A Spectacular Day in Berlin Today

Although this is not an Olympic post, because Berlin is very much a part of the Olympic History, must express my excitement for the ceremonialism that is going on there now.

Today, November 9th 2009, is the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall and my 1964 memories have become crystal clear. My bus trip through Check-Point-Charlie, the barbed wire, the watch towers, fear filled eyes of others on the bus who shared tearful stories. An elderly Catholic priest who was part of a divided family sat next to me. His voice very quiet but his serious searching eyes were not.

On November 9, 1989, thousands rushed through the ruins of the Berlin Wall, celebrating the unity of East and West. Twenty years later, millions across the world watched as one thousand seven-and-a-half foot tall dominoes fell marking the occasion and as U2 sang for this huge celebration.

About six months ago, those styrofoam dominoes were sent all around to world and were painted by artists, young and old. Today there was a line of these dominoes, which had been sent back to Berlin, almost a mile long where the Berlin Wall once stood. The crowds cheered as they symbolically fell. Not sure why I love public ceremonialism so much, but I do when it has such a meaning, a real purpose.

As Robert Frost said, ""Something there is, that doesn't love a wall."

(The joy of the Berlin Wall falling was part of our family Christmas Card Poem in 1989)

The "Queens" of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal

Although Queen Elizabeth ll, as head of state of Canada, opened the games, and Nadia Comaneci was the queen of the Athletes, there was another queenly looking figure who was everywhere something exciting was happening in Montreal that summer. Dressed in her navy blue olympic blazer was "Queen Marion", my royal mom!

Yes, Marion Wimberg made it to Montreal and I was thrilled. Everyone who met her was thrilled to meet her as well. People from all over the world were attracted to her and she simply beamed with joy and reflected their admiration! We had to turn down invitations to special formal receptions and informal parties because we couldn't fit them all into our schedule. She would be ushered into prime seating locations whether we were at a venue or at a delegation banquet. Every Olympic day got more exciting then the previous day. She was especially a hit with the Russians. I still wonder whether it was her graciousness or because she had so many pins to trade. Probably a bit of both!

Montreal Olympics

The area of Montreal that was once a "walled city" is now known as Old Montreal. I headed for Place Jacques-Cartier in the old historic city with so much to see, to learn and to do. First just strolled through the narrow streets where the city was founded in 1642. With remarkable architecture in the background and street performers in the foreground, my focus switched from the olympics to history for the first few days.

Finding my mom a reasonable place was one of my first goals because I knew if I found something she would definitely fly north and therefore I could give her an assist in helping fulfill another one of those many dreams she had, and she did have many. (Her excitement and sense of awe about people and the world her was continuous.) I was in a long line at the Olympic Center in front of an owner of a local home who mentioned that he thought his basement apartment would not be fancy enough for guests but it was well located. That good old olympic spirit must have been in line as well! When he knew that I was interested even though it was not classy, he told me more about it hoping that it would not go to waste. So by now, you know that my mom and I (and a few others), had a good home base during the exciting Montreal Olympic Games!

Congratulations Rio de Janeiro

Oley, Oleyyyy to my former home town, Rio de Janeiro and to the entire continent of South America!!! Your 1st olympics! I am thrilled for ALL of you!

The Years Prior to Montreal 1976

During the years prior to Montreal I worked in our family business in NJ and after that the islands of Kauai and Oahu became home. (This year, my daughter, who attends the U. of Hawai'i, was awarded a fellowship at the East West Center.)

I worked for film agent, Gregg Kendall, taught English and attended the University of Hawai'i. Went out to the island of Kauai to assist a film company from California and later, with Mr. Harris, started the first Hawai'i State Film Bureau. My Oceanography class was taught by John Craven and my Cinematography class was taught by Jackie Paul. Both classes led to interesting adventures. The Importance of the Sea project enabled me to attend the Law of the Sea Conferences at the United Nations in New York. And because of the cinematography class, Jackie Paul, Shauna Uperesa and I started the first Public Access Station in the state of Hawai'i at Oceanic Television. Later, that led me to CBS.

As the years approached the '76 games I knew that I must do my best to somehow find a way for my mom to experience the Olympics. She came to Hawai'i and any time we spoke of the olympics her eyes would light up. She had an incredible sense of awe about most of life and she knew by this time she was ready to experience the olympic games, "at least one time".

I returned to the mainland and drove across our 200 year old country during that festive year of 1976. Visited family and friends at the Jersey Shore then headed to Old Town Montreal in Canada early to scout and prepare...

...this time for others.

The Spirit of Holy Spirit High Lives On

In this fragile world of ours I sometimes wondered where all the good, honest, ethical folks had gone during the months following my summer in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics...greedy hedge fund managers, the huge appetite globally and locally for mortgage backed securities and naughty banks. The charts and grafs looked like the cliffs of Dana Point! I was beginning to wonder about humanity. Then came 2009. The summer of many reunions brought balance into my life.

One of the many things I did last month during my high school reunion at a country club in South Jersey was to stop, step back and just feel the great vibrations from being in a large room filled with good people.

We grew up together. We went to a school where we had to do the best that we could with what we had. We laughed, learned and sweat it out together. We had a good sense of belonging and we learned how to create our own fun. And now so many are joyfully giving back to society!

What an incredibly reassuring feeling it was! Yup, the spirit from Holy Spirit High School does live on.

Fifty Four Years...and then reunited at the Green House for a few beers!

Will focus on reunions and “slices of life of the summer of 2009”. The "oneness of humanity" which is so much a part of the many summers at the olympics AND which was also part of this past summer...old reuniting classmates!!

Have you ever entertained the thought of gathering your elementary or grammar school classmates together? For our class, it was surprisingly easy. Here’s how it happened.

A place was chosen and a date was set, August 20, 2009. Emails were sent and several phone calls were made beforehand. The place that was chosen was easy to remember and easy to find. Twenty two of us gathered at the Green House in Margate City, next to Lucy the Elephant close to the beach. (Lucy is a six story building built in 1881. I worked to help save Lucy with Jo Harron and her team in the early seventies.)

Our grammar school, St James School was located in Ventnor City, next to Margate NJ. Our lives did grow in different directions but because we shared, for the most part, eight years together as kids, everyone who was contacted said that they wanted to come. There were twenty nine in our class and naturally there were a few who we couldn't find.

Pat Godfrey Johnston and Tish Barton Burns and I arrived early at the Green House, around 3:45 PM. We were engrossed in conversation because the three of us had recently been to China. The others gathered near the entrance of the large porch, waiting for us to arrive! A few looked for the multi-colored flag, which, oops, was still in my purse! There they were, 4:00 PM sharp! Art DiNick and his wife Maureen from Texas, Bob Duffy and his wife from the Boston area, Sissy Hayes and her husband John Fetter from Ventnor were there along with Gladys McAdam and Sue Mahoney from offshore in Northfield. Sue, whose father was part of Margate's history brought old photos and flowers to add to the celebration! Then John Daoud and Chick Contini and his wife Florie arrived. The Green House staff made sure we had one long table that grew as others arrived. Ellen Brett and her husband David from Florida arrived along with Sue Knapp Symington from PA, who had been out fishing all day. Alice Baum and her husband Mike Heaney arrived from New York, then Ron Kashon finally made it after work. One of our classmates, Jerry Dearborn wanted to come, but couldn’t so he sent his “delegation” for representation, his daughter, her husband a Ventnor fireman and his mom! Was there incredible excitement in the air? There are not enough superlatives to describe it. Several had not seen each other since graduation, fifty four years ago!

There we were, on August 12, 2009, in Margate by the beach, reunited in cloud of heartwarming giggles that lasted for six hours!

One of the Six August Reunions of the Summer of 2009

I was able to make up for missing our summer of 2008 Chestnut Hill College Reunion thanks to a classmate of mine, Joan Willey Thirion, who posted the following message to my classmates for an Impromptu mini reunion:

Dear Classmates,

Carole Wimberg will be returning to Ventnor, NJ Aug 5 to Aug 25 for elementary, high school and a family reunion. She really missed being with us last year and has gathered with Trudy Carlin Rutledge and Peg Atanasio Colucci recently on the West Coast.

We invite you to join us for lunch at noon
at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City
in the Ri Ra Pub (see below)
on Wed, August 12
for an impromptu celebration and fun.

RSVP to me
Sincerely,
Joan Willey Thirion

Ri Ra Irish Pub
For its seventh location, Rí~Rá chose The Quarter, its first foray into the Mid-Atlantic states. Rí~Rá is famous for meticulously recreating the true Irish Pub experience by exclusively importing authentic pubs from Ireland and carefully reassembling them in the US, board by board, pint glass by pint glass. They offer exceptional food that is authentically Irish and exceptional in taste. Rí~Rá pubs have received numerous local market awards and have been instant hits wherever they have opened.

Rí~Rá comes from the Irish phrase "Ri Ra agus Ruaile Buaile”, which translates roughly as celebration and fun. At Rí~Rá, you truly experience the Real Flavor of Ireland – from original Irish pub surroundings in which we serve outstanding Irish Bistro food & pour the best pint West of Shannon to our authentic Irish staff and a typically Irish sense of fun and entertainment. Rí~Rá is much more than a pub as reflected in our listing in Tim Horan’s Top 10 Best Irish Pubs in the US (3 years running) – we are an East Coast institution! Throw in our entertainment schedule (live music 7 nights a week) and you have your Home from Home whatever the occasion whenever you visit Atlantic City. Slainte!


The RiRa Room became 'CHCville' at mid-day! How wonderful it was to be with Alison Kelly, Sue Berkey, Terry McFadden, Dolly Porecca Johnson, Connie Goggin Stark and Adreanna Delasandro at the Jersey Shore! Such a delight, every one of them! All are working on social justice in some capacity and all are helping to make this fragile world of ours better place. Ah, the sisters of Saint Joseph would be proud. Three catch-up conversations were going on at one time and then once in a while we would quiet to hear a "feature story". (haha, I was reminded of the chinese character for "noisy", a picture of three old women!) What fun! Our three hour luncheon time flew by but our friendship was clearly rekindled for a long time to come.

Wimbergs and the Olympics

The grand Wimberg Family Reunion was held Aug 16, 2009 in the large tented Egg Harbor NJ back yard of the Petrosh Family. Joyce Wimberg Petrosh, Carol Wimberg Kienzle and Henry Wimberg hosted a spectacular event for over 120 offspring of Henry Wimberg who was born in NJ in 1881. He and Anna Beck Wimberg had ten children, Carrie, George, Larry, Albert, Henry, Joseph, Chester, Charlie, Elaine and Anna May. Older Wimbergs were reuniting and sharing family history while the younger offspring, first, second and third cousins, were busy getting to know each other and playing on the water slides, dunk tank, and in the swimming pool. My godfather, Uncle Chester's wife, Aunt Elaine Keiser Wimberg, was the matriarch of the "wimberg festival". She had several younger Wimbergs by her side throughout the event who were asking questions and listening to her crystal clear first hand memories of The Wimbergs of Egg Harbor 'back in the day'.

Uncle Joe's son Chris Wimberg and and Aunt Anna May's daughter, Sue Gerstlauer were there. They not only made it to the Atlanta Olympics 1996, they made it to the Opening Ceremonies and sat near President Carter. Their story was documented on the front page of NJ's, Egg Harbor News. Because of my very long hours inside the IBC I had NO extra time for partying while my cousins Sue and Chris were in Georgia durring that exciting summer. I had signed a contract for the with the AOB, Atlanta Olympic Broadcasting, and whenever any of my girls in communications could not make it to work because of tough transportaion issues, there were not many alternatives and naturally we could bring in ONLY subs who had previously been credentialed.

Anyone...ANYONE who has ever been lucky enough to make it to opening ceremonies needs an indepth interview directly. How they got their ticket...what it was like getting to the stadium and words...are there enough words in ANY language that can capture THAT experience?

After Munich Olympics 1972 to 1976

It has been a lovely but busy July therefore will add more posts during the month of August. Many reunions coming up and am on a few committees...Elementary School, High School, College, and YUP...a Wimberg Family Reunion where I will connect with the other Olympic Wimbergs...

The Olympic Park and Awesome Revolutionary Stadium

The massive tent-like canopies kept us comfortable, allowing a pleasant filtered light as we watched the games. The metal ropes held these huge sheets of acrylic glass. Revolutionary thinking, planning and executing for 1972! Frei Otto was a master planner and Gunther Behnisch was a master architect of the Olympic swimming hall, the multipurpose venues and the Olympic Stadium.

Because of the magnificent beauty of the park I found myself wanting the largest longest poster that was printed, which for me was quite unusual. Managed to find one...almost six feet long! I remember thinking that it would be impossible for any future olympic stadium or park to be better than Munich's. No way, no way at all could anything be better!

Early Morning on the 10th Day of the Munich Games

The awesomeness of these festive, peaceful, well-planned games multiplied with every day that passed. Munich was radiant. Totally RADIANT. As usual, at times like this, I was wishing that my family and friends could experience this incredibly beautiful dream!

Then, very early on the tenth morning members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage inside the village. Because of my "beginners-only-German", I could not understand the rapid flow of news. Besides, that Tuesday morning I left Wilhelmstrasse very early and headed for the Olympic Park. The sidewalks gradually tapered and as you approached the magnificent stadium they gradually widened.

On the way to the Olympic Stadium, a masterpiece, the path went very near the Village where the athletes lived. At that time, I did not know that the Israeli team lived in the section of the village that was so close to the path. Those who were walking on the path were most likely all foreigners like me and could not understand German. Therefore we all were not yet aware of the news that the Isaraeli team had been taken hostage. The grass near the fence between the path and the village became a stopping spot for everyone. What is a masked man with a rifle doing in the village? He walked back and forth. What is this, a prank? Amazingly, we were not told to leave and there were no police around that I can remember. The security and some police wore light blue and white caps. I remember looking for them but no doubt they were all being briefed on the unfolding tradgedy. When I felt the bad energy in the air matched the vision of this masked man, I headed home. To say that Mama Graf, Mrs.Munich Olympics, was upset, is indeed, an understatement. As we listened to the news about this historic event, news that you all have heard about..."the Israeli team was eventually murdered by Black September, an Arab militant group", we grieved...big time.

Theatrestrasse at the Munich Olympics

Near the olympic stadium there was one area near a small mountain for kids of all ages. The mountain looked huge from a distance and beneath it was old WWII rubble. Many suffered greatly in WWII and this was a symbol that we should do away with war, end all war. Lovely green grass grew upon it and not far from it was Theatrestrasse. Many large hanging metal pieces were hung. As everyone passed by, they could and would make music as they passed. Strangers giggled together as they composed harmonic sounds. It was, naturally, one of my favorite places and became a pleasant meeting place for me and my new olympic friends.

Beautiful Bayrischzell and the Stammtisch

There were several side trips that I made south by train from Munich. Bayrischzell, which is in an incredibly beautiful valley, was my destination. Cafe Thanner's owner was a woman with great stories and her daughter Trudy spoke English as well as I did. The Thanner Cafe became a hangout for me. Most people who were the regulars there, got to know me and am not sure whether they enjoyed my conversation as much as I enjoyed their conversation. On my second return visit i was invited to sit at the stammtisch, where usually only the village men, the "elders" sat. Like most stammtisches in the 1970's they were for men only. They asked me so many questions about the olympic games. They laughed and sometimes sang or read poetry. I pleaded with some of them to head north and visit Munich and attend the games during that time but they preferred not. They were not going to be a part of such crowds! I would let them know that I usually did not like crowds as well. But to no avail. Somehow the olympic crowds are much more pleasing to me than just any crowded place. Such a variety of sounds and visions, threads that gave more texture and indepth beauty of the "olympic tapestry of mankind".

Munich '72 Olympic

Olga from Russia was "the queen" of gymnastics. An incredibly talented athlete who was falling in love with the world and the world was falling in love with her. The Press got her right. Every time I was close to her she bounced and bubbled with excitement whether she was at a venue or in the athlete's village. Although many spectators cheered for their own country, she belonged to everyone in 1972.

Mark Spitz "the king" of swimming was also admired by all. Everyone who I spoke with in Munich would express how amazed they were of his swimming ability. And after he won his seventh gold medal I was one of the few people in the athlete's village who was able to speak with him before his rapid departure from the village to the Munich Airport because they feared for his life after Black Tuesday.

One of the most impressive spiritual events that I have ever attended is the Memorial Service at the main olympic stadium after Black Tuesday. Mama Graf warned me not to go because she was worried about my safety. Afterwards I was sorry I did not insist that she go with me. I felt that the whole world was grieving.

Letter from Munich, the Grandaughter of MaMa Graf, Verena von Berg

Can you imagine how delightful it was to find the following letter in my mail box?

March 30, 2005

Dear Carole,

I don't know if you are the right Carole. Today I found once again old letters from you, which you once sent to my grandma Elisabeth Graf in Munich. My name is Verena, I'm the daughter of Gunther and Dorothy, which you met before 1980 - I found this in one of your letters.

Do you remember my Grandmother, my father and mother, Munich, Germany??? And what about your son? I found a Birthcard between the letters, he is now 26 years old. Five years younger than me.

My family still lives in Munich. My father is today 71, retired since 5 years, my Mom is 68 and also retired but both are still very active. I got married this year, therefore the new name "von Berg", and I'm working as a journaist in Munich. My younger brother Philipp (Born 1975) lives in Berlin. My Grandma died years before, she got a heart attack and was never like before. A long time ago...

What can I say...I hope to hear from you, perhaps in some german words :-). I already told my father of this letter and he was very happy that I found out your address. I tried to email you, but without success. Could we reach you per Email? I want to send you some photos of my family.

Greetings from a cold Munich to warmer California,

Verena von Berg

(And, YES, I have been in touch with this great family and continue to invite them to our home in CA, so some day...they just might make it to our beautiful coast.  Verena, thank you, thank you.)

The Graf Residence on Wilhelmstrasse

I realized at the Mexico City Olympics that the excitement of the games was not only the excitement of sports. A warm wonderful blanket covers every host city and magical events unfold. There I was, walking up a wide well built "magical" wooden staircIase which led to a very large beautiful home. It was the home of Elizabeth Graf who soon, for me, became MaMa Graf. I say magical steps because every time I went up those steps another olympic adventure awaited me. MaMa Graf's home became an international house. There were guests from different countries; Chile, Taiwan, Japan, China and the USA. We would take Mama to the games which she loved. She also loved having tea and chatting. She had visitors and would want me to meet them. There was one very old interesting man from the forest who sort of sang his words when he spoke and he was incredibly great at, (my favorite), yodling! I think of that very interesting old man often and made an audio tape of him. Years later, although I could understand almost nothing, it was so relaxing to play, just to listen to his sounds, his poetry, his nature.

More than thirty years later a very interesting letter arrived at my school in Capistrano. The post mark was Germany. Hmmm.

Great Olympic Camping Sites...and then Schwabbing!

The line for the olympic camp grounds was long. As I waited in line I listened and tried remembering my German. The line moved at an even pace and when there were only about three people in front of me a German woman came to my side. Now I wasn't able to understand her but some of the others in line translated. "She wants you to come to her house, you can stay at her home". I wasn't quite sure what to do but my first response was asking them to explain that I would like to remain in line. She was insisting. The line moved quickly and although I was still wondering I did pick up some great camping brochures and because it was still early enough I joined an incredibly enthusiastic wonderful woman who had been listening to the olympic committee for years ask the locals to share their homes. The olympic committee was accepting phone calls and would allocate the foreigners to the homes that were offered. This very bright warm-hearted woman decided that...rather than have someone ELSE decide who should live in her home...SHE, quite simply, would do it herself!!!

And she and her family will be part of the next posts!

Olympic Games of 1972, Munich, Germany

Several posts would be needed to cover my life during the years preceding Munich. And no matter how many posts I could enter about the games in Germany, none could express the amount of excitement that those games brought. In any case, here goes just the beginning.

I flew into Munich and with my backpack and maps headed for a large OLYMPIC INFORMATION CENTER. Whew, it was big and there were lines for almost anything anyone would or could be wondering about. I first usually walk the circumference of a new place and check all out, so I did. Although I got in the line for "camping", I ended up in one of the grandest apartments in the city!

Between Mexico '68 and Munich '72

One of the years prior to Munich '72 was the busiest year in my father's business so was happy to help home at the Jersey Shore. Then my home became Ipanema Beach, adjacent to Rio de Janeiro, where I taught sixth grade at the Escola Americana and became a TV English teacher with a little puppet for Channel #9.  Such a buzz it was...to be on the beach after school and have requests for autographs.  Inflation was high, but Bob's was always busy!  Managed to enjoy not only Brazil but Paraguay, Uraguay, Argentina, Iguacu Falls, Brasilia...and because Brazil won the world cup in June we had an extra carnival that year.  It was Father's Day in USA so my dad came to Brazil!  It was glorious.  He wrote from atop Sugar Loaf to my mom, "This is the closest to heaven that I have ever been."  And the Carnival continued, banks closed, school closed but dance and music celebrations were open for all.

The Olympic Memorabilia Mexico '68

The memories of my experiences in Mexico City are priceless.  Actually, the government and the electric company of Mexico flew members of the press to Acapulco after the games were over.  So of course my memories of both cities are pleasant, to say the least.  The most popular type of memorabilia is, no doubt, pins.

During the Mexico games there were no sponsor pins but there were team pins.  Some of olympic team athletes who I dated gave me a few. I brought home a big "P" sign because it stood for PRESS, PRENSA..  Part of my job was to scout and look for those well-designed signs prior to the crew's arrival to the olympic venues so they would save time.  That sign means nothing to most people but I was thrilled to be able to bring that "part of my job"  home.

There was no famous Super Store as there is today at each Olympics.  I did receive a few presents.  Among them was set of drinking glasses with Olympic logo engraving.  The logo is similar to the designs and patterns used in the artwork of the Huichole Indians.  The design was a collaborative project of Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, architect and president of the Organizing Committee, Eduardo Terrazas, and Lance Wyman of USA.

The most interesting item was a gift that I presented to my parents as a wedding anniversary because I knew that my dad enjoyed very unique novelties.  This unique gift came to me in an unusual manner.  During those month is Mexico I visited and had dinner with the family of a famous bishop from Hong Kong.  I attended one of his last Masses in Hong Kong and his family in Mexico wanted me to have something from their home.  They felt a connection to him through me.  I certainly didn't think I should take anything, yet they insisted.  The maids had in the rear of the home some small beetles that were decorated with rhinestones.  A little chain and pin were attached.  I chose a red and green sparkling beetle!  The beetle lived in a small green plastic cage and had a small piece of balsa wood for food.  It made it, after almost freezing near Albaquerque, New Mexico in November.  When I arrived at the New Jersey shore just in time for the anniversary, my dad was thrilled.  He gave it a name, OLEY  took it around South Jersey for almost a year.

I took only a few photos. One of the ones I took at the opening ceremonies I used on one of my Christmas collage post cards. Bud Lamoureax, one of the main cameramen was in one of my few photos.  Also one of the broadcasters or press writers from Tunisia, Mustapha Majoul sent me a few.  No good photos of my boss, Bert Quint, Haywood Hale Broun  or our office on Avenida Reforma.  

One of the basketball players gave me a basketball.  I had it signed every time I went to the athlete's village.  Oh, that village was so much fun.  We could eat there and the meals were, as the Hawaiians say, ono!  Also brought home some of the cards we used to announce the medal recipients for CBS News.  Just small black cards with white letters pasted on them.  OH how things have changed, aye?

New Beginnings 2009

As most blogs expand and evolve, so goes this one.  The month started with MacWorld Show in SanFrancisco where I had the great company of my kids and good fun on the musical double decker bus.  The month was highlighted with the inaugural events in Washington DC. Did have fun thinking about the time I headed for the Inaugeration when I was in my twenties and ended up on the Florida float in the parade.  Ah, the world has changed and because of cell phones, computer networking, local Laguna celebrations AND my excitement, even though I spent the day along the Pacific coast, I felt I was in DC.   My cousin, Chris Wimberg from Cape May, New Jersey, hired a bus, headed for DC with his cell phone of course and became part of history!  It was great fun to make contact with him via cell and text and hear play by play descriptions throughout the grand day of January 20, 2009, (Which happens to be my dad's feast day).  My sister Joan Wimberg Rosati flew from the state of Washington to join Chris.  I started the day very early and made contact with both of them.  Watched the big screen TV at the Ritz Carlton Hotel near our home here during Obama's speech.  (Surf was up at Strands Beach and Creek!)  Then channel switched during part of the day and celebrated with other Obama fans in the evening at Mozambique in Laguna.  I hear such positive comments from many countries.  We have such a great beginning with an intelligent leader for all of us here at home AND for the whole world family.  

Old Journals from My Life in the Middle East

And now because of the news of the last few days, I cannot continue on the Olympics without commenting on months of travel in the Middle East in 1965.  I am digging out and skimming old journals, memories are triggered while Gaza is suffering.

Mary Sparrow Devins and I were students at the University of Florence in '65 and one day after class we spotted a brochure in the window of a Travel Agency with incredible discounts on the Turkish Maritime Lines.  The discounts for students were the greatest.  So off we went, from Milan, to Naples, to Greece, to Turkey.  We didn't go 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or bunk class.  We went "bunk without food class".  It was great.  Every port had great farmers' markets.  When we got to the hostel across from the blue mosque in we decided that we knew too little about this part of the world.  Therefore I stayed and with the return ticket to Milan in my backpack traveled south with Janet Bailey from Christchurch, New Zealand.  We traveled as far as we could by train then trucks that were transporting oranges became one of our main sources of transportation.

By the time we got to Ramala where a Palestinian family wanted to learn English and took us in, we had many many stories to share about Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.  This family had many stories to share as well.  They told us about the land that was once their family's land for many generations but now a part of Israel.  Although we were young, we knew that they had dignity and yet deep suffering in their past.

Later we left the quite environment in our neighborhood, always difficult to say goodby, and crossed The Mandelbaum Gate into Israel.  Jerusalem was divided then.  Once you passed this gate, there was no returning to the Arab countries.  In Israel we saw so much ammunition, so many tanks and so many women with rifles.  Such an incredible contrast to the peaceful shepherds and small villages we had recently been part of.  We were young and for the first time had fear. Fear of the present.  Fear and wonder about the future.  We were in the middle east only for a matter of months.  Such a small slice of our history and such a long history of their suffering.

Now in December 2008, the great suffering of the people of GAZA is presently in the news.  I continue to think of those good folks who I met and hope and pray for peace.

Forty Year Old Journals from 1968 Lead to Questions

Hmmm, now just why haven't I been blogging lately? I spent more time on the Obama campaign then I planned but was verrry happy. Then went searching in old hand written journals from prior olympic games and spent long hours reading. The old journals made me more interested in some of the history of the olympics. I would open a journal and find myself reliving history. Nothing quite like a book, especially an old book, you open the cover...and it lives, present tense, once again! Therefore, I spent time researching or reviewing and refreshing my mind about many journal topics as well as the olympics. What fun.

Also, I am "in between computers". Since my six year old laptop, that was constantly used in my classroom with a big screen, finally is acting strange I decided to clean out old pre-internet computers. Sheez. Before leaping ahead to the future must clean out some oldies but goodies.(Hey, these old computers have some great "reliving" as well.)

I will continue to come to the library to go online briefly until I replace my faithful old laptop in 2009.

One of the topics that interests me now was a topic that never really got understood during the Mexico Olympics, the student protests. I spoke to a few people about them. Some wanted to change the topic. Some of these students felt they had a leader, unlike Fox, and felt they needed to have more freedom of speech and, quite simply, more power as human beings. Those who were there said the students were peaceful, very peaceful. Some believe that the riot was not started by the students. Over forty years have passed and there is still a difference of opinion about how many students were killed and and how some of their bodies went missing. Perhaps some of the families could never properly give their children dignity in death because of their fear or perhaps because some of their childrens remains went missing they lived for years, not knowing. Perhaps we can learn the truth of this some day.

Heartbeat of the Olympics, Mariachis and Drums

Ahhh yes, Mariachis were the heartbeat of the Olympics '68 just as the drums of the opening ceremony were the heartbeat of the Olympics '08.

And the local drum beat of the '08 elections has me sidetracked so will continue more of the Mexico Olympics in November. Am off to volunteer again for Obama.

Received a few emails asking about my month long homebase in Beijing. It was located in the center of the busy city of Beijing, just north of the forbidden city, incredibly well-located, inside Ring #1. In 2007 it was one of the hostels that I checked out after my Hong Kong International School Reunion. Nanluoguxiang Hutong (Alley) is to Beijing what "the village" is to New York City. The management and staff of this hostel made sure everyone felt welcome. It was clean and according to incoming guests who switched from five star hotels, the mattresses were, yup, "superior".

So dudes, if you are headed for China, and only want to spend about $8.00 per night for an awesome place to stay which includes breakfast, check it out...Beijing Downtown Backpackers Hostel!!

Mexico Olympics 1968

Financially, Mexico '68 was profitable because of my work at CBS News. (How can I NOT discuss the economics of Olympic Games during t h i s October of 2008! Sheez all the graphs and charts this October look like the cliffs of Dana Point! Oh how I am reminded of the root word of "investment" and the root word of the word "credit". Investment comes from the Latin word of garment, thus something coming INto the pocket of the garment, and as most of you know, credit comes from credere to believe...credo...or I believe you will pay me back!)

Although I did not see or witness the student uprising prior to the games, it was incredibly serious and I believe over 200 hundred were killed just weeks before Opening Ceremony. These games came soon after Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were shot. Such sad times but again, I was living in Asia surrounded by joyous sixth graders at Hong Kong International School.   As the thousands of doves were released at Opening Ceremony the world was yearning for PEACE.

Getting hired by Bert Quint was awesome, working whether in the office or out of the office was totally enjoyable. In the office we had a teletype machine, busy phones, good vibes, and people coming and going often. I greeted them and assisted them with their needs. Heywood Hale Broun, American Sportswriter and "poetic" commentator and his wife were a joy to take around Mexico City. Marjorie Margolies, from Philadelphia, was another visiting broadcaster (who I should look up one day). When I worked the phones in the office I was most excited hearing Walter Cronkite's voice on the other end.  Our office was on one of main streets, Avenida Reforma, and quite often I would go off to the games. In those days we did not have credentials as we do today. We had a goldish medal and when wearing that around our necks we were free to go everywhere, opening ceremony, all the venues and of course inside the Olympic Village. The Village had great food, great fun and great everything.  The signage was artistically created and it was easy to spot from a distance. We just had to look for the big P for PRENSA, therefore learning logistics was easy.  Learning about Olympic Protocol was new for me but just being proper covered most of it and having parents like mine made that easier because they gave us the basics plus a bit of etiquette as well when we were young.  My "broken" Spanish came in handy and my craving for Mexican food was satisfied.

And ohhhh that MARIACHI MUSIC...it was everywhere...OLEY!!!

So How Did All of This "Olympicism" Start Anyway...

Yes, I will go back to find some of the pics and journals and post parts of them later. But until then, quite simply, there were many circumstances. Among them, swimming in the NJ State finals and living near a beautiful ocean, greeting foreigners at a convention city adjacent to my home town, Ventnor, at the New Jersey Shore, having parents that realized traveling was an education, loving sports, and loving life certainly helped to make ten olympics possible. Knowing people who encouraged me like Eleanor Weems of Long Beach, California certainly made a big impression on me as a young girl. And before my first Olympics in Mexico '68 I became even more curious during my year of teaching in Japan because it was soon after the '64 Olympics and quite often I was stopped while riding my bike in Tokyo for an autograph. I had to explain that even though I might have looked like one of the athletes, I was not. That was 1966. In 1967 when I spoke about the olympics while living and teaching in Hong Kong, for the most part, I heard discouraging words. A year later I found myself walking down Avenida Reforma in Mexico City headed for the CBS News office. Bert Quint was chief of the Latin America Bureau in those days and although I did not have an appointment he had a look at my resume and said that my resume would even be better with CBS News on it. And I was hired!

Now what exactly was it like to work for CBS News during the exciting Olympic months in 1968? That deserves a post or two in October. (Yes, I will also cover some of the adventures that I skipped in China.)

Speechless..."Home, Home on the Beach!"

Left my voice in Beijing. Yes, indeed. It was gradually disappearing in Ned's on Nanluoguxiang (I'll have fun posting about Ned's in the future.) Then it was going more rapidly when good friends Shirley Lind and Nancy Ryder met me after a long long flight via Korea. My voice was totally gone as we drove south on PCH and stopped in Laguna for a pit stop. I stood on one of the patios of the beautiful new coastal home of the Sawdei Family, another OLYMPIC SPIRIT FAMILY, and after Mike Sawdei gave us a royal tour I simply paused and whispered to my sparkling ocean..."I'm HOME".

(You will hear more about the Sawdei Family, and more about Shirley as I weave stories of past Olympics into my blog)

Thank you Johnson and Johnson, Closing Ceremony was AWESOME

Soooo what was Closing Day of the Beijing Olympics like for me. (I know, I know, I am skipping a lot of Olympic days and Olympic nights but...later! )

Had the standard western style hostel breakfast...one egg, fresh fruit, a sausage, 3 pieces of toast, butter and jam. The Downtown Backpacker Hostel is as central as central can get yet tucked away in artsy cozy hutong. I need to write a post ONLY about this hostel when I am home in Dana Point. Anyway, after breakfast I chatted with Apple and the girls at the front desk, chatted with Stan from Canada and a few others in the hostel lounge, helped some newcomers to the hostel, taught a bit of English and in between wondered how and if it was possible to get Closing Ceremony. When I thought about doing what I did to get in Opening Ceremony, I just pictured rows and rows of soldiers who were responding to the crowd control experts. Their goal to get everyone moving at least a kilometer, maybe more, away from the Bird’s Nest discouraged me. It sure is a good thing I did not have this knowledge prior to opening, aye? What alternative options do I have...hmmm...

I remembered visiting my son Don when he lived near Cole Street in San Francisco. “That was Craig of craigslist” someone told me as I exited a coffee shop during one of my visits. (Both of my kids, Don and Marion, are great and once they asked me a question about the thing I liked best about myself. I remember answering...I don’t think that I could ever be bored because I am interested in so many things but most of all, it is always entertaining for me to see HOW I will be and how I will react to new unpredictable situations.)

Anyway, here I was on the other side of the world in an unpredictable situation and craigslist.com popped into my head. I was able to get online clicked on “China”, clicked on “Beijing”, and yesss, clicked on “tickets”. Wow, saw many ads but too expensive. So I placed an ad. As the morning passed I got some responses but my sim card from Chinesesims in Massachusetts didn’t work in my Samsung camera (2meg) phone and the front desk was busy and didn’t want to bother them. Then Fiona a local girl from this neighborhood who joined me in Sanlitan at Ciro’s one night, happened to come and visit me and...sweet...she had a local cell phone and happily answered the ad responses. The prices were way way out of my range. So nada, niente...nothing was reasonable.

That’s that! So I decided to prepare and pack with my sign-making department...a few magic markers, a large paper and tape. After cleaning up a bit and showering, started to head out to the alley for the Olympic Green. I went only a short distance and returned to the hostel, and something made me return. What was it that was turning me back after taking only a few steps from the hostel? Ping pong pong ping. You tell me what you think and I but here’s what I think...THAT OLYMPIC SPIRIT!

It must also have been Craig. After being asked several times in an interview once what he would sell his company for, and after repeatedly saying it is not for sale, finally, after being asked if there was ANYTHING that he would exchange his company for, he responded with...”WORLD PEACE!” Cool dude, aye? And really ANYONE who plants seeds for world peace, whether they know it or not, has the olympic spirit, after all, “oneness of humanity”...and the stuff that makes us human with all our faults...that is the theme for every olympics. And every olympics that I experienced has been sort of an invisible but giant global social worker.

Now THIS is why I will sing the praises not only of Craig but of Johnson and Johnson forever. I checked craigslist one LAST time and YESSS there was a short ad because of a co-worker who had to fly home to the states had heat exhaustion and am quite sure because, like our family, they did not want to waste! The olympic fire within began to flame up. So off I went, PRONTO, not even returing my sign-making department to my room, to catch a cab in order NOT TO WASTE that ticket! Was OHHHHHH so grateful to experience, from the “50 yard line” and the 13th row, CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE BEIJING GAMES! 2008 Thank yous to the JOHNSON AND JOHNSON gold medal sponsor team!

Crowd Surfing at Holland's Heineken House

Sooo, the Heineken House is huge. There is a large long hall for partying with a stage at the end. There are also restaurants, shops, and even a Dutch bakery. Dutch TV broadcasts its Olympic programs from the roof. There are also beer gardens outside and although I forget that I am in China when I am there...ping pong tables are available. Krokets were tasty, ice cream and T shirts were half price and beer was a bit expensive but whoever set this place up and orchestrated all this fun deserved it.

Last night thousands were there drinking, laughing, singing and dancing the night away. I was probably 500 people away from the stage but it didn’t matter because there were large monitors around the perimeter. Fantasic atmosphere! “Take me home West Virginia, Uuuu Oooo, We are the Champions” and fun dutch songs made our spirits soar. Because there were SO many Dutch gold medal recipients Friday night was the best. Screams of excitement made the walls bounce along with the best music in Beijing and with the dutch singer/entertainer on the stage WITH the dancing olympic flame as the gold medal girls hockey team entered the stage. Hearts were beating to the drums as the team, one by one, dove into the animated audience for “crowd surfing”. It was a wildly happy night.

A Chinese investment banker who I met the other day recognized me in that maze of orange, Mr. Mo. “Don’t you remember me?” he asked, “You were talking with my friend”. Well I have been talking with a LOT of people and aprox sixteen million people live here in Beijing, so I needed another hint! What another coincidence! Mr. Mo's friend, who loves skiing in the USA, and I chatted on and on the other day outside the Olympic Green. (Sheez Tom Reynolds, I was wishing YOU were there!)

Then I bumped into Roelef who I was with earlier. Roelef is a Dutch backpacker from our hostel who has been to China seven times. How could I miss him, in his wooden shoes, his orange hat with big tulips bouncing above. He talks to everyone and everyone talks to him. Such a character!

Dutch politicians and Royalty like crown prince Willem-Alexander, princess Maxima, prime minister Balkenende, the mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen and other politicians frequent the Heineken House as well as our motley yet REGAL backpackers!!!

So, I could go on, but if there was a medal for party people, Holland would get, yup, the GOLD!