Team USA

We hung with the Turkish snowboard team at the top of the boarder-cross track and learned some more about the country, culture, and language. They spoke great english, and most of them had studied in America. Good Times.

Boardercross

Ski Jumping

Missed the Bus

We missed the bus by seconds, so after Nedim made a call a Turkish escort picked us up and insisted on putting boards in the trunk. Sketchy, but with a couple belts for support they stayed in all the way up to the mountain.

The Athletes Village

Every time we enter the village there is tight security. Every vehicle is swept for bombs and everyone must have an official badge to enter the gates. We then go through security just like the airport. Boards and bags must go through a scanner, andwe walk through metal detectors. The village is set up with lots of dorm buildings, with a couple counties in each one. We have a large cafeteria where all countries eat and can watch events taking place live ontv screens. It is an awesome place to sit and meet athletes from all over the world competing in all events. In case we get sick of the food there is the BK lounge.

Arrival To Erzurum Turkey

With a bumpy landing we were greeted with snow! As we enter the airport, David and I were greeted by our Turkish attache, Nedim. He is awesome. He makes sure we get to where we need to be and does the translating. He has taught us some very funny words and parts of the culture here. He keeps us laughing and in good spirits. An attache is assigned to every team sport. Nedim lucked out with the US Snowboard Team. I think he knows it.

Germany

So I ended up landing in Frankfurt, Germany. I thought LAX was a big airport, but it is nothing compared to Frankfurt International. Here is some funny signs! I think I walked over a mile and 3 stories looking for my gate.

First stop Canada

The best part about Canada was flying over some amazing mountains. But ounce I landed, everything went wrong. Apparently it is mandatory to go through customs, even if you are just making a connections. So after waiting in line and re-checking my bags, I was sprinting to my gate. Thanks to some kind souls that let me cut them in line at security, I made it to my gate just in-time to board. The security asked if I was running a marathon because I was poring sweat sprinting desperately. It was a close one.

Last American Meal

Last night moma made me my favorite meal. Steak, mashed taters, crab legs, asparagus, and bread. This morning was an early wake up call. Stumbled to my terminal at SFO and had myself some breakfast at 6:30am. Last American Meal. Who knows what I will be eating in Turkey....