Today we started with the hospitality training. This includes getting to know the team. Many are temps hired by our agency - of which many speak Chinese - very handy . . . . We are 35 in total and from many nationalities - many Kiwis, French, Canadian, Swiss, Danish, Brittish and American . So it's getting to know each other, run through protocol, do's and don'ts, getting to know the Hotel the guests will be staying at and the hospitality plan in detail. On the left a picture of our "dungeon"- the hospitality command centre.
The hosts will be carrying the Lenovo "lolipop"- beats an umbrealla hé !! The prototype I am holding is still quite heavy but the final version will be much lighter - Thank goodness!
In the afternoon we all did a trial run of one of the leissure tours - the Houhai. This will be a tour for all 168 guests - in 4 waves luckilly. This is an area that used to be part of the "Forbidden City". It's an old area with small houses over 200 years old and very authentic. They used to be owned by notable Beijing writers and artists. Now there are also many little shops, bars and restaurants. Travelling around in Reiksjas made this an even better experience but makes the program all that more complex. A visit into one of the houses adds to the local flavour - where e our hosts - Mr Wong and his wife that are now pensioners live wit htheir 2 sons and their families (9 people on 200 m2) spoke of their family and traditions as we sat in their living room and admired a vine they have grown in a pot for over 45 years !!! The evening was closed off by a lovelly meal in a garden and a dancing lesson !!! Not quite sure where that fits in but certainly got us up close and personal . . ..
Ciao for now - will keep you posted as we continue to prepare for the Games.xx
1 comment:
no pictures of the dancing?
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