Among the many who tuned in to watch the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympiad, I noted the moment when IOC President Jacques Rogges ascended the podium. Here was a man who had been under fire from the West for a whole range of issues yet as he walked to the microphone a balanced gait underpinned his delivery.
In an eloquent display running little more than 2 minutes he broached a range of contentious topics and struck at the heart of the Olympic spirit. Concluding his speech he took time to thank a special group of silent heroes whose members range from China's many varied lands. He spoke,our special thanks also go to the thousands of gracious volunteers, without whom none of this would be possible.
At the bus stop or subway and at the various games event locations you would have seen one of the many blue shirt soldiers on guard to assist with the Games, "without whom none of this would be possible".
Recently I was fortunate to catch up with one, a young lady by the name of Fan Rongrong. She has devoted her recent waking hours to the Water Cube in the capacity as a Venue Protocol Assistant. But that’s just the beginning.
Rongrong inside the National Aquatic Center
Like many people Ms Fan's story began 7 years ago on July 13. Back then and still a student in Xi'an, she was intent on going to a university in Shanghai though all that changed when she heard that Beijing was to be the host city in 2008.
"I always watch the Olympic Games on TV with my parents, and now I finally have a chance to be involved in it, so I'm not gonna let it go. I want to feel the spirit of the Olympic games, and do something both for myself (it's a total different experience for me), and my country"
Thus her journey to the present began.
Years of studying English diligently in middle school obviously paid off and she made it through two rounds of interviews. Later on she was to undergo special first aid, behavior and deportment training.
Smiling from ear to ear, a flushed Rong Rong stands next to Russian swimming great Alexander Popov, winner of four Olympic golds and five silvers.
Today she is just one of more than 1400 volunteers around the Water Cube providing services for guests who they refer to as "Olympic Family Members". She helps to guide their way, tell them where their seats are, give them information about games or the stars or anything else they may need such as contacting the transportation department to arrange cars for them and so on.
"Sometimes, we do have a lot of pressure, because we are afraid of doing something wrong, like saying something improper, and that may irritate our guests. Sometimes when we can’t let people without the correct accreditation get in to a zone, some of them will be angry, and be rude to us."
Nevertheless, there have been highlights, such as rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, like the time when US President Bush and his entourage visited. According to Rong Rong, the Presidents Security Guards are supremely handsome, just like in the movies but only more gorgeous.
She was also fortunate to be present when Bill Gates was watching and even got a smile from super swimmer Michael Phelps. This experience made her realize that people are just people, though we build them up to be something more because of their job title or prestige.
Interestingly one of the highlights for her was the time she met a very outgoing Argentinean supporter who kept hugging her because she had helped him. Also, the time when she met two guys from Yemen, who could speak Chinese was wonderful.
Though perhaps she reflected, the supreme moment was when the Chinese National flag was raised, everybody was standing, and the national anthem was sung together, filling her up with indescribable emotions.
"Whether the winner is Chinese, I feel happy. I can tell every athlete has tried a lot, so everyone is No.1. Every volunteer have also tried their best, and everyone is a hero."
Certainly a memorable life experience she is grateful for and recalling Rogge’s words, certainly a noble job we are grateful to her for fulfilling.