Posted by
kalina in Thursday, March 4th 2010 under
vancouver
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Well I guess that’s it. Today I woke up, pack my last few things, said the rest of my good-bye’s and then was off. Its weird leaving some place after you have been there for a month. It seems like it just flew right by, but at the same time, when I think back to my arrival day and all that has happened since then, it seems like an eternity. When I think about the people that I met and got to know so well, it feels like I have been in Vancouver a lot longer than a month. And yet, when I think of back home, it seems like my life there paused, waiting for me to return. There is absolutely nothing I would ever trade for this experience. No one could ever give me something great enough to compensate for what I gained with this trip. And at the same time, no one can understand exactly what I experienced… except for the people that I worked with. It is just such a process that you have to be here to see it first hand. No matter how much I write and how much I tell people about it, I know there is no way for me to explain it except by saying you had to be there. The people I worked with, I’m sure, feel a similar way. We lived together, ate together, suffered together, laughed and cried together… and we were each other’s lives for the past month. And what we see and what we do in this business is so different from anywhere else. Its like we were living in our own little world where the things in life that normally matter, like sleep and personal priorities go by the wayside as other problems become instantly more important. There are just so many moments that we share that no one else can ever understand. And in the same way, there is no way for me to even attempt to relate it back to all my friends. The whole experience is just so surreal.
And now, as I sit on the plane heading back home, I don’t know what to expect. Leaving everyone for a month and talking to them once a week at most, I am not sure how the transition back to the life of a high school student will be. The past month I was the one helping everyone out. My job was to direct the guests and general public through the city and help them with whatever they needed. And in this process, I learned a new city and gained some new freedom. And now I am supposed to go back to school and be the one who adults tell what to do. I have to be the one being directed, rather than the other way around. And, which I think is hardest of all, I have to go back to being a high school student. I have to relearn how to relate to people my age and understand the problems they face, most of which are so unnecessary in real life. I got so used to working and then going out and being in the city; exploring and enjoying the Olympic atmosphere all hours of the day, having something else new and exciting with every day to come. And now, my life returns to the routine of school, homework and sports.
As I talk about the hardships of going back home, there definitely are some things that make me excited to go back. But probably, the most important things I’m excited for are the simple things, like a washing machine and home cooked food. But also, I never realized how much my life revolves around sports. I miss playing my sports and having something fun to do every day while getting exercise! I would have to say, walking around a city for hours a day is not the same as playing water polo! And of course, I miss my friends!
Yet, no matter how much I can’t wait to see people back home; I still don’t want to leave. It was just such an amazing experience that I am reluctant to face the fact that it is over! I realize that I am so lucky to have this opportunity, and I cherish every moment from it, even the hard ships and sleepless nights. But these are the things that really make you feel alive and take in everything there is! if I could do it again, I would have to say I would do everything the exact way I did. All of what I have gone through I know, will shape the rest of my life! it is now, that I question what I really want to do with my future. Being in this business and seeing what I was able to see, it makes me want to do this the rest of my life! I just enjoyed so much all the people I met and worked with and all the moments we shared together. When people say that there are life-changing experiences, I know what they mean… and this is one of them. Although I know right now I haven’t even realized all that I have gone through, but in the weeks and months to come, when I think back on this month in Vancouver, I know it will affect me in a way that nothing else can. And I know I will miss it too. All the fun and excitement I had is something that I will always think about and carry with me. And when I yearn to be back and at the Olympics again, I know I will have the memories to live off of.
I am just so thankful to have this experience. When I was in Vancouver and people discovered that I was a high school student (I tried to hide my true identity from people as long as I could!) all they could ever say is that I was so lucky and this was such a good experience. And I could not agree more with them. I realize that I am lucky. Hardly any other high school student gets the opportunity to leave school for a month and go work at the Olympics. And I could not love this opportunity more! I just hope everyone who ever helped me to gain this opportunity knows how much I appreciate it, because I know that I can never thank them enough!
I am sad that it is all over. I am going to miss everything about the Olympics and Vancouver. From the beautiful city and people I met to the Olympic events, all I can feel is joy as I leave this place behind. I only hope to stay in touch with my new friends and visit this wonderful city again (in the summer as everyone says its gorgeous!). And as far as this kind of work, I hope, and I will work my hardest to make it happen, that I get another opportunity to work in this field again in the near future. But as of now, I guess I have to face reality to return to my life as a 17-year old high school student. And with that, good-bye Vancouver Olympics and good-bye to the wonderful land of Canada! I hope to relive this dream again!