Here we are. The first working day and adjusting myself to this new life for 4 weeks. I need to admit right from the start that I am NOT a huge fan of samba music – in fact I get rather bored to listen to it. Just too much the same, wagging your hips and singing in a whining tone. Well we are all entitled to our music taste, but then I do admit that this Tico Tico-waddling gives you extra energy. Certainly after being more or less awake for 41 hours.

My journey started Thursday 28th July at 2.00 in the morning with a taxi ride to Helsinki airport, after just being awake all day. Somebody said it would not be useful to sleep just few hours before (This issue will be addressed later – you bet!). And when you then suddenly realise the flight is actually “a holiday flight” with loads of children aboard, well I might say a few words, unprintable, in my mind as I did. Those toddlers with their endless questions of what’s going to happen next, when something is going to happen next, why isn’t something happening next – you really feel that something WILL happen very soon, unless…

I’m a mother and a decent citizen so I just bite my tongue and hope to be in a coma for a while. And I do wonder why hasn’t somebody, a hypnotizer or whatever, made this fabulous invention and marketing idea, of selling hypnosis/trance-traveling for people like me, who are afraid of flying. Just imagine going to the airport and just doze off for a while and then wake up at the end of the destination, just as nothing had happened! Would be such a perfect match for me. Please, do it! Somebody!

To my surprise I survived the flight, once again. For a rational person like me, it is beyond my reasonable thinking how it is possible for anything as huge as an apartment building to fly? Isn’t that just impossible? I hate these big planes. Period. Although, inspite of some two hours of turbulence, at the very moment when people try to sleep, the Portuguese airlines did well. I admit that. I got my special meals and didn’t get any panic attacks. Isn’t that unbelievable?

So when I finally get my group of 20 people into the bus, I feel like I’m invincible. Only one mishap with an accreditation couldn’t spoil the busride to the hotel. After all, we did see a very small strip of the beach (if you sat on the left side of the bus) and an even smaller white spot of a statue (if you sat on the right side of the bus). What’s more to see? The statue Christ not as a such small spot?

First day at Maracana stadium was humid and manageable. Good food and meeting all the friends from previous games makes me happy. Countries represented at the compound are numerous. We are all supposed to wear the uniform – the worst-ever-colouring-match-on-earth, and the swapping started immediately. Some people have gained weight and some lost it for the period of 8 months. Quite obvious what was the outcome for me. And with this catering food, I fear the worst.

We are flexible people. We have to be. But then we are chosen to do a fantastic show for the world to see. More about that later! And with these elevating words I will finish my first report from Rio Olympics 2016. I might even continue to update in English, if you want. Even with the misspellings. You get what you get 😉