Canada House opened today as any good Canadian venue should: with breakfast. The pancakes, music, and maple syrup were all in plentiful supply this morning as Canada House opened its doors on the first day of Olympic competition.
The mood was all "Please" and "Thank yous," "After you" and "I insist." Even though it was packed, everyone was eager to make space for one more hungry Canadian. Families with kids, and glass-eyed spectators alike ate with verve and cheer.
We as Canadians, after all, have a lot to cheer about at these Olympics as our nation gets to host the world and demonstrate our hospitality.
Even though the games represent the panicle of international competition, the mood within the village is anything but competitive. The conversation this morning buzzed with last night’s ceremony event. In true Olympic opening ceremony fashion, something had to go slightly wrong.
Off the top of my mind, I remember a foible in Sydney with the hydraulics, and a big scandal in Beijing involving the replacement of one little girl who could sing for a more aesthetically pleasing one who couldn't.
However, unlike those ceremonies, ours was received by Canadians with whit and comedy. We are able to laugh at ourselves and let others in on the joke. By comparison to other opening mishaps, cutting to Steve Nash awkwardly looking around, signaling the hydraulic malfunction was more hilarious than embarrassing. Moreover, the rest of the ceremony was downright spectacular. The lighting effects with the whales, the fiddling and dancing routine, and KD Lang’s beautiful rendition of Halleluiah were just a few highlights.
So what if the delegates were a bit late and Wayne had to fend off some ‘jovial’ yahoos when travelling to the outside torch site. As Canadians, we expect these lesser important quirks.
Remember when Chrétien got ‘attacked’ with a pie to the face? Or when our flag was hung upside down during a medal ceremony? Or who could forget Rebagliati’s ‘performance enhancement’?
While other nations would be embarrassed, we take it in stride, and let out a collective chuckle over some pancakes.
Stay tuned to www.snowseekers.ca/olympicnews for daily blogs, videos and more throughout the Olympics.
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