A Few Shots Closer to the Games

Monday was our chance to sign up for our Olympic tickets. They made everyone wait until 9:00 AM (PST) before they were available. Of course, just like signing up for classes at the beginning of a semester, not everyone was guaranteed tickets to their first choice. But being the kinda-lucky person I am, I got everything I wanted. My friends, however, weren’t as lucky…Here’s what I got tickets to:

August 13th
o Beach Volleyball—Men’s and Women’s Preliminaries 1:00 PM
o I’m counting on a warm summer day of sunshine and watching pros. Just like family picnics, right?
August 18th
o Artistic Gymnastics—Men’s and Women’s Finals 6:00 PM
o Events I get to see: Men’s Rings Final & Awards Ceremony, Women’s Uneven Bars Final & Awards Ceremony, Men’s Vault Final & Awards Ceremony.
August 22nd
o Basketball—Men’s Semifinals 8:00 PM
o Hopefully the US team makes it this far. That would be awesome!
August 23rd
o Track & Field—Men’s and Women’s Finals 7:00 PM
o Events I get to see: Men’s Javelin Throw Final, Women’s High Jump Final, Men’s 800m Final, Women’s 1500m Final, Men’s 5000m Final, Men’s/Women’s 4 x 400m Relay final.

I am pretty sure that Devon and Jimmy both got tickets to the track & field event and the gymnastics event. Devon and I are going to beach volleyball together. Jimmy and I are going to basketball together. But Devon and Jimmy wanted to see diving, but that was sold out before either of them could get tickets. So, after re-planning, I think Jimmy is going to see water polo and Devon is going to synchronized swimming. Not to mention, we get to attend the closing ceremony (I think?). If we aren’t attending the closing ceremony, I’m sure we are going to have a huge celebration party right across the street, haha!

Another update that everyone probably wants to know: I’m all vaccinated for China. I had to get a few shots from the Jefferson Country Department of Health and Travel Services. Luckily, I have already received Meningitis, Hepatitis B, and DPT (whatever that is). But I still had to get more. Today I went in to receive another tetanus shot and Hepatitis A. Not too bad, but I have to go back in 6 months to finish my Hepatitis A vaccine. It makes me feel a little better knowing I’m vaccinated, and now it will take even more to kill me off out there (just kidding). The woman at the clinic still advised me to “avoid getting bit by any mosquitoes,” which is nearly impossible, especially because I seem to get bit the most on camping trips and outdoor adventures. We’ll see how I do with that one.

Other than that, I’ve just ordered my books for the semester. I have to ship them to my house and then to my dorm out in China (most places don’t ship internationally). Stay tuned for the next update.