The Olympics are here!

Right now I'm sitting in front of my TV watching the Opening Ceremony on NBC. $100 million and 8 months of preparation later, we witnessed an incredible spectacle. The choreography was spectacular, flowing together in a moving sight. The performers themselves--all 2008 of them--had their movements down perfectly. Perhaps what impressed me the most was the colors they employed: whether it be in the fireworks (by the way: at the beginning, fireworks in the shape of footprints "walked" 29 paces from central Beijing out along the grid pattern to the Olympic Stadium), the projected images on the screen surrounding the stadium, or the LED lights constantly in play. It was a truly awesome sight to watch

Once the ceremony got over with, the parade of nations began. Without the beautiful and entrancing choreography of Zhang Yimou's artistic portion of the ceremony, it lacked the catch that the Chinese had previously displayed (George Bush, for one, looked a little bored--and hot--at the Games), but nonetheless, it is neat to see so many stories, so many histories, and so much national pride walking by. As Bob Costas and Matt Lauer (the oft-joking commentators of the ceremony) duly noted, the Opening Ceremony is, for many of these athletes, their one chance at Olympic glory. After all, we may never hear about the athletes from Kiribati, Tajikistan, or the Maldives, but they are there to represent their country. It is also interesting to see the people coming out of countries that are truly suffering: Zimbebwe, wracked by political distress; North Korea, whose athletes live in the most closed country in the world; or the Iranian female athletes, head coverings and all.

Yao Ming, star NBA basketball player, led the Chinese team into the Beijing National Stadium, followed by Chinese President Hu Jintao opening the XXIX Olympiad. Li Ning, the winner of six gold medals, was the final torch-bearer, who literally rose into the sky, ran around the top of the stadium on a wire, and lit the Olympic Torch, followed by a massive display of fireworks over National Stadium and Beijing. It was hard to imagine the torch lighting being able to top the artistic portion of the ceremony, but it did. The Olympic Opening Ceremony was a magnificent event, and got the 17-day Olympics off to a fantastic start.

As a final note, this ceremony is extra special for me for two reasons. First, having a friend among the US Olympic team makes me even more proud of my nation's Olympic Team. I'm sure it is a sense of pride for each of the nations watching their Olympic team walk into Beijing National Stadium--and not the least for the Chinese, who are watching their national dream come true. Second, I'm watching events unfold in a stadium that I will be sitting in just a little over a week from now. Given that, how can I not enjoy it!?

I'll be posting more posts as the week goes on, highlighting some of the big Olympic events, and my final preparations for Beijing.