On Whistler

Yes, you read right.

I am now in Whistler after a volunteer here dropped out. My job title is the same - Olympic News Service Reporter - but the environment is completely different.

For one, it actually looks like winter here. I'd kinda forgotten how it felt to walk in the snow. Thankfully, I did pack my super warm snow boots. Unfortunately, I left behind all my layers/skiing clothes because there was no reason to pack them given that I wouldn't have time to make it to this mountain.

I had a wonderful time at the Main Press Centre. The team I worked with was fantastic, my editor in chief was amazing, and the venue was gorgeous. Sure it took me 2h to get to downtown Vancouver, and then 2h to get back, but staying with my family made up for it all. I do miss them, but I'll be seeing them for a few days before I fly back to Montreal.

Being at a sports venue is amazing. You really get to know the athletes, the crew, your co-workers... You get submerged in the environment, the venue, the sport. You're in a little bubble for the duration of the Olympic Games, which is both a good and bad thing: you become an expert in your field, just from being surrounded by it all the time, but you also miss out on some of the other things that are going on.

Still, by checking other Olympic news regularly and taking the time to go out, explore and relax after your shifts, you can have a more than enjoyable time and still be a pro when at work.

In case you were wondering, I'm assigned to the Whistler Sliding Centre, aka luge, bobsled and skeleton. Yes, I was there when the tragic accident happened. More on that to follow.

And I think that despite this horrible, unfortunate incident, we'll be a stronger team: athletes, coaches, reporters, volunteers... We'll all band together. And we will overcome this hardship to fully enjoy some of the best Olympic Games the world has ever seen.

Go Canada Go!