I am here at the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) so for my last post...I need to talk about themThe games have been held and organised every two years, this is the 18th games so can you work out what year they started? Answer at the bottom of this post. The USA was the first country to suggest the idea, they had a Police Olympics dating back to the 1960s. Over the years the idea to increase the participating countries evolved into what is now known as the World Police and Fire Games. They have been held across the continents:
Even Australia has hosted on two occasions. This is the first time it has been held in Asia and Chengdu residents seem pretty happy to be involved. The games, is the second biggest international sporting event on the planet, second only to the Olympics. Every event garners over 10,000 athletes, competing in a range of individual and team sports.
This is my final blog post! You can check out the WPFG website and I'll be back blogging and travelling soon.
See you later alligators.
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As most of you know. I have two passions in my life. One is educating the young minds of tomorrow as a primary school teacher. The other is being an MC, a compere, a host! Call it what you want, my second love is entertaining a crowd on the microphone. This trip to Chengdu has allowed me to craft my hosting game even more as I attempt to entertain people from across the world and engage an audience that potentially doesn't understand what I am saying. Each evening I have worked alongside a range of hosts from across China to bring games and events to the crowds of athletes who have finished their sports for the day and want to spend their Chendgu nights being entertained. The night starts around 6.30pm when I get given a heap of prizes to award (merchandise, tickets, food and drink). It is my job to create and play games to find winners for these prizes. So far my activities have ranged from skilled tasks to group games, including...
Once all prizes are given out and the seating area is appropriately filled, it is time for the party to start. At 7.30, the organisers have planned lots of different performances and shows for the stage. So far I have seen:
Through all of these performances it has been a real thrill to MC the evenings alongside Chengdu residents, most of whom work for the local TV network. I am the English translator for their Chinese interjections (As I don't speak Chinese I just make my own up as we go along). This has been a huge experience for my resume and I hope it paves the way for more international opportunities in the future. The most important lesson I have learnt is, the best way to overcome a language barrier and the only way to teach is by demonstrations and modelling! Pandas, Hotpots and Parks I work every evening at these games which gives me a lot of free time in the day to explore and get involved in the city of CHENGDU.
Chengdu is a place full of people (nearly 9 million to be exact) but it is also a place full of activities. This is only a short update as I have written about most of these things in the Example Report that I am giving to the class I am currently teaching in Room 20. On Monday I had the pleasure of visiting the Chengdu Panda Research and Breeding facility. It was such a hot day which meant a lot of the pandas were inside. I still was able to see a group of Giant Pandas munching away on bamboo and two HUGE pandas having a bit of a play fight. It was such a treat to be able to see these beautiful creatures. Tuesday saw me experience the Chengdu cuisine of HOTPOT! It is a very communal activity and I was lucky to be invited by a lot of the volunteers from the games to go to a local HotPot place. Each table has a bit gas hob in the middle where the pan (full of Sichuan spices) is placed, once it is boiling you are able to place your raw meat and vegetables in the hotpot to cook them yourself. I loved eating all sorts of meat and cooking raw potatoes in the spicy broth, although, it was a little too spicy for me! Today was a busy day of walking, the city of Chengdu is well connected by the subway system. With 5 different lines spanning the length and breadth of the city I was able to visit lots of sites and tick off some of the big attractions. My first stop, the Chungxi road shopping district was full of department stores and fancy brands. I moved on the find the Daci Temple, A Buddhist Monastery in downtown Chendgu. Next it was time to visit Tianfu square and the Peoples Park. I sat down at one of the famous tea houses to enjoy a green tea by the man-made lake and to tick off another tradition I had my ears cleaned...it was very strange and I have to admit I didn't particularly enjoy paying for this ticklish/painful service! Finally I stopped by the Khuanzhai Alleys. Filled with people it was fantastic to walk through stalls selling everything from food to souvenirs, jewelry to toys. I loved the hustle and bustle. I have really enjoyed getting to know the city of Chengdu. I hope to see more tomorrow! For my students reading this. You should be onto your report planning and writing. Have a look HERE to get an idea on how your report should be structured and what topics you might like to choose. What a fantastic way to start my trip.
I arrived with lots of volunteers waiting to greet me at the airport, they sorted me out in a taxi and I journeyed to the destination - 'Century City'. After sorting out all of my credentials, it was time to get into hosting for the evening. It was a busy night, I needed to meet lots of different people like some of the athletes, my boss and most importantly, my co host. His name is Mark and he will host in Chinese and I will do the English version! Yesterday I used my free public transport pass (A perk of attending the games) to visit the world's largest building. Inside it has a huge indoor swimming pool, 2 cinemas, an ice skating rink and hundreds of shops. It also is home to lots of business offices and has its own metro train station. It was awe-inspiring. I couldn't believe the size on the outside and the beauty on the inside. As it was Saturday there were people everywhere you looked. I didn't manage to swim...maybe next Friday! In the evening, it was time for another hosting opportunity. We had dancing robots to start the party and a Chinese band known as 7,8,9. Next, it was game time with lots of prizes on the line, I played a game involving frisbee throwing some Panda hats! Finally, a dance floor disco to finish. It was a cracking night and finished rather late. I hope the week is excellent Room 20 . I will check in with some sport updates soon. Tomorrow I am heading to the Panda Research Centre. Excited to see lots of Giant Pandas.
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November 2023
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