Friday, August 8, 2008

08-08-08

I hope you all don't mind me posting here, but I wanted to reach out to the community on this auspicious evening. As I watch the television replay of the Olympic Opening Ceremony I am awe-struck by the beauty of the performance, the number of people involved in the art and in the sports in the weeks to come, and the variety of color and culture you can see as the delegations enter the arena. The commentators for NBC are sharing interesting tid-bits about certain countries (i.e. there has never been a female athlete from Saudi Arabia, at least partially because no female can travel without the permission of a male guardian) and the athletes are gathering in the center of the field, creating a colorful tapestry of costumes and smiles.

I hope that everyone in the CSIHSIS community will embrace the Olympics and this amazing time not only as a chance to see greatness in athletics, but also as an opportunity to learn about some countries, cultures, and people currently unfamiliar to us. The world is a truly magnificent place with secrets tucked away in places you might not even recognize as countries, and we all have a lot to learn.

2 comments:

Aimee Horowitz said...

I too watched the opening ceremonies in amazement. I was awed by the beauty and symbolism of Chinese culture and history in the ceremony. They drums, the moveable type, the paper, the way that the importance of water was symbolized and the use of 2008 people and other forms of numerology in the performances was just so "Chinese." It is also wonderful to look at the sights-both the places I have been and the many that I still want to visit when I hopefully visit China for a third time. Hope you all are watching and taking all of this in as well.

Aimee Horowitz said...

Just wondering what all of you think about the women's gymnastics and the controversy over whether all of the gymnasts are at least 16 years old. I heard Bella Karoli (not sure of the spelling) discussing how there is no way that most of those Chinese gymnasts are 16. Although their performance was amazing as was the Americans, when I saw the Chinese athletes I too couldn't help but notice how petite they were and how undeveloped their bodies are. Just wondering what you all think!!!