Final Thoughts ...

As I sit back and reflect on my trip, there are so many thoughts that run through my head. Since returning home, I have had several people ask me if my little “medical detour” ruined my trip and the answer is absolutely not! I would not change a single thing about this trip – good or bad.

I originally thought that this trip was about going to the Olympics and being a part of sporting history. For me, it turned out to be so much more. While I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the Olympic events and closing ceremonies, the things that will stick in my mind and heart much longer are the people of Beijing. I feel so blessed to have gotten a glimpse of a part of the world that many people will never see. The Chinese people were so gracious and excited to show off their city ... from the Olympics volunteers, hotel staff, taxi drivers, store clerks, hospital staff and more! I will never forget the hysterical conversation with the doctor in the first hospital who spoke very little English. I was trying to explain to her the word “thyroid”. We worked so hard with hand gestures and limited words. When we finally had that “eureka” moment – it was so exciting! Our own victory! I will remember the volunteers who would gather around you to see what pins you had and wanted to trade. They all had a story to tell and it was so worth the time to stop and listen. Amazing young people! I will never forget the taxi driver who wanted so badly to talk to me that he persisted with Chinese and hand signals - trying to tell me something. I still have no idea what he was trying to tell me but we laughed and made hand gestures and when we parted it felt like we had made a connection. The stories just go on and on! You know – we really aren’t that different after all – just people – working hard, taking caring of our families and wanting to make that human connection.

This trip also really made me appreciate what a wonderful company Johnson & Johnson is and how fortunate I am to be a part of it. Very few companies offer the opportunity to compete for the trip of a lifetime. But more importantly, I was able to see first hand, how J&J takes care of its people. The level of medical care that was provided for me was first class! I was treated like a VIP and never felt like I was left on my own to deal with it. Not only did J&J make arrangements for us to have access to free medical care through International SOS, they also set up a temporary clinic right in our hotel staffed by three SOS doctors. (Thanks Dr. Joe, Dr. Peter and Dr. Erik!)

Well, I could just go on and on – but lucky for you, my blogging time is over! Although the Closing Ceremonies marked the end of the Olympics, the adventure was not over! We had extended our trip by several more days to make sure that we got to catch all the sights. Even with some additional trips to the clinic for monitoring, I found plenty of time to see some sights, eat some Peking duck and buy some pearls. What more could a girl ask for? I even had the opportunity to fly back from Beijing with the men’s beach volleyball gold medal winners (Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser) and chat with them in the business lounge in Chicago. What a perfect ending to a perfect trip!



Gold Medal Winners!

I will close with a few parting photos. Thanks for reading along! My advice to you would be, the next time you see a contest, take a chance and enter it. You just never know where it might lead!



Temple of Heaven



Getting ready for the Paralympics



Beautiful Detail Work!



It was beastly hot!!!!



Our New German Friends - Franzi and Maria!



VERY Friendly Taxi Driver at the Pearl Market!



Shopping for Pearls!



Dining on Peking Duck - Yum!



Street Scenes of Beijing













The real streets of Beijing

And the Beat Goes On ....

As many of you know, I am now back from China but for those who are still reading along I will continue the blog through to the end of my trip. We found that it was quite difficult to blog in "real time" while in Bejing. Our schedule was way too tight and there were some connectivity problems. Of course my little medical detour didn't help! LOL!! Anyway ... here we go!

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After the excitement of yesterday, today was a day to relax and catch up on some sleep. Our crazy schedule of being up for over 24 hours and then getting an average of 3 hours sleep each night had probably contributed to my dehydration. After visiting with the International SOS doctors at our hotel, it was determined that if I relaxed during the day I should be able to go to the closing ceremonies that evening. (On a side note: Here is yet another example of what a terrific company J&J is. Not only did they contract with International SOS to provide us complete medical care in China - free of charge; they also set up a clinic in each of the hotels they were using. Ours had 3 doctors on staff - 24/7. Pretty amazing!) I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous returning to the “scene of the crime” but I really didn’t want to miss it! Dr. Joe assured me that he was also attending the ceremonies and would be right there with me, which was comforting.





Even though the ceremonies weren’t scheduled to start until 8pm we had to leave the hotel no later than 3:30 pm in order to allow time for getting through security and be in our seats by 7 pm as mandated by our tickets. The security process went very smoothly, though I did have to convince the guards to let me bring in bottled water since concessions were few and far between. Even with a doctor’s note written in Chinese they wouldn’t let me bring it in unless I drank from each bottle. I guess since I didn’t keel over, they determined that it was safe to let me bring them in.

We noticed an increased security presence with a few tanks and lots of small units of troops marching around. I think they were there more to make a statement. Since they were unarmed and appeared to be about 16 years old I don't know how effective they would have been in a real crisis. I'm glad we didn't have to find out. We did think it was a bit funny that their tanks had rubber tires instead of tracks. Payton started to demonstrate how you would just have to let the air our of their tires to stop them but thought better of it when he realized he was being watched very carefully. I'm sure that they had other traditional tanks but it was funny nonetheless. Other than that, it was business as usual. We were told that security was even tighter for the opening ceremonies as there were over 80 heads of state in attendance.





The gang decided to hike several miles to the sole food concession (a MacDonald's). Because it was still very warm, we decided that it would be best if I found a spot on the lawn near the Bird’s Nest and waited for them. So I settled in for some people watching. It was great fun seeing the fans dressed up in costumes and newscasters setting up for their broadcasts. Everyone was getting into the festivities!





Fortunately it was overcast/hazy (love that Beijing pollution!) with a nice breeze that made the warm air tolerable. However, once we entered the Bird’s Nest we were hit with a wall of stifling warm air. I can't imagine how someone with a breathing disorder could have tolerated it. While the stadium is truly an architectural wonder, it was not designed very well to deal with the heat. There wasn’t a single fan or air vent to be seen anywhere. (Except for the blowers on the flag poles to make the flags "blow in the breeze" during the medal ceremonies.) We spent the entire evening drinking and splashing water and fanning ourselves like old ladies!

We soon discovered that the reason we had to be in our seats by 7 pm was that we were going to be a part of the show and needed a tutorial. At each seat we received a tote bag with electronic torch, noisemaker, flame fan, flags and assorted souvenirs. The Olympic volunteers instructed us when to use each and before we knew it the show began.



I can’t even begin to describe what we saw. The entire playing field and track was transformed into a stage that extended to the top of the stadium with people doing acrobatics on wires while people were dancing, singing, tumbling etc. below. Soon the athletes marched onto the field where they stayed for the remainder of the show. With one musical guest after another it was like watching a three-ring circus!





The transfer of the games to London in 2012 was symbolized by a large double decker bus that unfolded to reveal Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page and David Beckham. With a surprise performance of Placideo Domingo later in the evening – it was an incredible evening complete with a super fireworks display.



While the show was fantastic, it was wonderful to get out of the stadium and back out into the cooler air. You could hear everyone breathe a sigh of relief as they felt the breeze! On the way back to our bus we were already talking about going to the games in London! Then we would be old pros at this!

What a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

How Could I Forget Team USA!

I realized after I posted the previous update that I forgot to include the conclusion of Day 2 - OOPS!

After the Great Wall, we stopped for lunch and then had a few hours break back at the hotel. Then we were back on the bus, heading for the Wukesong Indoor Stadium for both of the men’s basketball semifinals. While the games were very exciting and it was thrilling to see some of basketball “royalty” up close, the real stars of the evening were Brandon and Payton who came ready to support their home team. For some reason, they attracted a lot of attention – go figure!



After dancing with the Fuwa named Huanhuan who represents the Olympic flame, we went inside where they were hounded by people wanting to have their photos taken with them.


It was a great game and Betsy and I got caught up in Olympic tradition of pin trading with some of the Olympic volunteers and other spectators. Pin trading is a bit addictive and is a great way to meet people from all over the world. We were so glad that we had grabbed some extra pins from the bowl in the J&J hospitality lounge at the hotel, as they were quite popular.

The Best Laid Plans ...

You may have been wondering where I have been. Well, sometimes life takes a detour and Saturday was one of those days. We were scheduled to spend the entire day at the Olympic Green. After a photo op with our Aussie friends, we headed over to the Johnson & Johnson Olympic Pavilion.


Our Aussie friends

At the Johnson & Johnson Pavilion

WOW! It was fantastic! It was quite hot outside already but once we stepped inside it was a cool oasis. As guests of J&J, we had access to the private lounge area that had a beverage bar complete with fruit smoothies and ice gelatos. As we relaxed, surrounded by bamboo, hostesses served us using bamboo plates and utensils. After cooling down we headed upstairs to see the impressive gallery that showcased the many faces of J&J. We then entered the remarkable Terracotta Warrior exhibit. What majestic ancient figures!











Before we knew it, it was time to head back into the heat for the 45-minute hike back to the Bird’s Nest where we were to see the men’s soccer final. At this point it was almost noon and the temperature had really soared. I later found out that the temperature hit over 107 degrees on the playing field! As a result, the emergency rooms were full of people knocked down by the heat and I was about to become one of them. As we walked along we realized that there was very little shade available and no water concessions. By the time we got to the fence of the Bird’s Nest I realized I was in trouble. With the help of some wonderful Olympic volunteers I was taken into an air-conditioned temporary building. Although it was cooler, it became apparent that I was going to need medical assistance. Instead of attend the scheduled Olympic events I was taken to two different Chinese hospitals. After getting re-hydrated by IV, I was released to go back to the hotel. I wish I could personally thank all the wonderful doctors and nurses and Beijing Hospital # 306, Beijing United Family Hospital, and International SOS for their care and compassion.

Although, I would have preferred to have not gotten sick, I must say that the experience has given me the opportunity to see the real side of life in Beijing. I met some amazing people from the doctors at the first hospital who did not speak English but worked so hard to communicate with me, to the International SOS doctors (Dr. Joe, Dr. Peter and Dr. Erik) who were in the J&J clinic at our hotel to Dr. Michaela Heinke, the fascinating German doctor at the International SOS Clinic who continued to treat me for the rest of my trip. She is also an artist who has started an international artists group here in Beijing. Throughout it all, Betsy was my guardian angel! She stayed by my side in the hospitals and ambulances and shared some of the funniest moments of the trip with me. Needless to say … I never did make it to the soccer game!

We Climbed the Great Wall ...

Getting ready to head to the top!

Almost there!

Hector and his new friend!


We made it!



Well, we climbed the Great Wall today and lived to tell about it! It was absolutely incredible - almost like you were stepping into a history book standing on such a famous wall. We took a cable car part way up the mountain and then started climbing. YIKES!! Betsy (from Global Communications) and I were feeling pretty proud of ourselves until we got passed up by a little old lady with a cane! How depressing! Anyway, the weather was absolutely gorgeous - we couldn't have asked for a nicer day. I am going to post a couple of photos now but will have to blog more later. After hiking the Wall we headed back to Beijing for the men's basketball semifinals (USA won!) and got back to the hotel about 1 am Beijing time. We started out at 8 am so that makes for a VERY long day. Tomorrow we are back on the bus at 8:30 am to head over to the Olympic Green where we will spend the day touring the J&J Olympic Pavilion, attending the men's soccer final and then a night of Track and Field events. We probably won't be back at the hotel until midnight so I probably won't be blogging tomorrow. If I am lucky I will find a patch of grass under a tree and take a nap! Time to crash and get a few hours of sleep! I'll have to explain the photo of Hector and his new friend later!

And so it begins ...

Well – here I am in Beijing! I have no idea what day it is or how much sleep I have been deprived. It just hurts my head to even try to figure it out! According to Beijing time it is Friday, August 22nd at 6 in the morning. As you can see, I managed to get packed and out of town on Tuesday. With only 2 hours sleep I got everything done and was on my way. Although it appears that Fay had a delayed arrival we were glad that we didn't take the chance on leaving Wednesday. Fortunately, we were able to get to Chicago on Tuesday, met up with Brandon on Wednesday to continue on to Beijing. The flight was LONG but uneventful – except for 40 minute delay that made our tight schedule in Beijing even tighter!

We arrived at our hotel with about 15 minutes to spare before heading over to the Olympic Green for our first event! We quickly met our 4th traveling companion, Hector, who is from Columbia as we raced to catch the bus, and before we knew it we were getting our first glimpse of the Birds Nest! Even thought it was overcast and a bit hazy, the Olympic flame burned brightly and just took my breath away! It was hard to believe that just a day earlier I was sitting at home, on the other side of the world, watching it on TV! It was quite a hike and required going through a security check but soon we were in the stadium. While it was getting dark outside, as we walked into the stadium there was a bright glow of light and a wall of energy that just pulsated from inside! Once we got to our seats, which were only about 13 rows from the track, we were just pinching ourselves! We couldn’t believe that after all these months of working and planning we were actually here!! We were at the track and field events and there were things going on everywhere! We were watching the triple jump, relay races, hurdles, women’s javelin and so much more. It was pretty wild to see the little remote control model cars that they used to retrieve the javelins. That would be a kid's dream job! It was so cool to look around and see people from all over the world, laughing, cheering and celebrating these AMAZING athletes! It was so incredible to see the look on the athletes’ faces (on the jumbo screens) as they received their Olympic medals, and listened to their national anthem as their flags were raised. It was just awesome to watch USA take all three medals in the 400 meter!

Well, it is now early Friday morning, Beijing time, I have just a few hours sleep and we are off to the Great Wall for the day and then to the men’s basketball semi-finals tonight. Hope I can sleep on the bus!

These photos are from our first night at the Bird's Nest.

Who is coming to town?

Today started off as an ordinary day. Well, ordinary might be a slight exaggeration! I was actually quite stressed thinking about everything that I had to do before I left for China on Wednesday. All that changed around 3 pm this afternoon when a friend stopped by my cube to say hi and chat about my trip. She "casually" asked when I was flying and if I had checked the weather recently. Turns out someone by the name of "Fay" was about to turn my day upside down! As happens so often with tropical storms and hurricanes the predicted path and time frame for the storm had changed and it now looked like Fay would be coming to town around the same time we were supposed to be taking off. After checking a few websites and making a number of frantic phone calls, Payton (the other Jax winner) and I decided to get the heck out of town a day early. We both agreed that it was going to take more than a little ol' storm to keep us from Beijing! So now I am scrambling to get everything done in time ... and I thought I was stressed this morning! It is going to be a LONG night! Keep your fingers crossed and hopefully the next time I post I will be in Beijing!