#HawkeyeNation

I ran into my hawkeye fan again!  She was so excited to see me and it's so nice being able to talk to someone from back home.  I think I will be seeing a lot of her because she works at the bus stop next to the bus stop for the Aquatics Center.  She wanted to take a picture, so I got one as well! (made sure to get my hawkeye mesh bag in there)

GO HAWKS!

Welcome Ceremony

The Welcome Ceremony for Mauritius was today - Here are some clips:

Raising of the Mauritian Flag + Mauritian National Anthem.

Some singing & dancing.

Some more song & dance.

International Love

The best thing about my experience so far has been meeting people from all over the world and the pool is a great place to do so!  Yesterday, I was in warm-up pool at the Aquatics Center alongside the Mexican swim team and the Japanese swim team.  The Mexican swim team has about 10 or so swimmers and they're all very nice.  I ate breakfast with them yesterday as well.  This morning I practiced at 'Eton Manor', which is the practice facility alongside the Australian swim team.  I rode the bus back to the village with one their 800 freestylers from the women's team.  It's her first Olympics, too - so of course we talked about where we are getting our tattoos! :)

Everyone here is so friendly, I think I say 'hi, how are you?' about 75 times a day.  The guards and the staff are especially friendly and very helpful when you have questions.  Just this morning, I was stopped by two servers in the cafeteria who are form Mauritius.
Most people speak English, but I find myself speaking French a lot to my teammates.  It makes it easier that I am fluent in English and can communicate fairly well in French so that I can understand more people.

Even if you're not interacting with other athletes or staff, it's fun to just look around and take it all in.  The dining hall is a great place to people-watch (aka creep).  It's fun to guess what sport people are from based on their body-type, their stature, the way they walk, what they eat, etc.
      -less food (only fruits & veggies w/ some protein) - sports with weigh-ins: A girl from Mauritius is in Judo and is not allowed to eat very much because her competition depends on her weight, much like wrestling.
      -shorter & BUILT: usually gymnasts
      -slouched posture: SWIMMERS!!!
      -etc.

This afternoon I have my first weights session since arriving, so I'll try to take pictures of the facility.

This is the busing system provided for the athletes to get from the apartments to each of the facilities within the village.  There is a lot within walking distance, but there are also a lot of facilities that you are required to take a bus to (even if it's within walking distance) for security reasons.  All of the buses are 'double-deckers' even though they're usually only carrying a few athletes at a time because they run every 5-10 minutes or so.  But I have a feeling that the busing system will get busier as more athletes arrive and definitely when the competition begins.

SHOUTOUTS:
Hovs: Niiiiiice 200IM, chica!!!! #GOLD  Ps.. I'm going to try to get some pictures at the apparel store today :)
Karol: Still searching for your British man, but are you sure you want British?  There are plenty of options so you just lemme know your preferences ;)
Emma: Miss you dearly and Sally Pear, as well!! #sophiepeach
Nichole: Hopefully I'll have time to head over to the apparel store today and take some pictures!