The 2018 Winter Olympics, known officially as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games and commonly as PyeongChang 2018, were an international winter multi-sport event held between February 9 and 25, 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
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Friends made for life!
One of the good things I take back from my time in Olympics are all the people I made friends with. Now, I can proudly say that I have at least one friend from half of the countries around the world. I am sure I may not even see half of them in my lifetime.…
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Singapore Airlines
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…
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Food experience
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…
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Houses of Pyeongchang 2018
Visiting the country houses was one of my favorites at the Olympics. These country houses offered a range of activities and experiences from learning about the culture, enjoying the native and specialty foods and beverages, opportunities to meet and greet athletes and in few cases current medalists and more importantly stores for purchasing team gear and souvenirs.…
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GS25
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…
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Casa Italia
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.…
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Female cab driver who spoke English
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…
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Spectator Attendance
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.…
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Alpine Biathlon Centre
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…
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Volunteer Recognition
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…
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The tree that grew like my memories
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…
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Opening Ceremonies
I had the opportunity to attend Opening Ceremonies on Friday night. The weather leading up to them had been very wintry – snowy and cold. Officials were worried about no-shows and empty seats, so those with credentials were invited. If a ticket holder arrived, we would have to give up our seat and find another…
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Volunteer Transportation
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…
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Main Press Centre / POCOG Media Team
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…
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UAC (Uniform and Accreditation Center)
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…
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Welli Hilli Resort
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…
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Training Day #2
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…
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The longest night of my life
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,…
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Ari-Ari
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…
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Thank you PyeongChang
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…