I had the unique opportunity tonight to attend the final Full Dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies. I had forgotten that I had entered to win when I accepted the volunteer position. I got an email a few weeks ago telling me that my name had been drawn and that I could pick up my ticket downtown, whenever was best for me. I grabbed it a few days ago along with a lovely bottle of wine. Very nice. I wasn’t aware of the wine so I ended up tossing it with my gear and lugged it around all day. I should have cracked it in a park and split it with another ‘Blue Jacket’, but still none the less a good deal to me.
I digress.
I decked myself out in all my Team Canada gear and made my way over to B.C. Place. I had my red Tshirt under my white sweater, red mittens, Hockey Canada hat, red toque (G), and my little G11 ninja camera. Like everything is now, everywhere was madness. Starting with congregating at the top of the SkyTrain entrance and being roped of into groups of 80 people. Now picture this. Its 4:30 PM and your some dude that works his/her everyday job in downtown Vancouver, doing what ever. And 4 million people come to town and jammed themselves into the streets. Now Half of your down town is roped off from traffic there are people everywhere yelling and screaming and you need to get on your 25 min metro line to get your kid from the babysitter. Now your comfortable schedule that you had down to clockwork, is now dealing with being boxed in with a bunch of tourists so you can wait for your turn to be next to get on the train. I let some stressed out suit next to me be stressed out.
I digress.
A 1 Km march through a cattle trap that once was a main street. Up and over around and through a parking lot area thingy and into the Security check. Airport security style. No way my camera is getting in there. But then again it is the G11 ninja camera so maybe we can go on undetected. (I need a cool name for my ninja G11, any ideas??)
I stored my camera into the pocket of my jacket a rolled it up good and tight so it would fit into my bag along with my Travel coffee mug, Vancouver Tourism Booklet and my headphones. I had to quickly cook up a plan of attack incase we were spotted. Up I go to step through the metal detector. The Rent-A-Gard rummaged through my things and was keen enough to notice that my Jacket had a funny weight to it. As he started to pull the jacket from my bag I sprang over to him and interrupted his search with “Umm yeah Hi, Um you may have noticed that this is a big bag with very little storage space?” to which he replied “ Ohh yeah yeah right what’s up with that” “Well you see sir I’m a photographer and this is my camera bag. But as you can see, there’s no camera in here!” I unzipped it from the bottom and flung open the empty case. I smiled and said “ I didn’t think you guys would want to deal with assholes trying to sneak in camera equipment to this thing, so I unpacked everything and left it at home” Sucker.
He thought that to be very considerate of me and he hoped that I would enjoy the show. Found me seat next to a few thousand friends and co-volunteers and waited for the big show to start.
We were told that this show, being the last dress rehearsal was to have all the live talent, lights, costumes, fireworks everything. With of course the exception of the Flame and the lighting of the coultrien, or who was going to carry the torch last.
The house lights went down and a thunderous cheer rose, we were greeted by John Furlong the CEO of VANOC and our Prime Minister Stephen Harper standing there under the spotlights wearing the same color jacket as the rest of us worker bees. Very cool.
They thanked us over and over again for giving so selflessly of ourselves, for putting our lives on hold and uprooting ourselves to be there. They thanked us for our hard work and spirited energy we are giving so that all Canadians everywhere form cost to cost to cost can welcome the world into our back yard to play together for the good of peace, sport and unity.
They asked one last request of us hard working Canadians. They simply asked that what we saw in that stadium stay in that stadium just a little longer. It was to be our little secret. They asked for our silence so that on Feb 12 the entire world, people from every nation including our own, will witness who we really are.
I will not speak a word about the wonderful truly Canadian ceremony I had the honor of being apart of.
Sorry to make you read all that, but you wouldn’t want to know what your birthday present is, the day before you get it, now would you?
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
