Olympic Observations

Today, I went to see my first olympic competition live at the National Aquatics Center, which was really awesome. I watched the women's 10m platform diving. China won gold, Australia silver, and Mexico bronze.

I read in the news that Beijing would have tight security, and i even read an article calling this the "no fun games". From my experiences at the airport and subways, the security has been heightened, but I would definitely not call it "tight." I could EASILY sneak in a bomb or a tibet flag through the subway or into Tiananmen square. Yesterday, I had 3 shopping bags and they didn't even make me put it through the machine to check for bombs.

Another thing i've been seeing is how normal the North Korean delegation is. In America, I think often the news media depicts North Korea as such an evil state or whatever. But from what I've noticed of the athletes and coaches and stuff, is how normal they are as human beings. Cheerful, happy to be here, dreams to win, etc. I've met South Koreans in the past who realize that the North Koreans are simply in bad luck and put in a bad situation, but that it doesn't mean they are bad people. On the other hand, I've also met South Koreans who believe that the problems North Koreans face has nothing to do with South Korea, and that South Korea is better off by itself and forgetting about the North. Seeing the North Korean delegation this time really makes me feel happy that they are so happy to be here, but also makes me feel bad for their situation.

I also have to give props to Yao Ming. I watched him play his heart out today against top team Spain. His team mates don't even belong on his team, because they are not even close to the same level. China has no chance of winning a medal, and probably it would be best for Yao to rest during the summer, and prepare for the NBA season where he has Artest and Mcgrady for a legitimate chance to win a championship. But Yao is so loyal and admirable, that he played his heart out today with scrubs even though he probably knows the team has no chance. Very unselfish, very admirable.

More bombs are going off in the Muslim region of China. You can expect China is going to crack down and put a stop to it as much as they can. For the most part, the muslims live quite well in China. I went to a muslim restaurant the other day. Middle Easterners speaking Chinese is a pretty amusing sight, although i think the majority of Muslim in China can speak Chinese. The lady who owns that restaurant drives a sports car, so she makes a good life in China. I hope more of the Muslim can integrate into Chinese society like the ones I saw.