Opening Ceremony Explained? I may be British but I still don't know

As a British Expat in South Africa is it my job to explain the Olympic Opening Ceremony and defend the homeland? Or do I just tell everyone who asks that actually I thought it was pants and no I haven’t a clue what was going on?
I have a short attention span and I find it difficult to sit for any length of time, same reason I rarely go to the movies.

Yes, I was upset I didn’t get the role of a Games Maker at the London 2012 games and I didn’t really want to watch the ceremony for that reason. But I do love the Olympics and will watch the athletes with enthusiasm and cheer on both Team GB and South Africa. I did the same at Barcelona in 1992, when GB weren’t competing it was SA all the way. The atmosphere in the stadium back then was electric and since that day the Olympics has never been able to top those games in my opinion.

I had a ticket for the technical rehearsals for the London games, which due to my current location, I gave to my son back in the UK to use. He said it was fantastic, amazing and refused to tell me what was going on as he knew I’d not watch it.
So hubby and youngest sat down last night at 10pm our time and I joined them and after half an hour I was bored. I didn’t ‘see’ where it was going, the twitter feed was more interesting, so off I went for a bath and fell asleep on the bed.
I went down stairs to wake up hubby and send youngest to bed and I rejoined the ceremony at the point where the teams came into the stadium.

Now that bit I like and I was looking forward to the lighting of the torch. My money was on Redgrave and I hoped for a simple lighting of the flame. I couldn’t have been more impressed if I’d tried.

I love the fact that DSTV had very little commentary and I could hear all the stadium announcements in real time, so really got a feel of what it must’ve been like to have been there.

But there are some things that puzzled me, make me cringe and this morning at the Golf Club I was the British representative for Danny Boyle, The Queen and fellow Brits.

I think the bit where The Queen welcomed James Bond to the Palace will become the greatest TV viewing moment ever, but really Mr Boyle, you should have left it there.

‘No I don’t find Mr Bean even slightly amusing; it is not representative of British humour’ Thanks BBC Entertainment for broadcasting to your expat audience that, ‘allo ‘allo, Keeping up Appearances and 8 year old episodes of Who wants to be a millionaire? giving the impression that we all love it.

Maypoles? I’ve not danced round one since I was in primary school and then I got kicked out the group because one of the boys kept curtseying at the end instead of bowing so my career as a pole dancer was short lived. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Maypole since that day in 1979.

Paul McCartney? ...

Arctic Monkeys? Someone forgot to do a sound check.
And what was with the house? The teenagers and mobile phones? Youth of today, well at least they weren’t looting.

I was a little concerned that Danny Boyle was in charge of it all and thought it would be a bit ‘dark’, but I think he did a good job especially with all that money he had to spend. I tired of the Andy Carroll reference on twitter, it didn’t even relate in the slightest to what was going on. The endless tweets about it being a party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party paid for by Cameron and Clegg. BTW where was Clegg? Have you all been asleep for the past 15 Blair years?

And I certainly don’t think the Boyle should be knighted for his part in all this in the same way none of the organisers should be. They will all make a fortune on the back of this for many years to come. Those titles should go to the Games Makers.
And today the Olympics start, well they began on Wednesday with the football. I’ve sorted out my TV viewing guide to watch the athletes and to ensure I don’t miss all my favourite events.

It’s a shame the opening and closing ceremonies have become such an important part of the games and I’ll probably watching the closing titles the same way I viewed the opening ones. In between I shall sit back and watch and enjoy all the medals, the triumphs and the tears. Now the hype is over I can move from my disappointment of not being a Games Maker (cross my fingers I may still get asked to do the Paralympics) and really enjoy the Olympics.

I hope you enjoy them too.

Oh and please don’t question me when they play the wrong anthem or run the wrong flag up the pole...I really can’t answer.

Why wont London 2012 just give me an answer

Over a month since I wrote this post, 2 weeks after the Olympics ended and 2 days after the paralympics begin and my application as a games maker is still 'under review' how hard is it to send out an email to say 'thanks'



I don’t expect to be given a role as a games maker at this stage in the day, but I do expect some communication from London 2012. If I am offered a role it will cost me the best part of £3000 in flights, accommodation, travel and living expenses.
I volunteered as a Games maker for the London Olympics 2 years ago. Since then I’ve been told I have an interview, moved to South Africa, had a telephone interview. Not been notified by April 30th as promised, instead sent an email on May 4th to say, please be patient ‘we’ll let you know by June 30th’.
During that time my application for the main games was withdrawn, it took until July 5th to have it reinstated. The same day I received another email to say ‘thanks for your patience we will be in touch’
Since then I’ve emailed to which I’ve only received an automated response and telephoned to ask for further info and to explain I’m based in South Africa, I need to book flights, accommodation all, if still available, at considerable cost to myself.
I’m not expecting a role, I’d just like to know what my situation is. On Friday 20th July, I was informed I’m one of about 100 people still waiting to be allocated a role and may get an offer of the Paralympics. Today 23rd July I’m told that the area I’ve been assigned to has been notified of my keenness and the unanswered emails have been addressed with the relevant department. I am now on my 3rd Case ID number since July 2nd.
The games maker zone has not been updated, I check regularly, that’s how I found out my application had been deleted. There is no contact.
I have now missed out on the opportunity to purchase tickets for the London 2012 Olympics as I could not afford to fly to the UK for the games and then either stay for 6 weeks if I got offered a role at the Paralympics or pay for a return flight should I be notified late in the day. My adult son in the UK is attending the technical rehearsal tonight with a ticket I was given as a sweetner.
I’m not expecting a role; I am concerned that I may have missed out on a role while my application showed as withdrawn. My husband has cancelled an important meeting in Europe due to the uncertainty of a role at the Olympics as we have no child care or family in South Africa and cannot afford to pay for the children to return to the UK at the same time.
I’ve had 600+ hits on this blog since 5th July. 163 hits on this blog since 20th July. Yet I get no response from London 2012. Can you help?

Get your arse into gear

This is the email I sent to London 2012 this morning. Click here and here for other blog posts relating to this shambles.

I'm very disappointed that you have not replied to my email below since sending out an auto response on the 5th July.

I do appreciate you are busy what with the Olympic Games approaching in less than a week. But I too am also busy with a family, volunteer work and living 6000 miles away in South Africa.

I need to book a flight, arrange child care, find somewhere to stay, all at considerable expense to myself (as it is to all the other games makers) to enable me to volunteer my time of around 10 hours a day for 2 weeks plus travel time.

I hope you appreciate that despite feeling 3rd place having not already been selected as a Games maker, I'm still here, pathetically hanging on to any shred of hope that after 2 years of waiting you might want or need my services.

All I ask is that with only 1 week to go after 10 years of planning, is that you should be in a position to know by now if you have enough games makers and at the very least have the decency to make regular contact with those of us, just hanging around, putting our lives on hold on a whim that someone at London 2012 might actually think 'oh yeah, we need to let those poor people know and thank them for their dedication'

Please do not send an automated reply. I think it's probably about time a human got in touch.

I look forward to waiting for your response, but I am not hopeful.

Regards

Suzanne

20 years on from Barcelona #olympics

20 years ago I was packing to go to the Olympics in Barcelona




20 years on I'm disappointed

When all you can do is wait

Interview via phone in June, informed I'd hear by 30th November

Email sent February to ask why the delay, informed will be notified by April 30th

Phoned UK on Friday, told 'still in the running'

Today is April 30th, no email, website not updated and application still under review.

I do hope this isn't a sign of impending disaster with The London Olympics.

It's a poor show, there are 100's of people on twitter in the same situation, lots of us living abroad, needing to arrange flights home, organise child care. people in the UK to arrange their leave.

Should I give up? Accept I've not been sucessful to be a Games Maker at The London Olympics? Email them? (again) keep refreshing emails? keep logging in? checking UK papers? (online) Checking the official web, facebook and twitter accounts?

I was anxious last week, now I'm angry....please don't spoil this for me.

UPDATE
5th may
Yesterday I received an email to say basically, I've not been discounted, I'm still in the running I'll know by the end of June.

Oh Hello, 3 weeks before the games start? Accomodation? Flights? Guess what? the Olympics are on in London, whats the chances of getting affordable accomodation? Any accomodation?

Not to mention sorting out the kids here, hubbies work? he is now not scheduling any travel in July, August and September and I have a friend on standby for the school runs in the afternoons.

I'm finding the whole situation embarrassing....answering questions with 'no obviously I'm just not good enough to be a games maker....no I haven't hear....no I don't know how I'll feel....relieved? disappointed? excited? even if I do get a role now, I'll fell second place, do I want to feel like that?

A little bit of research has led me to discover I'm not on a reserve list, they sent a seperate reserve list email. I haven't been told NO, all the NO emails have been sent out. So just what does my email mean? So another email has been sent, an automated receipt received this am and i wait to find out what THAT email means.

In the meantime I've stopped myself from deleting the application, I so want this opportunity....and the more of you that do delete yours out of frustration the higher my odds are of getting a role.