Packing 7.19.2021
I was not asked to write about my trip to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but I thought it might be good for me. After a year of becoming somewhat of a homebody, I think this might be a safe place for me to keep track of this adventure.
For the most part, packing was and always will be a disaster. I decided to pack the night before, and it wasn't the best idea, but we just winged it, people! Packing for the Olympics wasn't too bad. I think it was because I got to sit on my living room floor and watch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It's that movie you secretly love because you appreciate the message. It helps me remember the young girl I was before my career and adult life took off.
Found myself in this never-ending lull. I was always doing cool things, or I had something planned. Then the pandemic started, and everything was on hold. No self-care methods seemed to help with the empty hole I was feeling. I exercised a lot, and I found myself uninspired by the things that use to get my creativity flowing. Sometimes people with energy need a recharge with something exciting. Like covering an Olympics - now that is exciting.
Traveling 7.20.2021
Well! I am currently sitting on a plane. Your body gets heavy about seven hours through a plane ride 39,998 feet up in the air. Gravity and not moving for a few hours make my body feel sluggish, and my feet begin to swell.
But other than the swelling and the terrible meals they give you, it's all in all a nice trip. Out of the hundreds of people this plane can hold, we all have an entire row to ourselves. It's dark, and the windows are tinted blue. So when I look out the window, I can't tell between the ocean's waves or the clouds.
Landing 7.21.2021
Spitting into a little test tube for a Covid test is gross. It's the last thing you want to do after getting off of a 13-hour flight. You also don't want to go to eight different checkpoints showing various documents to enter the country. Boarding pass, passport, negative covid-19 tests, customs forms, and you are toting around your heavy carry-on full of camera gear.
Once we escape to freedom and fresh air, it was a relief. The first challenge is over, and the exhaustion kicks in. It's still so surreal. I am here in Tokyo about to photograph the Olympics.
Bussin' 7.22.2021
Bus after, bus after, bus - You board one bus, to take another bus, that finally takes you to the office. Then you need to take another bus to the venue. Nobody tells you how complicated it is to travel to the Olympic venues. When a city hosts an Olympics, everything isn't in one location. It's all over the city, and Tokyo is a GIANT city. Some venues are a two-hour bus ride away. So it's always a good idea to plan to leave for your event up to four hours early.
Our media center is roughly an hour bus ride from our hotel. Today was the journey of finding the bus stop and watching buildings fly by in the window. It's an interesting way to sight-see without actually sight-seeing.
We are not allowed to leave our hotel to explore, but that is okay. We have to explore our venues before we turn our attention to the city.
My favorite part of the day was seeing our office. As weird as it sounds, I have always wanted to be a part of the buzzing in an office at the Olympics, and now I am.