Monday, August 03, 2009

Snapshots

As promised, some quick pictures taken from The World Police & Fire Games. It's harder than I thought it would be to get photos. While I am there, I am extremely busy and there just doesn't seem to be time to stop and capture what's going on all around me.

This was taken as I walked up to the new part of the convention centre, which is where I am working during the games. It's one of two main hubs for everything that's going on with the Games and the place is humming with activity all the time. In addition to the games activity, there is all the regular tourist traffic from the local hotels as well, so the whole area is just chock a block with people.



These are eco sculptures that have been specially made for the games. The games is making a concerted effort to be green and part of that effort is the creation of these eco sculptures that are sprinkled here and there throughout the areas in which there are games venues.

The sculptures are quite interesting and it was hard getting photos of just the sculptures-all the tourists were posing in front of them. I had to stand around waiting for some time till they moved on to get these shots.

These eagles are part of an on going project. A few years ago we had whales in the city and artists decorated fiberglass whale forms that were then displayed all over the city. A few years later, it was bears in the city. Now it's eagles. This one was done with old licence plates. It's inside the convention centre.


This is the digital sign outside the room where Transportation Dispatch is housed. I like the idea of digital signage.

This is the transportation dispatch room! Because of where we are situated and because, as you can see, the doors are wide open, people come in and ask us all kind of questions, not just those pertaining to transport. Of course we're happy to help-we just think we should change our title to Transportation and Information. *laughs* We do it all!

It looks like a simple set up, but we're answering phones, talking on mike phones, talking to people in person, looking up information on the computer and in manuals, as well as booking transport, keeping track of drivers and working hard to keep everything running as smoothly as possible. My crisis line training and experience is really coming in handy!


Here's another of those eagles in the city I was talking about. I like this one alot. It's just down the street from the convention centre.


This is a way finding sign out at Town Centre in Coquitlam. My husband and I took Indy and went out there to see if we could see some of the Games this morning before it got too hot.


We managed to see a bit of a lacrosse game which was underway when we got there. I have no idea who was playing because it really wasn't long before it was too hot for us to watch any more.


I don't know how these poor guys could stand wearing all that equipment when it was 27C out at 10 a.m.!

I took this shot for Penn-I love the font of the numbers on their jerseys and I thought she would too. Very old-timey! (Notice the hose hooked into the fence as a misting station to help keep the players cool.) Not long after, my husband, Indy and I were cooling off in the spray park on the other side of the venue and eating ice cream. The heat is not our friend!

As we were making our way back around to our car, I came upon this rather disturbing sight. It's a firefighting dummy that had been abandoned in the middle of an obstacle course. Rather startling to walk by an empty field and see a body just lying there like that! The competition had moved to another area which is how it had come to be there all by its lonesome. I just thought it was funny. You don't see that every day!



Yesterday, on my way home from the convention centre by skytrain, I shared part of my trip with a police officer from Capetown, South Africa. We had a great conversation about world politics (one of my favourite things!) and he had such glowing things to say about how welcome he'd been made to feel from the moment he'd arrived in Canada for the Games and how great his experience here has been. I was proud he felt embraced and accepted by my country and grateful that I was a very small part of his experience.



Sitting on that sky train yesterday, having that conversation with someone I would never have met otherwise, I was blissfully happy. I tell you, having the opportunity to interact with people from different cultures and to appreciate their beauty and what they bring to the world is a wonderful thing. We change each other's lives in these small moments, whether we realize it or not. I know I will remember this conversation for the rest of my life.

The wonderful paradox of giving is that the more you give, the more you get to keep for yourself.

I may not have alot of time to take digital photographs of the Games, but I promise you, I have taken a thousand snapshots in my mind.














2 comments:

Tina said...

What a wonderful experience you're having! Such memories. My favorite part is the conversation on the train. That's great.

Sherry said...

Great photographs...even the "dead dummy"...from the angle you took this, it really looks "human"!

I'm so glad that this has been such a positive experience for you (gearing up for both Olympics!) and your chat on the Skytrain? Those kind of conversations are some of the very best we can have...how we connect with strangers on such a deep level. I'm sure that man was as happy to speak with you as you were with him!