What a moving experience watching the Paralympics in the Birds Nest this morning! I wasn’t expecting to be so touched by the athletic games. We watched several events - the discuss throw, shot put, 200m mens and womens wheelchair tricycle races were among several of the events (by the way, China won all the races I just mentioned)! What brought me to tears was watching the men’s 400m running race. All the competitors had to run with guides by their sides as they were all blind. Being a witness to how far they have come and what they were achieving was so inspiring.

We arrived at the Bird’s Nest at 9am this morning. What a stunning site seeing it in person and up close. By the time we got through the security lines and up to our seats, it was about 9:30am. The stadium was half empty but by 11am, most of the 160,000 seats were occupied. Hearing the whole crowd cheering was so energizing and amazing!

We watched several of the medal award ceremonies but the most moving of all was observing the 100m men gold finalist from Canada. The men all ran with one prosthetic leg in that particular race. As the National Anthem was played and the flag raised, the Canadian athlete was sobbing and covering his face and many in the crowd wept with him. In that moment I realized that receiving a gold medal in the Paralympics meant even more than any other medal because of all the loss, struggle and hardship they have had to endure. It was a joy to witness the triumph of the human spirit.

Thought of the Day: “In all things God loveth the highest excellence.” - Baha’u'llah

What an exhilerating experience watching the Olympic hockey game a few days ago!! The first game was China vs South Africa. The energy among the crowd was contagious! Within the first 5-10 minutes, South Africa scored a goal, but the Chinese team soon caught up. The game was absolutely riveting! China was ahead 3-1 but in the last 10 minutes, South Africa scored 2 goals to equalize! Just in the last 30 seconds of overtime, China scored in a penalty corner to win. The crowd erupted! It truly was an unforgettable moment being a witness to the pride and extreme joy of everyone in the stadium! (I don’t usually use so many exclamation points - but a blog of this nature necessitates them)!

During the game, there was lots of sporadic cheering. One of the volunteers among the spectators would lead the crowd shouting “ZHONG GUO DUI!!” (Team China!!) and the crowd would all yell “JIA YOU!!” (Go for it)!! In my enthusiasm, at one point I also mustered some courage and tried to rally the group to cheer and shouted, “Zhong guo dui!!” but those around me were more amused that a foreigner was cheering for China and in Chinese! I got a few smiles and chuckles instead!

The field hockey match brought many wonderful memories of my time playing field hockey in elementary and high school in Kenya. It made me feel very nostalgic for it as it was one of the highlights of growing up there. It brought memories of all the competative games we played and of my hockey coach who was on the Kenyan Olympic team at that time! If I had had the chance I would have jumped straight onto the Olympic field, grabbed a hockey stick and started to play!

For all you hockey lovers out there, here are some photos of the game (with my new camera) and some of the spectators (I especially love the photo of the gentleman in front of us who so creatively used a paperbag as a hat)!

In high school I loved to play field hockey and it was always a dream of mine to play in the Olympics. That never happened but now I get to be in Beijing in what promises to be the most spectacular Olympics to date!

In just under two weeks, the Beijing Olympic Games begin! There is great excitement all over the city! I am impressed with the level of organization that has taken place and the natural beauty with all the newly planted trees, flowers and shrubs is evident as it spans across Beijing in preparation for August 8.

As the days draw closer to the commencement, my sense of anticipation also grows. I feel like this is a very historic time for China. It is the first time so many nations will be coming together in Beijing for such a grant event. What excites me is knowing that so many athletes are coming from all parts of the world and will be together for two weeks for one common goal.

The other fascinating element of the Olympics are the buildings that have been designed for some of the events. The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on August 8 will be held at the Beijing Olympic National Stadium (also known as the Bird’s Nest). The 91,000-seat stadium will host the Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletic events.

I haven’t actually bought tickets for any of the events. I figured it’ll actually be easier watching the athletes on TV like the rest of the world but it does excite me to know that I may bump into some of them while they’re in Beijing!

Thought of the Day: “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.” Baha’u'llah