My life in Lima Peru centered around 2 things… surfing and working on the Panamerican games. So how great was the pleasure in working all those into a single day? After preparing the venues for the games, we had to get it ready for games mode. I liked the metaphor in turning a normal vehicle into a Dakar Rally vehicle – adding all sorts of extra features.
To do this, our team was ramped up to bring in expertise and extra hands for all the extra preparations. On one of these days I arranged a surf lesson for some of my newly arrived colleagues. Due to specific conditions on the day we visited a different beach than normal, and this one had SAND! Nancy learnt what we are talking about when we said its like being stuck in a washing machine, and Jesus finally got to walk on water!
Getting ready for the games also means hosting test events. During these events some of the additional features get activated, but mostly it is to see how the venue performs during a real match. So when the venue I was responsible for was hosting a test event, I was super happy to be present and to see the first matches being played in a building that I saw develop from a plan on an architects screen, to a real place with crowds. cheers, and even Milko, the mascot!
mcharlottesmith 