(tried to post this last night Beijing time but it didn't go through-this is try number two.)
A few things before I head off to bed. I have been trying to make some posts for the past few days but the computer hasn't logged me on. I don't know what is going on-it's a conspiracy. I finally have the chance tonight so I am going to post some of the articles I have been in-well, besides the chinese articles because I am not sure how to find those on the web.
I have a ton of photos coming to you when I get home-lots of the rest of the group and the Great Wall of China adventure I had today. I also have some thoughts to share but they may have to wait until tomorrow because I AM BEAT! Climbing all those steps were tough and it just keeps going. Did you know that the Great Wall was more than 3,000 miles in length!
Articles and some short articles with photos:
USA Today story
Democrat and Chronicle
AP photo
ESPN photowire
ESPN photowire
ESPN photowire
ESPN photowire
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
BEIJING
I AM FINALLY IN BEIJING! Woot!
I am currently sitting in the very swanky Beijing Hilton typing away at my blog. I'm so excited to be here especially having met some of the other athletes here with me on the Goodwill Tour. I had a great ride from the airport to the hotel with a fellow Olympian in the sport of badminton. I have lots to tell you about that but first I have to tell you all about my adventure getting to Beijing.
I woke up early Tuesday morning so I could finish my last minute packing and do a few more things on my checklist before I left for the airport. This is one of the rare moments before traveling that I took extra time to get ready and double check my packed bags.
As I was munching on my breakfast around 8am, with an hour left until I had to get to the airport, a woman shows up at my door.
"Hi, I'm here to do out of competition drug testing. Please pee into this cup."
And I'm thinking to myself, you have GOT to be kidding me. I'm glad I left myself more time but I wasn't expecting to give a doping control sample. Unfortunately I had just visited the restroom not ten minutes earlier so I couldn't give her anything right away.
My parents greeted her at the door as if she was an invited guest to the house. They gave her the royal Zimmermann treatment of coffee and breakfast. My Dad even offered her a bag full of vegetables (cucumbers, squash, and some dill for good measure) from our garden. Seriously? I have to pee in a cup for this woman and my parents are treating her like the Queen of England. They are good people-what would they do if the Queen of England actually showed up? Perhaps sell her the house?
Here I was, face to face with this woman who interrupted my preparations for the airport so I could pee into a cup. I finished my egg and started to drink as much as I could and as quickly as I could. The countdown began. At this point I hoped that my biological processes would kick in because I only had t-minus thirty minutes until it was too late to make the flight to Dulles.
I was still drinking and had no desire to visit the restroom at T-minus fifteen minutes. Then, the phone rang and it was for me this time. What is going on? The phone doesn't usually ring early in the morning unless someone calls for my mother and it's usually never for me.
It's the sports writer from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper wanting an interview about the Beijing Goodwill Tour. I'm glad that he did call because he's a great writer and recently did a wonderful article on my comeback to fencing. I explained my predicament to him and told him I had a few minutes to conduct the interview until my "sample" was ready. He laughed.
We conducted the interview and it actually took longer than I expected. It's T-minus 5 minutes, I'm in the middle of the interview and I realized that I have to get to the restroom.
I didn't really want to stop him from asking me questions because we were in a "flow" (no pun intended) at this point. The interview was going really well so here was my predicament-the clock was ticking, I didn't want to interrupt him, and I had to pee.
So, I grabbed the cup, the doping control woman followed me upstairs, I pressed the phone between my ear and my shoulder and I filled the cup up to the maximum line. Mind you-I was still on the phone conducting the interview.
The sports writer does actually read this blog every once in a while but I hope he chooses to skip over this blog entry.
T-minus one minute-I had a full cup in my hand and I finished the interview. Oh yes, I make sure to wash my hands-don't worry.
T-minus thirty seconds and I am signing the dotted line for the sample.
Then the door bell rings. Apparently people can detect when you are behind schedule.
My father answers it and it is someone from DHL delivering a package for me. So, it's actually good that I got caught up with the doping control woman because I needed to bring this package with me to Beijing. It's a bunch of fencing pins that I can give out to the media and anyone that we meet during the Beijing Goodwill Tour.
I shoved the pins in my bag, threw my bag in the car, and just made the flight. Everything went well and I even scored four seats in the middle row on the way from Dulles to Beijing. I spent most of the flight sleeping and the thirteen hours seemed to fly by (well, sort of). I did have to fight a couple people and a flight attendant for the four seats but it was definitely worth it. I am hoping for the same sort of luck on the way home on Sunday.
I'm going to get off of this computer and start exploring. I did bring my camera but unfortunately I didn't bring the attachment to plug it into the computer. Nothing is ever perfect or goes to plan I guess. However, I do plan to put some pictures up of my Beijing adventures when I get back stateside.
Have a good Wednesday! :)
I am currently sitting in the very swanky Beijing Hilton typing away at my blog. I'm so excited to be here especially having met some of the other athletes here with me on the Goodwill Tour. I had a great ride from the airport to the hotel with a fellow Olympian in the sport of badminton. I have lots to tell you about that but first I have to tell you all about my adventure getting to Beijing.
I woke up early Tuesday morning so I could finish my last minute packing and do a few more things on my checklist before I left for the airport. This is one of the rare moments before traveling that I took extra time to get ready and double check my packed bags.
As I was munching on my breakfast around 8am, with an hour left until I had to get to the airport, a woman shows up at my door.
"Hi, I'm here to do out of competition drug testing. Please pee into this cup."
And I'm thinking to myself, you have GOT to be kidding me. I'm glad I left myself more time but I wasn't expecting to give a doping control sample. Unfortunately I had just visited the restroom not ten minutes earlier so I couldn't give her anything right away.
My parents greeted her at the door as if she was an invited guest to the house. They gave her the royal Zimmermann treatment of coffee and breakfast. My Dad even offered her a bag full of vegetables (cucumbers, squash, and some dill for good measure) from our garden. Seriously? I have to pee in a cup for this woman and my parents are treating her like the Queen of England. They are good people-what would they do if the Queen of England actually showed up? Perhaps sell her the house?
Here I was, face to face with this woman who interrupted my preparations for the airport so I could pee into a cup. I finished my egg and started to drink as much as I could and as quickly as I could. The countdown began. At this point I hoped that my biological processes would kick in because I only had t-minus thirty minutes until it was too late to make the flight to Dulles.
I was still drinking and had no desire to visit the restroom at T-minus fifteen minutes. Then, the phone rang and it was for me this time. What is going on? The phone doesn't usually ring early in the morning unless someone calls for my mother and it's usually never for me.
It's the sports writer from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper wanting an interview about the Beijing Goodwill Tour. I'm glad that he did call because he's a great writer and recently did a wonderful article on my comeback to fencing. I explained my predicament to him and told him I had a few minutes to conduct the interview until my "sample" was ready. He laughed.
We conducted the interview and it actually took longer than I expected. It's T-minus 5 minutes, I'm in the middle of the interview and I realized that I have to get to the restroom.
I didn't really want to stop him from asking me questions because we were in a "flow" (no pun intended) at this point. The interview was going really well so here was my predicament-the clock was ticking, I didn't want to interrupt him, and I had to pee.
So, I grabbed the cup, the doping control woman followed me upstairs, I pressed the phone between my ear and my shoulder and I filled the cup up to the maximum line. Mind you-I was still on the phone conducting the interview.
The sports writer does actually read this blog every once in a while but I hope he chooses to skip over this blog entry.
T-minus one minute-I had a full cup in my hand and I finished the interview. Oh yes, I make sure to wash my hands-don't worry.
T-minus thirty seconds and I am signing the dotted line for the sample.
Then the door bell rings. Apparently people can detect when you are behind schedule.
My father answers it and it is someone from DHL delivering a package for me. So, it's actually good that I got caught up with the doping control woman because I needed to bring this package with me to Beijing. It's a bunch of fencing pins that I can give out to the media and anyone that we meet during the Beijing Goodwill Tour.
I shoved the pins in my bag, threw my bag in the car, and just made the flight. Everything went well and I even scored four seats in the middle row on the way from Dulles to Beijing. I spent most of the flight sleeping and the thirteen hours seemed to fly by (well, sort of). I did have to fight a couple people and a flight attendant for the four seats but it was definitely worth it. I am hoping for the same sort of luck on the way home on Sunday.
I'm going to get off of this computer and start exploring. I did bring my camera but unfortunately I didn't bring the attachment to plug it into the computer. Nothing is ever perfect or goes to plan I guess. However, I do plan to put some pictures up of my Beijing adventures when I get back stateside.
Have a good Wednesday! :)
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