Incredible Adventures of the Minsk student at the Olympics in 2 Sochi.Chast

Minsk university student who went to the Olympics as a volunteer goes on to tell about his adventures in Sochi.
In the first part can be found here




After I had more or less settled into a life of voluntary life, I had familiarity with the ski and biathlon complex "Laura". It is at this Olympic facility, I was appointed. The complex is located at an altitude of 1300 meters above sea level, near the famous ski resort "Krasnaya Polyana", where they like to spend time together fun and discuss the prospects of new loans presidents of Belarus and Russia.





The road from the coastal cluster, where I live, to "Laura" is very neblizky. In total, it takes 2-2 5:00 and includes three transplantation. The benefit of using many routes of the Olympic transport system free volunteers. In my case, it is a free transport categories WF (work force) and TM (transport media). The first transports of absolutely all with accreditation for the Games and constantly overloaded. "Vorkforsy" Sturm volunteers, journalists, security guards, judges and regular accreditation without the riders who do not want to pay for travel on public transport around the clock. As for the bus routes on TM, then they are much more comfortable and spacious as the way in their salons open only to journalists and volunteers with a "press". Which, actually, I imagine. If the flesh, my role sounds like "assistant of the press" or press assistant. But more on that later.





To begin with talk about the complex itself "Laura". His name gave the river flowing nearby mountain, whose name, in turn, is associated with a touching legend. Allegedly, once lived in these places the young beautiful girl named Laura, who wanted to marry a certain old Caucasian pervert against her will. In the end, she chose to die life with the unloved man, and despair threw herself into the raging mountain stream. It was he who immortalized the memory of the unfortunate girl. Now, on a par with the river and this makes skiing and biathlon complex, built for the Sochi Olympics.







After the volunteers and journalists get to the checkpoint "Laura" and pass the required inspection, they face a 12-minute (specifically timed the) journey on the funicular cable car. In the process of lifting several times lays the ears, and it is sometimes hard to breathe. But the body quickly adapts to the altitude. The higher you climb in the mountains, the lower the temperature, the more snow. The volunteer village (as well as throughout the Sochi coast) there is no snow at all, and the weather looks like a typical Minsk September. And only find themselves in the mountains, suddenly realizing that the court in February, and not summer Olympics and winter.











After the release of the cable car cabins of the visitors 'Laura' has two ways. You can move the foot to the biathlon and ski run past the beautiful houses, chalets, which are many teams, including Belarus. Belarusians, by the way, live in the same house with Ukrainian athletes.







Pedestrian path to the tracks and press the center is very difficult. The man does not pay attention to his physical condition, hardly without problems overcome it as necessary to keep up a decent incline. Around the road there are encouraging signs with slogans that raise the morale of weary travelers.
Another option - bus shuttle that will take everyone from the funicular to the rest of the infrastructure placements. Strong differences from normal city bus there, except that no one touches your shoulder and asks to transfer the money for the fare. The path on the shuttle takes just three minutes, but if you hit too cocky driver, three minutes will be unforgettable. Zigzag which prescribe some marshrutchiki on steep mountain roads, cause with nothing comparable emotions - a sort of mixture of horror and admiration. To ride on this attraction can be improvised as much as you want - until you start nauseated.
All volunteers need to arrive at the object "zachekinitsya." Chekin a barcode scanning accreditation and registration of volunteers in the workplace. If you do not comply with this formality and did not register their arrival at the facility so the volunteer will be offset absenteeism change, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences.



The room Chekina you can take a free bottle of water production of one of the official sponsors of the Olympic Games. Other drinks are issued by the same sponsor in volunteer canteen. At the same time in neighboring stalls catering to the audience the price of these beverages reaches 80 rubles unrealistic. For comparison: in the usual grocery store bottle of cola 0, 5 liters can be bought for 40-45 rubles.



As I said, my function - Assistant to the press. What is its essence? In the early days it was not easy to deal with this issue, because the work on the site itself was not all. We now and then was assigned to a class, not very much related to our immediate duties, like setting in the mixed zone of metal fencing. Immediately we began to help the press only on the opening day of the Olympics when the press center of "Laura" has gathered a decent amount of journalists. Many people had to provide a schedule of trainings, competitions and other information. Also it had a chance to help in the organization of several press conferences that were held presentations of ski and biathlon teams. When the first competition, many volunteers, including myself, were on duty in the mixed zone for accredited journalists and strictly monitored that there is not one entered once. Those wishing to go to the elite places for the press, with a wonderful view of the biathlon stadium and shooting range were a dime a dozen. One man even had the FSB and said that secures the mixed zone. But no documents confirming this fact a brave guy with a normal volunteer accreditation and not provided, and therefore left to eliminate the threat of terrorism in another place.



The severity of tolerance in the mixed zone did not come out of nowhere. The fact that places it redeemed the world's leading media for huge money. If here penetrate any outsider, and an exclusive photo or remove a hidden camera interview with the athlete, and then publish it, multimillion-dollar lawsuits organizing committee of the Olympic Games can not be avoided.
Work in the mixed zone during the race involves not only the testing of journalist. Sometimes volunteers are forced to act as interpreters. Many biathletes, oddly enough, have difficulty with the English language and can express himself only in his own. Motley army of journalists, where there are French, Norwegians, Canadians, Germans and other burzhuiny, not with your hands to develop a crash course of Russian language for a five-minute interview. Therefore, volunteers often act as intermediaries in communication between the Russian-speaking and English-speaking athlete wordsmiths. The linguistic problem exists only in the mixed zone. As for the hall for press conferences "Laura", it provided simultaneous translation in four languages, so that there is an atmosphere of universal understanding.







Our team of assistants of the press, in addition to me, there are a few foreigners. This German Michael, for whom the Sochi Olympics is not the first in his volunteer list. Thomas and Gabi from Hungary, who are a married couple. Tomasz works on Hungarian television commentator of ski races, and Gaby - an employee of the Ministry of Sports of Hungary. I do not know why these people, having such capabilities, went to the Olympics as simple volunteers. However, no arrogance in their behavior there, Tomas and Gaby - very simple in dialogue, welcoming and friendly people. Finally, Briton Felicity, who looks a bit like the Queen Elizabeth and works at home as an English teacher. In the fall, knowing that it was selected to work at the Olympic Games in Sochi, she bought a Russian textbook and began his study hard. So we get a mutually beneficial exchange that we learn from Felicity reference to English, and it is talking to us, practiced in Russian.



But not always work as volunteers. Sometimes you need to rest. February 4, my vacation was suddenly bright, because I managed to get Freestuff ticket to the opening ceremony rehearsal. Hosts, handed us the tickets, once strictly forbidden to wear to the rehearsal volunteer form to bring cameras and mobile phones. I was a law-abiding citizen leave all that stuff in the volunteer village. But upon arrival at the "Fischt" (stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies), it turned out that almost every other volunteer, to get it, as I am, a free ticket to the show, dressed in colorful uniforms and is carrying on several phones. At the entrance they had not been selected, as did comments on the form. So what about his decision to leave all the gadgets in the room, I slightly regretted.



To get on the podium, I had to go through three cordon to check the accreditation, the last of which was a large crowd. The reason for that - the closure of two of the four pass gates to the stadium. It's hard to say why it was done. Perhaps just such a cunning way organizers worked out a scenario of possible force majeure at the official launch on 7 February. Whatever it was, to "Fischt" I was just at the time of exit rehearsal teams. Throughout the official part until now it had to queue. But the overall impression of the show is not spoiled. Comparing with what he saw at the rehearsal viewed in three days on television, I came to the conclusion that many times, spectacularly-looking live at the stadium, on television images look absolutely inconspicuous. And the other - quite the contrary. Capture moments rehearsing the opening ceremony on the photo for obvious reasons did not succeed. However, you probably all have seen themselves on Friday. As for volunteers, living in our village, many people watched the opening directly into the dining room, which established several large LCD-monitors.
To be continued.



Source: people.onliner.by

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