Four or five years ago I was a fan of the Olympic Games and then I watched the controversial preparations unfold in the city I was born in – Vancouver. The numbers, dollars signs and price tags juxtaposed next to a sidewalk memorial for a homeless woman who accidently set herself ablaze as she tried to stay warm last winter, the cardboard sleeping mats that line storefront doorways on my way home and the young girl obviously suffering from mental illness that ran up behind me one day downtown and punched me in the back.
I have increasingly become jaded by an event that leaves the politicians grinning ear to ear and the everyday folk cursing them under our breathes. Over the past few years the Games have become synonymous with traffic jams, wasted money, unavailable tickets, outrageously priced events, the elite class, etc., etc.
And while many of these grudges may ring true, I find I am slowly swinging back to the other side…not so far as to once again become an Olympic supporter, but perhaps a Vancouverite and proud Canadian wanting and hoping to enjoy two weeks of incredible insanity alongside hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.
2010 Olympics - Red Mittens
I find myself wanting a pair of red mittens (to me a symbol of national pride and sportsmanship), scoping out the planned festivities, circling the free events and anticipating that I might just want to book off some vacation time because come February I know that I will much prefer to stand on a street corner chatting with some bloke from Timbuktu dressed in the national colours of Timbuktu than be holed up in my window-less office.
Homelessness, poverty, economic woes, budget cuts, shitty transportation and self-benefiting elite classes will continue to exist either way. And like “they” say, the money has been spent and the Games are coming, so is it really so terrible if I enjoy them?
Cypress Mountain
Of course my tune has changed slightly this week after winning an opportunity through my work to purchase two tickets to the Gold Medal Ladies Snowboard Cross event on Cypress Mountain…but I just won the opportunity to buy them. They weren’t free, and I will be dining on Mr. Noodles and grilled cheese sandwiches until my next pay-day.
So I will trek up the mountain in February, past numerous security checkpoints I am sure, and mutter under my breathe all the way to the top and then I will quickly forget about how much of a pain the Olympic Games are as I drink, cheer and likely lose my voice over some gals in gear that I don’t know and will likely never meet, as they rip down a course made of dollar signs… and I will really and truly classify that very moment as one of the many highlights of my life and for a split second the whole thing will seem just perfect.
A Vancouver Notebook 
Well said babe!!! I agree………bullshit aside, might as well have a good time and be a proud supporter of the Canadian Teams…..regardless of how you feel about the games themselves. Politicians are thieves and the homeless are….well….homeless! Rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It will never change. We all know that the ‘city’ doesn’t give a flying f&%k about the people…..just the aesthetics of the city itself. Gotta look good you know….gotta brown nose whoever we need to you know, gotta pretend that we don’t have this huge underlining issue here you know…….etc etc. Good article.
I literally just started to tear up in my office. Well said. All the bulls*&^ aside, I will get caught up in the moment and I will scream my head off when Canada wins their first ever gold medal at a home-hosted Olympics. I will wear the read mitts and I will watch all of the Games because I am Canadian and I am proud of my country!!
…and I hope someone gets it all on camera! heh heh. I can’t wait to see your smiley excitement during the Games! We will have to meet up for a stroll through the streets or something. woohoo!
As someone who will be making the trip to Vancouver next February, I’ve often wondered what the feelings were of the people who live there. There are a lot of us coming and we are invading your city I know, but I for one could not think of any other place I’d rather be. I hope some of you will embrace us and stand beside us to cheer on our amazing Canadians. After all the Olympics is about bringing people together and uniting many nations in one place.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Christina,
Thanks for your comment! Where are you coming from? I think it is really cool to see people from the rest of Canada getting excited about the Games! I have wondered if there is much of a disconnect seeing that our country is so massive geographically….I think there are a lot of people that grumble about anticipated traffic, chaos, etc. but when it comes down to it, it will be so incredibly awesome to share this with people from everywhere and to be able to turn to the person next to you on the street, in a venue or wherever and share this once in a lifetime experience will be so great! The Games are so much about national pride, rivalry and basic humanity – I totally agree with you and if the chance presents itself, it would be really awesome to meet you while you are here!
P.S. I read a bit of your blog and its great! I have added it to my blogroll, so hopefully you get some people from out here checking it out!
Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. I am coming from Toronto and bringing my Mom and younger brother with me. I love the Olympics and am so excited to be seeing my events, but as you said, it will be meeting people from all over the world that will really make the Olympics for me.
I was wondering if Vancouver people hated us for invading their city and making it a mess to travel through. I know there are some issues, but your city is hosting the world and that is a very special thing, one that may not ever happen again.
Would be great to meet you if our schedules work out. I get to Vancouver on February 19th. I’m also looking forward to meeting some great Canadians too, lol.
Are you on twitter? If so, you can follow me @notashopaholic.
See you soon.
PS: I will add your blog to mine as well. I thought I already did but then I checked and it wasn’t there. I’m getting old. (sigh)