Report from Singapore 2

Hey folks!

Next update from sunny Singapore! We've been here now for four days and so far, it's been going great. The atmosphere is really inspiring and although I've been to quite a few events, hardly any of these were organized as perfectly as this one.

So what have we been up to in those four days? Maybe you know the feeling when you move to a different place: The first few days, you feel kind of lost, because you don't know the most simple things: Where is the supermarket? Where can I do my laundry? Where is the bus stop? The same is true with us (although unfortunately we are only moving here for two weeks). Basically, we just got accustomed with the surrounding, tried to find our way to the dining hall and the diverse training facilities and just get into the Games mindset. Oh, and of course we also started to neatly decorating our two floors, as you can see in the picture.

Yesterday, the village was officially opened with, in the truest sense of the word, a big bang. When we were in Singapore in March for the Young Ambassador seminar, we had a drum workshop. (Btw: The same drumming session is a part of the CEP and will be open for athletes!) . And yesterday, we got the YA and CEP champs back together to act as the opening act for the Village's opening ceremony.

After spending the day getting back into the groove (1-2-3-BANANA!), we hit the stage at half past eight. And I tell you what: Going out on this stage, where several hundred people were watching the show, really gave us chills, despite outside temperatures of 30° C. Our performance was really nice and people seemed to enjoy it very much.Some when in the show, I got really carried away and I banged my drum so hard that my hand started to bleed. It was just a small bruise, however, now I can genuinely say that I am spending blood and sweat on the Games (I think I'll skip the tears on this one).

Today, the first ever Youth Olympic Games will be officially opened and we are all really excited what the Opening Ceremony is going to be like. I went by the stage the other day while running some errands in the city and it's just massive. I have a very good feeling that this is going to be a very special night. So make sure to follow it LIVE via the web stream you can access HERE (Channel 1).

As always, you can also check out our official Facebook fanpage, where we always love to receive your comments.

So long,
Florian

Picture 2, 3 © Callum Ng, Pictrure 4 © Erin Kennedy