Countdown!!!!

We’re coming up to day 1!!!!! Our team watched the lighting of the Olympic Flame on the 22^nd (and received minute by minute updates from the team present at the ceremony in Olympia) with incredible eagerness and excitement of the journey and responsibility we have for this sacred symbol. A little history on the Olympic Torch Relay if you don’t already know:

· The relay of the Flame was used in ancient Olympia so that heralds could spread the word of the games through Greece signifying a truce, therefore uniting individuals through the competition of sport.

· The first modern day Torch Relay was in 1936 in Berlin

· This Relay (Vancouver 2010) is the longest in history within the same country

· This Relay is reaching 90% of Canada’s population

Pretty cool.

I’ve spent the last week training for another aspect of my job; advance coordination of celebrations in select communities and certain events along the route. Lot’s of briefings and such – not too stressful this week at all.

We went to the dress rehearsal for our “show” (which happens at all lunch and evening celebration communities). It’s a mix of videos (which I couldn’t watch…. they all make you cry – I swear!) and live performances by our team and the community in which we’re visiting. I’m really excited for what the communities are lining up – I think there will be some AMAZING talent across the country!

So I’m actually in the Ferry line up while writing this blog (we’re heading to Victoria today!). We have 3 days to prep for the arrival of the Flame! Our first official day with the Flame is jam packed with events – I’ll be assisting with 2 eight man canoes, and a flame blessing ceremony. The Flame blessing ceremonies are a wonderful concept – the Flame will be blessed by Aboriginal/Inuit Elders (in approximately 80 communities) throughout the journey. So this flame will arrive in BC Place on February 12^th, and ignite the Olympic cauldron with the blessings of our Native population, along with the spirit of EVERY torchbearer on the route, every person who catches a glimpse of the Flame, every community it passes through, and every province. It’s 106 days of blessings, really.

I constantly worry that I won’t be able to capture this experience on camera. It’s sometimes difficult to experience things fully when you’re trying to take a picture because you want to freeze it in history. This will be a challenge. I’m such a crybaby lately; I’m probably better off taking pictures so I don’t become “the crier” at every event! I’m hoping we’ll (our team) all be able to swap pictures later anyways….

Stay tuned for the ARRIVAL OF THE FLAME!!!!