My Experience at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Written and photographed by Leah Miller
I recently was privileged with the opportunity to go to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The Olympics were quite fun and energetic. I was able to watch the men’s skeleton and two of the women’s quarterfinal ice hockey games. The men’s skeleton was particularly exciting because, while watching from the finish line, we saw Korea’s Yun Sung-bin (a.k.a. Ironman) set record times that would earn him a gold medal.
Smiling faces could be seen from all around. Instant friendships were made once people saw their home flags and colors. I actually met someone from my home state back in the U.S. because I was holding a sign showcasing where I was from. What is more, to my astonishment, this individual was one of the staff from the American television network NBC and was on site to record and livestream the Olympics.
Despite the language barriers resulting from all the various nationalities present, comradery was easily seen between participants, and bonds were made in spite of individuals’ support for different countries. One of the coolest things I saw during my time in Pyeongchang transpired when two men from Switzerland came to catch a bus and, in doing so, encountered some other individuals from Ireland. Both sides did their countries’ respective cheers and then they exchanged pleasantries with each other in English. They each established who they were and where they hailed from and then, suddenly, switched to speaking in fluent French. The group became instant friends and continued passing jokes the entire bus ride. The lighthearted feelings spread by the group were so infectious that the bus driver was even joining in on the laughter.
Music set the mood for one of the venues, and people could be seen dancing, playing, and taking selfies in line. Overall, most of the spectators were just happy to be there and were enjoying themselves. Many even made instant connections with others in line. Everything from taking pictures with those in extremely patriotic and wacky costumes to seeing others singing and dancing with reckless abandon was visible in the waiting lines. We even connected with two women who had seen us dancing in line. After talking, we later saw those same women on the big screen during the ice hockey game and cheered excitedly for them as they danced for the camera. While watching the women’s ice hockey games, it was clear that many of the spectators were not from the competing countries, yet they were cheering fanatically for the teams as if they were their own.
From cheering next to a person who was cheering on another team, to the unspoken etiquette of taking pictures for others in front of statues without even being asked, to the smiling and friendly faces of the staff, my entire time spent at the Olympics was wonderful and truly memorable. When I say the experience of the Olympics was more fun that the actual games, I mean that experiencing the crowds and how most were on one accord was the highlight. No matter what has been going on in the world lately, we all were connected to cheer on our countries and appreciate the countries and cultures of those around us.
THE AUTHOR
Leah is a small town girl from south Georgia who currently lives in Gwangju. She works at Brighton/JLS, and in her free time, she learns Korean and travels with friends to different places on mini-adventures. She’s blessed, is loving life, and is super excited to see what God has in store for her.