Catching up

Today's phrase has been "catching up."

6 a.m. to bed is not something I think I even did in college! Maybe a High School Prom night but definitely a strange time for me to turn in. I had some sleep to catch up on, especially after giving my heart a start in the Frankfurt airport. I had to catch up to my phone, which I walked away from to find some food.

When I couldn't find it, I pulled out the iPad and FaceTimed my phone. A nice lady from Lufthansa answered, we laughed (me somewhat nervously), she told me where to meet her and after 15 minutes of walking through that humongous airport, I hugged her, said "Thank you," and sat down.

The Organizing Committee (OC) has done a great job preparing for us, uniforming us and providing great transportation. Volunteers are everywhere and have been very helpful. I even had my altered suit jacket and pants delivered to my room today. Now they're looking for shoes that fit even though I told them I brought other white shoes, "just in case." But I feel like I've been catching up the whole time so far.

Paul, from Canada, is the only other English speaking swim official. A few of the head referees can converse with us but the majority of officials speak only Russian and since we speak only English, I think we're going to get to know each other well this week.

Kazan (emphasis on the first syllable) is a city of contrasts. The vestiges of the old Soviet society with rows of similar buildings is here and then the stark contrast to these fabulous new facilities. Paved streets lead into mud ones after the rain today. Exquisite dining next to high end shopping, bistros (where we ate tonight) and small stores line the Main Street in a similar fashion to most European cities.

We did some catching up on our directions and didn't get lost once, my family might be surprised (but I was with Paul the whole time).

Paul and I will be Reserve officials tomorrow, the first day of swimming, meaning a lot of sitting, being ready to step in if there is a disaqualification call, but otherwise observing the Russian  Federation protocols so we are more prepared to be part of the team for the balance of the meet. We both agreed that was a good call on their part! We'll be catching up with what to do so we don't stick out but can blend in.

Still waiting for my bag to catch up with me. It may be a miracle if it does.

I haven't figured out how to add photos from this iPad. Check out my Facebook page for those.

More tomorrow after prelims.