Wow! What a big deal! There were lines of different
countries, and crowds of Slovakian fans. All of the athletes were paraded down
a street and herded into a stadium that they had set up especially for the
evening. The president of Slovakia gave a very heartfelt speech, as did the
president of FISU. I was pleased to hear them support all types of strength:
mental, social, physical, and academic! They encouraged each athlete to tap into their talents and
use them as avenues of change in our world that is so broken. The crowd bustled
with exhilaration. There were 27 countries all neatly aligned, I wondered how
many of them understood the speeches that were delivered in English. My mind
was filled with so much excitement I could barely focus. The words “broken” and
“unrest” rang loud in my mind as I listened to the speech and observed the many
cultures around me. After further reflection I was reminded of the chapter in
our class book about climate change and its effects in our world. The chapter that I had just finished
discussed all of the problems that surrounded Hurricane Katrina, specifically with
the downfall of the health care. People were left trapped in hospitals without
medical records, electricity, or proper care. One witness described the destruction of New Orleans as a
third world country. I couldn’t help thinking about the Ukrainians standing
next to me, and the horrible political turmoil that they have been dealing
with. They certainly were not used to a comfortable American life. With all of
these cultural groups gathered together I became curious about their stories.
Had any of them been effected by a natural disaster? How has climate change affected these different peoples
lives? There has certainly been
political unrest amongst several of these countries. So many people, all with
different stories! I will never know all of the vast histories or the intricate
details of each person’s story. Even though there are many varying stories and
backgrounds amongst us, there is one thing that binds us all together, skiing!
We love skiing! There are many passions that build a skier, amongst them there
tends to be a love for snow, nature, adventure, and beauty. Each athlete at the
opening ceremonies probably had their own distracted thoughts during the
speeches, but it is my hope that each one of them was able to pull together
their unique skills and passions to work towards beauty and peace in the places
that we live.
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| The President of Slovakia speaks at the opening ceremonies |
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