Mission: Volunteer World

Dream come true! I had a mission to voluntary world and always I watched Olympics Games in TV. Now I’m part of it! But how I could work on the other side of Big Water for plate of rice during the biggest event on the whole world?

Far, far ago… That’s how my story could start because longest recruitment process started 2 (two) years ago! Near 2 years ago with sweat tricked form my brown I filled out few papers and with some magic ritual I sent them to Rio. After that were language tests, interactive quests, meeting on skype with very tired Brazilian girl and… I received my invitation letter! I filled all my papers to work on main athletic stadium and I’ve got… fencing! God why?! I don’t know anything about fencing and really I don’t care about that sport! But they gave that position and that should be stupid to complain.

When you realize that Olympic Park where you’ll work is the biggest Olympic venue. And that guiding funs here will not be so easy 🙂

Arena Carioca 1,2 i 3 That wonderful moment when whole arena is waking up. Still empty, calm. Perfect to play ball through whole game play

So this is how all things started. First receive of uniform. I went to Samba City (few hangars where all costumes and vehicles are preparing to shine later on Sambodrom) to take my clothes and gifts (my bag looked like a bag of Santa Claus!). Of course I walked also around all Samba City to peeped how Carnival is preparing. I need to say you that it’s incredible experience! When one Carnival is ending and pain of legs is passing by they start to work on another one so costumes and vehicles are preparing during whole year.

“I’m the samba, I’m natiral here in Rio de Janeiro, it’s me who gives a joy to millions of Brazilian hearts”

Artistic untidiness. That’s the place where Carnival is borning.

Empty platform is not so beautifull. But after few months will stun everybody on Sambodrom

Platform in progress

And ready

Make your mark in history So I made it 🙂 stonesontravel.com on board

All our voluntary team is divided on three colors: green (information volunteers), yellow (operational) and red one (classic for medics). Usually during every events I worked as information volunteer in first line with people, so I decided to chose here the same role. And because I worked many hours as volunteer so our tasks were not a surprise for me: scanning of tickets, guiding fans, showing places, checking accreditations etc. Contact work with people on first line – I like it!

Here we go! Fighters of first line in Carioca 3

Patrick – probably the best soldier ever. He know only few words in Spanish, I know few in Portuguese but even that we made a lot of jokes about guys from media and press

And what they gave us? Whole uniform, free transport in Rio (it’s huge city! I have 20 minutes to work but other volunteers need to go 2 hours there!), meals during work days, two free tickets, insurance and… that’s all! It would be better if they gave us also accommodation and some amends for fly tickets. Should be here 70 thousands of volunteers, unfortunately there is less than 50 thousands because people doesn’t had cash for planes. But those one who came here could see Olympics rings from the other, common, gray side – not the colorful with you can see in TV. And what can you see?

Rule nr 1: Always chose that queue where is more soldiers. It’s always go faster. And I need to say that we have amazing meals here!

For example you can help your national team. Polish fencing team played on my arena and also other polish athletes came to see them so I tried to do everything to help them as possible. Because you don’t have proper accreditation and you can’t pass here but you need to go around 2 km? Bull shit! Here you go! To it something you need to walk 10 minutes? That’s not true, you can enjoy meal prepared only for press. You want to see game but there is no good place to sit? Gimme a second, I will figured out something 🙂 I made everything what I can to help my team, but what they done to reach a gold is completely different story 🙂 Even I helped polish television to find good place to take a shot 😀

Here we go!

Won match with GermanyAnd lost with Italy 🙁

I tried to go inside Olympic Village but I can’t because I didn’t have enough strong accreditation. Even when I tried use my hair as a battering ram. But even that apartments of polish team you can see even from entrance

And our athletes even from closer. Sometime much closer than you even want – when I crossed street four of our cyclists almost hit me during theirs training around Olympic Village.

You can see that “Spider-cam” is very clever camera but only until two ropes on witch is hanged are broke and whole heavy camera is taking macro zoom on face of some volunteer. That shoot of face received one from volunteer and for free he got a smashed face (and cash from insurance 😉 ).

You can meet famous people. I came back to home after midnight, I slept in bus I missed my stop so in sleepy mud I went back through city to home. Suddenly I saw a guy who had a t-shirt with word “POLAND”. So I came to them and we started to talk. Familiar face so I asked about his name. Klaudiusz. I see that is looking at me slyly and waiting for my reaction. Bigger reaction elicited a men in city center with giant turned on TV on trolley with Brazilian TV program (but how? Why? Where?). After few minutes I recognized him. That was Sevkovic – member of Polish Hanball Association. Few years ago he sold knifes in TV program (I thought that he will try to sell me a complete of 98 knifes with vacuum cleaner) and first “Star” of Polish Big Brother. That was really nice to faked that I didn’t know him, how he love golf (because can take a pictures with famous players) and complain on volunteer on last handball championship in Poland.

Sometimes I’m meet here strange people…

You can see that promotional materials are really great (banners, posters etc.) but in details all this arenas are in extremely bad condition. Here some metal part is falling down and almost thrust head of fun, there some wall is unstick, here toilets boil over and overflow half of arena, and there main server is falling down and every gates are close for few minutes. Yes, I know that is GIANT event but… that’s Olympics Games!

All that all that Olympic Games… … is in one piece because of two cable ties 🙂 and another time cable tie rescued world!

And that’s how we voluntary world in keen heat, in streams of rain, in burst of laugh with dancing steps, and polish team, step by step is collecting our bag with gold. I’m wondering how many medals we got and how much polish volunteers helped in gaining them.