My time as GAMES MAKER! Part II

My team - NPC Finland!

It was in July when I started to ask about which team I would be nominated for. The LOCOG gave me an answer, which I was really pleased with. My team would be FINLAND! I contacted the other "Ladies" nominated to be the assistants for the team Finland, and we even managed to meet with some of them before the Paralympics started.

Our 1st day in duty was the Tuesday 21st August, week before the Openings of the Games. We met with the Chef de Mission Kimmo Mustonen and his deputy Katja Saarinen. The work started by sorting out our premises both rooms and the office and inspecting the vehicles for the team etc. I was given Citroen Picasso 7-seater to be the "nominated" driver for. The other cars were BMWs, but "my Picasso" was much bigger and much more fun to drive! 

We had a very good team of NPC assistants: Maija was our team coordinator, Reetta, Hanna B, Hanna W, Bernice and Heidi, of course. All ladies are professionals and it was my pleasure to work together with them. The first couple of days were busy arranging rooms and finding duvets for everyone. In the end it was Bernice who said to the organisers that "we have first athletes coming and they don't even have duvets on their beds, they are our guests and they should feel welcome". Finally we managed to get the quilts for every bed!


The security

The security during the games was tight - or should I say - was supposed to be: anyway the vehicle screening was conducted every time coming in or going out of the Village and even if you only cross the road to the other side... The G4S was responsible of the screening and many of the workers probably saw a car at the first time ever... (Was I a bit harsh, now?) Every time they opened the bonnet,  doors and the boot until it happened that they broke the bonnet of my beloved Picasso! The hinge snapped and the bonnet could not be closed any longer. I had to ask our Chef de Mission to come and sign a new vehicle for me. Nevertheless, I was told that it was not the first time and during the Olympics the same bonnet of the very same car had already been repaired once. I heard afterwards that it had happened 70 times and the G4S guys were no longer allowed to open any bonnets, doors or hatches when inspecting the cars! So I had to get my bum out and go around opening the doors.

Another incident with the G4S was when one of the ladies working at the vehicle screening area started to flirt with me and told how stunned she was about my "beautiful" eyes... I was not too impressed, to be honest! And this was not all; the second time a G4S lady approached me... she was actually walking a step behind me when I was opening the doors and she was sniffing the air behind me and then she told me that I smell so good! I was not too impressed about that either!!!