My work here in Beijing is now at an end, as the Paralympics prepares for the closing ceremony but for me it has started what could hopefully be a bright future.

I have only one regret about these games in Beijing and that is that they have finally ended but there is no time to waste on matters that can’t be changed. For me it is now time to fully focus on the future.

Having the opportunity to work here as a volunteer is one thing in my life I will never regret. I have so many happy memories and have seen some fascinating sports, world records, Olympic records as well as Paralympian being set and broken.

One thing I will say is that volunteers are a key factor to the Olympics running as well as they do so hopefully in London many more people will get the same or a similar opportunity as I have.

My final work shift was last night and I watched world records come and go, something a year ago I thought would never happen, it is amazing what life can throw at you.

Also my last interview was with South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius aka the “Blade runner” who for the final race of the evening smashed the World record in the men’s 400m. What a way to finish my Paralympic experience.

From here though I have one day to pack and prepare for my long journey back to England. Whilst I have been here I feel I have matured, grown as a person learnt many lessons and improved in my journalistic capacity.

Don’t get me wrong I have also had great fun, and since I have made so many Aussie friends you learn to be slightly more out going and you constantly have fun whether it be at work or on the social side of life.

I am honoured to have been at these games, it has been a dream come true, I hope to be at 2012 for London but you never know what is round the corner, all I can say is if your young enthusiastic and love sport- get yourself to the games. It truly can be life changing!

Finally I am happy after 3 months to be going home to be reunited with my family and friends. I have to also say how happy I was writing this blog for SkillsActive, I hope in some way I have helped some of you learn more about being an Olympic volunteer and tracing some of my thoughts and feelings on the subject.

Remember this if you only remember one thing:

“Volunteers represent the Olympic Spirit”

Jacques Rogge, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee

On this final note I will say goodbye and thankyou.

Hello SkillsActive,

So far during my Paralympian bout as a flash quote reporter all is going well, just like Great Britain’s medal tally. 

It is nice to see Britain doing so well not just at the Olympics but at the Paralympics especially with 2012 just around the corner, hopefully we can surpass what we have achieved here in Beijing back home in London.

Anyway volunteering here for the Paralympics at first was a proposition I entered with a small deal of pessimism. This was mainly due to friends going home and being in a foreign country for another three weeks after living here for two months already, but to be honest the experience has been well worth while.

One of the main reasons for this is because where I work in the mixed zones after events, there is less accredited media than there was at the Olympics; meaning that you get more one on one time with athletes which not only develops your interviewing skills but also increases your confidence. 

In fact only yesterday evening I interviewed Michael McKillop of Ireland who set a new world record and won Gold in the T37 800m, winning Ireland’s first Gold medal. And he is such a nice lad, I really hope he continues his success and does well in the rest of his career.

I also interviewed the women’s greatest ever athlete Chantal Petitclerc who won the women’s 100m, the first of many events for Petitclerc, who won five Gold medals in the last games at Athens. Also with this looking like her last Paralympics it makes interviewing her even more special. 

So when you are interviewing some of the worlds great Paralympians it can be a bit daunting, however they put you as a reporter at ease and are very understanding. Something that at times wasn’t the case in the Olympics whereby athletes would blank you and then close up like a clam during the interview, this has not happened here.

Now looking back on my choice to stay here I am very happy and feel I made the right decision. I am working with a great team at the Birds Nest and flash quoting at the Paralympics is so much fun, it is exciting and to be honest this experience is going to help me as much as the Olympics did.

Finally I would like to finish of by saying congratulations team GB, keep up the good work and continue to make us proud.

Will speak to you all very soon.

Hi everyone,

The Paralympics have just begun today and I start work tomorrow. As you all probably know by now I will be working at the national stadium (Birdsnest) on Paralympic Athletics. 

This weekend I finally received my Paralympics accreditation and with it I thought a free ticket to the opening ceremony, maybe not. Unfortunately for me and my four fellow British colleagues our accreditation hadn’t been given the official stamp for the opening ceremony.

So like many Chinese, British and everyone else around the world I settled for watching it in my hotel room and enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait to start interviewing the athletes, the sooner the better!

Today I paid a visit along with colleagues to the Birdsnest to pick up our Paralympics uniform, which was quite amusing. Originally on my uniform request form I asked for a large shirt size and large trousers because the Chinese sizes are smaller than western clothing. Today I was surprised to find one medium, one large and one extra large shirt in my uniform bag and again similar problems with my trousers. The best though was my Jacket. I got a whopping 3XL which could fit me and at least one more person in, it was quite funny at the time.

I don’t mind though I am working eight days at these games and it doesn’t matter what I am wearing so long as I am down at the field of play or in the mixed zone.

Until this afternoon my mood for the Paralympics was somewhat lessoned because of my Olympic experience being so good. But now with new colleagues, new challenges such as new sports to report on, my ambition and my journalistic juices are working overtime.

 Really looking forward to working, watching and being part of these Paralympic games but when they finish I have only one day left in Beijing. I will miss this place when I’m home but I will take away so many memories, life experiences and so many new friends who I will know for years to come. Again I reiterate these Olympics have given me so many new horizons and I recommend it for many people come 2012.

I’ll speak to you all soon.

David

As a volunteer over in Beijing for eleven weeks you can’t just survive on eating junk food or eating the local cuisine all the time. I know for the London volunteers this won’t apply as much but here is a little check list of what I did.

Originally on the campus where I live there is a university canteen and a coffee shop which serves some western food mainly pasta dishes. So for a while making use of these services was very handy indeed and it meant no effort on my part. Then when I left the campus there are noodle shops just outside the main gate and a western restaurant next to the subway station. It isn’t the greatest place for a meal but it was adequate for my needs.

Also close by and everywhere in Beijing there are 24 hour McDonalds and KFC so again if I felt lazy this would be one of my hang outs for food. But there are plenty of Chinese restaurants on every street but after a while the meals became much of the same other than the dumpling house which is cheap, incredibly tasty and very close to the campus.

Although I am one of these people that finds cooking therapeutic so I found a local supermarket which unfortunately sells some products past it sell by date. So be careful, I know I was! So now with pots and pans, the meat, pasta, rice and other good student ingredients like Heinz baked beans I am cooking most evenings and when your not working like me at the moment, it helps pass the time.

I have really enjoyed living in a different country for just over two months and the independence it has given me is insurmountable. However as I mentioned in my last blog whilst living in China for so long, your hair does grow and I needed a haircut. Now let’s not forget the obvious language barrier that I was facing and my total inadequacy to learn the language. This was one Beijing experience that I thought could go rather wrong and if it hadn’t been for a friend of mine it probably would have. This week I decided to venture out and attempt to come back to the world of man and stop wearing baseball caps to cover the dead cat on my head. So I rang a Chinese friend and colleague Kevin Wang to help me on my mission.

We arrived at a salon and went in the building close to my accommodation. If looks could kill I wouldn’t be writing this blog right now as I could instantly tell my presence was not much liked in an all Chinese barbers. Kevin decided to do the talking for me – thank god and I also let him pick my style because apparently the styles in the book all involved some type of perm and I didn’t fancy looking like Kevin Keegan from his playing days.

A price was decided and then my hair was washed, clipped, chopped, blow dried washed clipped again and finally shaved.

All this was happening while Kevin took photos of me at my best looking sullen vulnerable and scared at what the end product would be. Fortunately the trip was a success but I apparently had had the same style as most Chinese students so now I look like one of the natives. That does have its positives and some negatives but the price was very reasonable 50RMB which is around 3-4 pounds so a lot cheaper than back home. I might even have another one before I go home.

So now I’m suited, booted, got a new haircut, cooking in the apartment and just about to start work for the Paralympics. Life in Beijing is good but I can’t wait to come home soon for some good British grub and the start of my university semester because when I get back home it is two days off and straight back to uni to start my final year.

The one major problem whilst being a volunteer occurred yesterday and I knew it was coming.

Originally when we set off from Sheffield two months ago twenty four of us set sail on our voyage. Now there are only eleven.

We all knew that the day would come because there were fewer volunteers required for the Paralympics but during the Olympics we bonded like a family and looked after one and other.

Like the Olympics bringing the world together for the largest sporting spectacle, it also brings the volunteers closer together both international and local. I have personally made friends from all around the globe whilst on this volunteer programme and it has opened up many doors to my future.

Although one of the main lessons I have learnt is to respect everyone not just for their attributes but also their shortcomings and our twenty four became more of a brotherhood because it was the longest we have all spent in a foreign country away from our families.

Personally though, even with the feelings of sadness as my friends and now family boarded the coach, I was happy for them because they get to go see their families. For me I am here with another ten of my new family and I know my family are at home waiting for me but they can wait another three weeks.

I am still here to do a job and to be the best volunteer I can be and embrace the Paralympics spirit as much as I can, so I can’t remain saddened but I can be happy knowing that my friends and family will all be back in Sheffield when I arrive home.

Till then there will be two weeks of work for the Paralympics but before then I will do some more travelling round the city, play some football, tennis, badminton and I will get a hair cut. This could be fun in China, wish me luck.