor sleds painted to represent the sponsor company. It is meant to be a space that athletes, their families, and sponsors can come relax, watch events, and eat delicious food.

We were able to visit because we got to meet with Lisa Baird (Chief Marketing Officer of USOC) and Lisa Reliford (Director of Meeting and Event Services of USOC). Hearing these two incredible women speak gave me a better understanding of much of the behind the scenes work a country does to make the Games happen and also strengthened my desire to work in this industry.

Being here truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are meeting and learning from so many people that we would otherwise not have the chance to.

I was looking forward to learning how PyeongChang organizers would integrate technology into the Games; they did not disappoint. Here, a friendly, tiger (which is also the mascot of the 2018 Games), robot welcomes visitors in the Athletes Village and schedule information is available via an interactive touch screen. Really unique, user friendly, and eye catching! #pyeongchang2018 #olymics #robots #thefuture #gwu

On Friday evening, I attended the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Olympics. Not only did the Opening Ceremony mark the beginning of the Games but was also a celebration of Korean culture. The two-hour program was absolutely spectacular. According to the official PyeongChang 2018, “Opening Ceremony Director SONG Seung-hwan (KOR) expanded on his vision for the Ceremony. “The intention was to show the past, present and future of Korea,” Song explained of the opening acts. “The inspiration was the murals of the Goguryeo Tombs, some of which are in North Korea, some in South Korea, displaying legendary animals and dancers.” Behind each seat was a short pole with LED lights which resulted in customized lighting effects. The dances were beautifully choreographed and the costumes were amazing. It was also exciting to watch Team USA march out in their $2,500 heated Ralph Lauren jackets to ‘Gangnam Style’. Prior to the commencement of the ceremony I noticed that the North Koreans had a section all to themselves and those seated there were all wearing the same outfit, waving North Korean flags and cheering in unison. The most moving part of the ceremony was when the North and South Koreans entered under the unified flag.  Overall, the ceremony sent a message of hope and peace and I feel very fortunate to have been able to witness it in person. (I am also thankful that it wasn’t as cold as it has been other evenings!)

This was my first opening ceromonies.  The opening ceremonies were amazing, but really cold!  To help keep us warm, they had warming centers where you could stand in a room just to warm up.  They also had a bag of gifts on your chair.  This back included a hat, a seat warmer, a pen, a blanket, and a toy to be used sometime during the ceremony. Just like any event large event with few ingress and egress routes, logistics were the biggest challenge. The PyeongChang Olympic Park venue is not near the main city, so we needed taxis or busses.  Then there are lines to get to parking. Once you park, you need to then take a shuttle to venue area.  Once you get there they turned a small town into a winter wonderland. It was cold, but beautiful.  I felt like I was watching an event at the Kennedy center.  General comments from other spectators was that the event didn’t have the pop of other openings. However, I don’t know that it needed a pop.

Korean cultural exchange area in Olympic Media Village. Korean books have been translated into other languages for guests. A reminder that while primary focus of the Games is sports, they also provide an opportunity for the host country to share their culture with the world. #olympics #gwu #pyeongchang2018 #korea #language  

I was so nervous that I was not going to be able to eat any of the food in Korea, or even be able to order it.

For starters, I am a very picky eater and dislike anything spicy. I have never been a fan of any kind of pepper or hot sauce, so I was worried when I learned that Korean food is extremely hot. And on the other hand, I do not know any Korean. I took five years of Spanish, and I still would not consider myself fluent. Moreover, I ate at this one Korean restaurant and loved the food and atmosphere! It reminded me of what the Olympics are all about.

It was called Hansot Dosirak, and the workers there were incredibility hospitable. Even though there was a language barrier, I was able to point and explain what I wanted through hand motions. During my time at the restaurant the workers made sure I was enjoying the food, had plenty to eat, and even added extra rice to my left over box because I couldn’t finish all of the pork. This restaurant experience is just a small piece of a huge picture of how people come together for the Games and respect one another. My experience there is one that I will remember for the rest of my life because of the way I was welcomed with open arms.

The Olympics consist of a variety of culture backgrounds traveling to the host city, communicating and experiencing new things in a different environment. I will be forever grateful for the new friends I make along the way of this journey, and I’m excited to continue trying Korean food!

We picked up our official Olympic uniforms!!! Such an awesome opportunity to meet Korean volunteers who make the Games possible. We definitely have a unique opportunity to see how large mega-sporting events are organized from behind the scenes. We’re ready for the Games! Are you? #olympics #pyeongchang2018 #studyabroad #onlyatGW #gwu

Today, we had our first day of training with the IOC. They taught us what we would be doing over the next few weeks!

For those who may not know, we are on a short-term study abroad program with school and our purpose is to collect data on security, seating, and transportation that the IOC can use to plan future games. At our training today, we learned how to gather the necessary information and input it into the app they use for this data collection.

After our initial training, we got to go wander around the Olympic park. It was surreal to be in an area that so many people dream of seeing firsthand.

We spent that night doing our first data collection as a group at Ski Jumping. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to be so close to where everything happens and to be part of this team that is helping to improve future Games.

Alright I’ll be honest, this is one of the only few Korean phrases I know. But it definitely came in handy in the cold today as I was desperately trying to stay positive.

After our grind from DCA-LAX-ICN-Gangneung, including sports law quiz sessions and Panda Express chronicles, Leila, Murphy and I finally arrived at our dorm at 2am. I rested surprisingly well the first night considering jetlag and the day-long travel. Shoutout to my roommate Paul for waiting on my arrival.

One of the highlight today I have to say is ice-cream for breakfast. The owner at the SQ25 has that OG vibe where he would be chucking on a joint while chatting with you. He got us a cab to our following destination too, needless to say I’ll be getting ice-cream from him again tomorrow.

As Mike, Murphy and I were wondering in the city to get our uniforms and gears. We bumped into the myth, the legend, the lady Yang Yang herself, multiple Olympian gold winner, multiple World Championships, and continuing her legacy in the Chinese sports realm as a part of the IOC. All these I didn’t know till today, thanks Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Yang_(speed_skater,_born_1976)

Came the afternoon after I got my beloved gears, I made a rookie mistake by leaving my jackets behind and wearing only two layers against the -2 Celsius Gangneung freeze. But, this is when the kamsahamnida (thank you) and the annoyong haseyo (hello) served as lifesavers. When doing long hours of work, I always try to find the small things to entertain myself with. So as my victim, Allie was bombarded with my broken Korean phrases and the fact that I was saying them to virtually every Korean staff that walked pass us. On the other hand, I have to proudly say Allie indeed (potentially) learned those two phrases. (Picture below are of the Curling Center and dinner lounge in Gangneung).

By the end of our training, we had gone through the lounge, parking lots, seating sections and the security lanes. Another shoutout to Gloria for keeping me awake on the ride back home, chatting with me. We had been classmates for a semester but never gotten to know each other, it felt great to do so.

See, it’s the small things that gives you that boost in the clutch to grind through.

We are so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with the International Olympic Committee to help them gather data to help plan and produce future Games. As part of this team, we are lucky enough to be fully outfitted in the same gear as the IOC (we have to look official, after all)!

Today we went to pick up our uniforms! The IOC was so generous and I can’t wait to wear all of my new things! We have options and layers for all the possible weather we could encounter and they will hopefully keep us warm during our shifts (it’s freezing here)!

We have arrived in PyeongChang! I flew to Seoul on Korean Air, an official partner of the Games. I took the opportunity to use some of the 14-hour flight to learn a little more about the various sports and events of the 35^th Olympic Games. As part of the in-flight entertainment, Korean Air included short 10-15 minute Olympic sports informational videos which were narrated in Korean but included English subtitles. I was particularly glad to learn more about the rules of curling as that is one of the sports I am assigned to. (Who knew that curling stones weigh 38 to 44 pounds or that curlers wear special shoes with dissimilar soles, one slider and one gripper?!) I also learned about some of the new events of the PyeongChang games, including: mixed doubles curling, long-track speed skating mass start, mixed team alpine skiing and big air snowboarding. Additionally, the in-flight magazine included an overview of Korea’s favorite olympic athletes. Korea’s speed-skating superstar Lee Sang-hwa is seeking her third gold medal in the women’s 500 meter. Sang-hwa, who is 28, is competing in her fourth Olympics. Another local favorite on the speed-skating track is Korea’s Lee Seunghoon. Seung-hoon unexpectedly won gold in Vancouver in the men’s 10,000 meter after Netherlands’ Swen Kramer was disqualified for an incorrect lane change. In addition to his gold medal, Seung-hoon has a silver in the 5,000 meter (Vancouver) and a silver in team pursuit (Sochi). I was also intrigued to learn that the men’s hockey coach is Korean-born Jim Paek, a former NHL player who has two Stanley cup rings from his time as a Pittsburg Penguin. Not only am I looking forward to following the Korean’s men’s hockey team, who are making their Olympic debut, but also the combined women’s hockey team from North and South Korea.

What do you do with yourself for 48 hours in the airport? It definitely has its range of emotions between draining, stressful, and a quick rush of adrenaline, but all in all it has gotten me ready for this experience.

Most people pass the time with Netflix or a book, but I suggest taking a look around and just watch the people nearby.

One of our responsibilities at the Games is to observe or take note of the facilities being used, so while waiting for one of my many flights, I had the chance to sit back, relax, and observe. People can be so interesting with their facial expressions while thinking or body language while waiting for their flight to be called. I have come to the conclusion that everyone has the mindset that they can be themselves at an airport.

I also noticed the trend of support of the Super Bowl winning team, the Philadelphia Eagles, on display at the Philadelphia airport. So, my high expectations of celebration for the Olympics when I landed in South Korea were met by countless amounts of “PyeongChang 2018” posters, flyers, and décor throughout the airport. I am so excited to see what the Villages and other venues have on display!

Leading up to this trip, I had people asking me if I was going to do a DMZ tour. I honestly hadn’t given it any thought and when I finally did the idea scared me (if you don’t know, the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone is essentially a 4km border between North and South Korea). The more I looked into it and talked to people about it, though, the more intriguing it became and I decided I wanted to go. I looked into all my possible options and decided I wanted a DMZ/JSA tour and found one through the USO for a reasonable price.

The first stop on the tour was to the 3rd infiltration tunnel. Since the war ended, South Korea has found 4 tunnels that North Korea was in the process of making to use for a sneak attack on South Korea. As the name suggests, this is the 3rd tunnel that was found. Many South Koreans believe there are around 20 more tunnels that have yet to be discovered. Before you can enter the tunnel, you have to leave all bags and cell phones/cameras in a locker and go through security (no pictures are allowed in the tunnel for security reasons). You walk down a steep, long path to the tunnel itself and once you reach the tunnel you can walk a few hundred meters to where it has been walled off. The tunnel is very short in height and narrow in width, and at the end are 3 bulletproof walls that were installed to prevent North Korea from invading.

After gathering our belongings, we headed to the next stop: The Dora Observatory. From here, you can see North Korea. I was lucky to go on a clear day and I could see everything very well. It was surreal to be looking into North Korea and to be so close!

After the Dora Observatory, we went to Dorasan Station. This is the last train station before the border. It is still in use today and could eventually be used to go between the two countries if they ever reunite (the tracks are currently connected, but no trains run between the two countries at this time, although they have in the past and even as recently as a few years ago).

After Dorasan Station, we headed to the highlight of the tour: The JSA or Joint Security Area. This is the only place where you’ll find both North and South Koreans. It is where any meetings between the two countries take place and it is always staffed by military from both countries, as well as United Nations and U.S. military. We were able to see the buildings where these meetings take place and even step inside one. Halfway through this building, you are in North Korea – so I’ve stepped a few feet into North Korea!

I’m so happy I decided to book this tour because it was fascinating to learn more about Korean history and see things that not many people have the opportunity to see. I would highly, highly recommend it to anyone visiting Korea. It’s a great reminder to be extremely thankful for the freedom we have.

I’ve been full of Seoul puns since we got here and I’m sure my friends are really sick of seeing them on my Instagram but it hasn’t stopped me yet!

When I found out I was accepted to this program, I knew I wanted to have a spa day in South Korea. Korean beauty products are all the rage right now so I figured their spas had to be great too. I found a spa that was highly rated and booked appointments for Caroline and I to get the “Diamond Package” which included a massage, nail design, facial, and a skin treatment.

Fast forward to now…when we got to the spa today, we tried to explain that we had booked this package and they kept shaking their heads “no” at us. Luckily, there was an employee who spoke English (probably for people like us…you’ll understand soon) who came over to help us. We told her what we had booked and she explained that the package we chose isn’t offered anymore. We told her we wanted to do the next package down and she looked at us with horror in her eyes and assured us we didn’t want to do it. Apparently what we had signed up for (in both packages) was to get fully nude and, quite literally, boil ourselves. She said it was a common treatment among Korean women (not sure what the benefit is) but that she would not recommend it to anyone because the water is so hot that it burns you and you’re sitting in a hole with all naked women. We quickly told her this is not what we wanted and opted for just the massage.

After she helped us get oriented with the spa, and showed us around the 10+ saunas, game room (yes, I’m serious), and the changing area, we went to get our massages. Don’t be fooled – these are not relaxing. I’ve never had someone dig into my back so hard. It was incredibly painful, but I knew it would help get out the tension. The massages are not conducted in quiet rooms either – our masseuses talking to each other, leaving to go answer the phone, and the obnoxious music from the video games outside all made for an interesting experience.

We spent some time in the different saunas after our massages were finished. Each sauna is a different temperature with a “theme.” The first one we sat in was a “rock salt” room. People were laying in the rocks and on the floor (apparently that’s normal) and it’s a relaxing experience. The next two were shaped like the ancient pyramids – one was scented and the other was a “jade” room. There were three igloo saunas – one freezing and two very hot.

We played a game before leaving to get the full experience then headed on our way.

All this being said, I’m very glad we went and experienced a true Korean “spa,” although it wasn’t the same luxurious, relaxing experience we get at a spa in America. My back was sore for days to the point of feeling deeply, deeply bruised, but I don’t feel as tense anymore. I’d probably visit again, but it’s not something I’d need to add to my routine and I’ll know what to expect next time.