You see for me the Olympics weren’t really about the games or sport at all. They were about the people I met, both local and from around the world and in sharing in our traditions from music and celebration to food and beer.  Oh and there were some fine beers – thank you Saxony House, I get teary eyed just thinking about those tankards.  I’m happy to provide you with an address for a care package.

Saxon-Canadian Relations (aka Being a good Canadian Diplomat.)

So we all need goals, especially around games, and that I had, just like any of the athletes.  My goals were two fold.

1. Enjoy as much food, drink and music from all around the world, as possible.
2. Encourage International Relations by hosting a little competition of my own against my darling hummingbird604.  How you ask?  Well, our own Olympic Sport of seeing who got more Olympic dates.

Now, this really set a great purpose and tone to the Games as things got off to a roaring start in our Olympic Event.  The Opening Ceremonies alone I had three dates.  Needless to say, despite the odds, I was leaving Raul behind in a white wash.

Olympic Dates 2 & 3 (Yes, they happened at the same time, as did Date 1 - he's taking the pictures. I'm not a girl that wastes time.)

That was until this Saxon fellow got in the way, and turned me head over heels in a hunt for unrequited love.

Stealing a Kiss

Not wanting to lose though, I tossed my heart aside and still managed to get in a kiss or two:

Thats when Raul pulled off the mittens and started playing dirty, deeking me out and landing me a very real Olympic romance and case in International Relations in my lap.  Now, I’m not one to smooch and tell, but lets just say that that German accent yesterday was all I needed to take me right back to Vancouver 2010 and turn my face as red as a beet.

Faced with nostalgia, I think I’ll dig up a bit of our unused footage to share with you in the coming weeks.  Who knows it might even help to me cure of this past year’s weakness for foreign men.

Crowding in for Colbert

So the reason why I won’t be there this morning:

1. With such a large crowd it was difficult to see, hear or properly engage in what Colbert had to say.
2. It was standing room only.  This does not aid in people being able to see or hear, and quite frankly is not respectful of your audience. Colbert is not a musician.
3. It was standing room only on a very muddy, and getting progressively muddier, field.
4. Making it standing room only at a popular satirical show, opens the door for more protesting and a surge of people in the mud pit.

The Beginnings of the Deep Mud

So no, not going again this morning.  And my recommendation to the Colbert Nation: bigger is not always better, respect your fans with proper seating (even if that means that only the first 100 people get a seat), and think about your fans safety as well as your own (a standing room only mud pit with 100s of people and visible protesters in the crowd is not safe). All this said, a noble and well meaning attempt I am sure, just remember, bigger is not always better.

The crowd was filled way before 9:30 when the show was scheduled to begin (I was standing in the long line to get in at about 7:30 and waited about half an hour) at the LiveCity event in Yaletown.  By the time I was inside the Quebecois band Malajube began to play, and although they started off pretty slow, by the end they had the audiences attention and people were jumping up and out and pulled up into the crowds. By 9:30 I saw people of all ages around me: at my right I had a group of middle schoolers that must have been 14 tops (they still had braces and awkward looking haircuts… which is also the reason they don’t serve alcohol inside – be warned), and to my left I had an elderly woman with fake red colored hair, who eventually sang the lyrics of “Jerusalem” with all her heart. I don’t know how she followed him, as he sings differently in person and changes his tempo a lot. I didn’t like his performance that much, but by 10 pm I realized I wasn’t there to see Matisyahu, I was there because this was a once in a lifetime experience. I heard more than 10 languages that night, and by the end of the show, that was what is was all about. People from all over the globe came halfway across the world to see him sing about peace and unity, and although everyone cheered for either Canada or Poland or Belgium, everyone in the end was chanting with him the lyrics to the video above: stop with the violence/down with the hate/one day we’ll all be free/and proud to be/under the same sun. I think that’s what made the event worthwhile, that even if it was just for one hour, the event became a microcosm of what the Winter Games are about: World Unity.

Photo by Phillip Jeffrey

After “One Day” Matisyahu left and the fireworks and water show began, and I was blown away. If you haven’t seen them yet, please do, it’s worthwhile and technically impressive. The big screen shows clips from the events, and praises the extra-human achievement the athletes do everyday, but also emphasizes on people cheering on the streets. Seeing all those people genuinely happy can only make you love the Winter Games even more.  And even if we are not winning Gold Medals, we are still winning just by being in this great city. I recommend the show to everyone, as it is beautiful and simply heart-warming.

By the way, please follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/mariofas.

Andrea takes the stage at Saskatchewan Pavilion tonight (February 15) and tomorrow night (Febraury 16) from 5:30 – 7 pm.

See you there!

Here’s the usual schedule at Saxony House:

• 12 – 6 pm    Saxon Food & the Olympics on the Tele
• 6 pm – 11 pm   Saxon Grub (kitchen closes at 10 pm), Live Folk & Rock Band & Saxon Films
• 11 pm – 2 am Saxon DJ Club Dance Party

Saxony House during the day by Ariene Colenbrander

At the start of the night you have folk music and everyone is having the time of their lives as they drink the really good (but no so cheap) beer. People dance and root for any German or Canadian participating in the events on screen (I think the German only root for the Canadians because they feel guilty for being more fun than them, and the Canadians for drinking their delicious beer) and when the events are over (which happens around 7:30) a really fun folk dance group sings traditional Saxony music and even songs they made up for the Olympics. As people get drunker the fun only increments and by 1030, the real fun begins.

The Saxony house has brought a DJ that is really good, he mixes songs like no ones business, and the transitions from one song to the other are almost perfect. I say “real fun” because here the atmosphere is a much younger one (after 10 I am thinking the average age lowered to around 28) and everyone is having young fun dancing to techno beats and Kid Cudi. I recommend everyone to get there, although get there early and bring a lot of money as you will be drinking a lot, but after 8 the line is just insane. It is actually a lot of fun, and you can actually learn about Saxony while being there, everyone is so nice as well. Did you guys know that Audi was invented in Saxony? I didn’t.

By the way guys, for Valentine’s day I’m going here: The Chinese Benevolent Association as it is also Chinese new years! I’ll be writing more about it tomorrow, but in this sunny day, I recommend it! Later on today I’ll also be watching either the German movie about WW1 “The white ribbon” or the chick flick “Valentine’s day”. I would rather see the WW1 movie to tell you the truth, but the other is about love and stuff. And what guy can say no to a movie with Jessica Alba?

With the Saxony folk and rock band, De Erbschleicher, Saxon Films, and a Saxon DJ and a Saxon Chef, I think this House is going to be a fantastic cultural experience!

More tomorrow ….

Well, as I mentioned before, they are unfortunately usually right.  And this time is no different.  After week one of my playing my part as socialite at all the pre-Olympic Parties, I’m racing to keep up to the content I’ve been gathering.  They’re right. If the Olympics are going to be fun for me, I need comradery and a team.

So what’s a girl to do?  Take a page out of the old play book.  If athletes can have teams to support them, then bloody well, why shouldn’t I?  So that’s what I’ve done.  After some grueling winter games trials of my own, two contenders rose from the pack and are ready to sign on to the podium with me, or more aptly into whatever jail cell my hair brain schemes get us into.

This two, let’s face it, incredibly lucky (I mean they do get to hang out with after all) champions are none other than Mario the Intern (stolen from the Ahimsa Media office, as somebodies got to teach this boy a thing or two about the real word, as opposed to whatever do gooder crap Erica is filling his head with) and one time shy gal turned sassy Momma, Brie Mason.  Stay tuned for more from the two of them.

Let the Games begin!

Did you know that you can take in live music, like Yuca, down at Robson Square?  And skate on an outdoor rink at the same time?  Get out there and enjoy yourself Vancouver!  We deserve it!

Come visit and cheer on the Pride of the Philippines (and Poland and the USA) at the 2010 Winter Games, JR Celski!

Let’s go JR, let’s go! JR, JR, JR!

Kisses Emme xoxo

PS Sweet and soft kisses for Steven’s brilliance on the camera and for putting up with me in stress mode.