I walked out of my hotel room in Vancouver this morning to see a flock of seagulls squacking their heads off. That’s the most noise I’ve heard since I arrived in Canada. Toto, we’re not in Beijing anymore. In 2008, with the Olympic Games a week and a half away, the city was buzzing with anticipation and chaotic with last minute preparations. Thousands of people were planting flowers, cleaning up and security was fierce. Here in Vancouver it is so calm and low key you hardly know it will soon be the center of the universe. There are banners, new buildings and infrastructure improvements but you don’t sense that Canada’s place in the world hangs on these games. From what I can tell it is pretty much business as usual here in B.C. I’ve been asking around and people tell me that’s just how it is here. People are pretty relaxed. Even the security here is friendly and laid back. They greet you with smiles. Maybe it’s because there aren’t that many media or guests here yet, or maybe it’s because holding the games here in Vancouver was somewhat controversial for those who felt the money could be better spent. Or maybe it’s just that the only thing Canadians get really worked up about is sport. As one young woman told me, “I’ll get excited for the men’s hockey.”
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