The Village

Sorry for my delay everyone…as our British friends would say, ‘It has been a bit busy around here!’


‘THE VILLAGE’ has always been a very elusive and mythical location for me. Only a small percentage of Olympic go-ers ever gain access to the Village and even with four Olympics under my belt, I have never lived or worked in a Village before. So, with this in mind, it is has been difficult for me to even picture what THE Olympic Village would be like. Images of a utopia generally come to mind………….people of every shape, size, nationality and status living and mingling in perfect peace and harmony….athletes wearing gear from every color of the rainbow…coaches speaking just about every language the human race has come up with…shiny new apartment buildings that will eventually become London’s lasting legacy…bottles of Coke products lining the walls and volunteers trading pins like it was their job.

Well folks, I can confirm…this is EXACTLY what the Olympic Village is like…and much, much more!

We moved into the Village on Monday morning and have been going non-stop for days trying to get everything perfect for Team USA’s arrival. Coordinating shuttles, hauling baggage and organizing our motor pool are just a few of things that have been on my to-do list. In addition, I’ve been very fortunate to be one of the first people to greet our athletes as they get off the bus and get the privilege of seeing their faces light up as I welcome them to the start of their Olympic dream!  It has been crazy busy and we’re putting in a lot of long days but I wouldn’t trade it for the world! 

So, now that I am in the Village, I can tell you ALL about it! First, the Village consists of many brand new apartment buildings, each assigned to a different country, which will be turned into real apartment buildings after the Games are over. The Village also has a large Welcome Center where athletes arrive and depart, an Accreditation Center where athletes receive their special ID’s, a Soda Bar…with nothing but soda, a large Transportation Area, a Village Plaza…which houses the P&G Salon (yes – athletes can get cuts, colors and manicures here), an Olympic retail store, a post office and a general store…AND a GIGANTIC dining hall complete with food from all around the world and even a free McDonald’s!

The Village is definitely like a mini city and I will be spending about 99% of my time here while I am in London. I hope to bring you the scoop as the Village started to fill-up and as the Games get rolling.

Shout out to my super cute new nephew, Mikko, who I KNOW cannot wait to see the Olympics someday too! J Miss you and love you! Can’t wait to see you again!

Over and out,

Julie

PS – I met the gymnastics team today! They could not be sweeter girls and I’m so excited for them to experience all of this!

The Welcome Center

The view from our apartment building

The MASSIVE dining hall!

Plenty of Diet Coke to keep me going...I'm so glad Coke is an Olympic sponsor!

The FREE McDonald's in the dining hall...you just walk right up and they give you anything you ask for...which is perfect for when you finally eat dinner at 11:00pm every night! LOL

The P&G Salon

Enrtance to the Welcome Center

Team USA's building!

My desk!

The gymastics bags!

Mascots galore at the retail store!