The Olympics are officially over. For 17 days, Canadians came together to celebrate the Olympic spirit and show to the world some patriotism. We were together on twitter, wrote enthusiastic blog posts about our Olympic experience, and discussed media and technology in conferences and pub gatherings around Vancouver. But, what’s next?

Today, the Canadian men’s hockey team gave us one of the most important gold medals of the Games. And that was our excuse to  high-five every single stranger that we saw on the streets. We are still celebrating our colours like there is no tomorrow, feeling patriotic, energized and strongly proud to be Canadian. However, we know that tomorrow morning our lives will go back to normal and there will be a need to cope with such unexpected patriotic energy. So, what are you going to do with your maple leafed heart?

I suggest that we transfer this new perspective to our involvement in our communities and in politics. The Olympics redirected the eyes of the whole world to Vancouver. We effectively publicized ourselves to an international audience, but like any product or service, we will need to deliver our promises soon.

Patriotism’s real meaning is to get involved in situations to attempt to find a solution. It means that you’ll vote even though you’re not obliged to, it means that you’ll take part in your city, your province, your country. Now that we have found ourselves as a nation, let’s act as one and make Canada the best place on Earth!

Go Canada Go!

Vancouver 2010: We Are a Nation! is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

Photo Credit: Clayton Perry on Flickr

In the past week, several videos have been produced or gained the spotlight for showcasing our beautiful British Columbia.  After 9 days of Winter Olympics, I came up with this small selection. Enjoy!

Video Credit: Government of B.C.

Thanks to internet, “Vancouver City” came to life. Serge Chubinsky-Orlov and Linda Ganzini had a song without a video; David and Dan Newcomb had a time-lapse video that they didn’t know what to do but decided to post on youtube. The rest is history…

Great time-lapse video of the Vectorial Elevation light-show. You can suggest a design to this collective art installation here.

Video Credit: Jon Rawlinson Productions

Another sneak preview of the Colbert Report in Vancouver. Stephen Colbert and Michael Bublé sing the Canadian Anthem to the tune of the National American Anthem.

If you are not in Vancouver, but want to see live what is happening here, here is Robson Square LIVE! (via @Miss604)

You can also watch the Olympic Flame LIVE from Vancouver Convention Centre.

STREAMING LIVE FROM VANCOUVER BC CANADA via Megasoft DVB

Vancouver 2010: You Gotta Be Here! is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

This morning, a warm Vancouverite crowd welcomed the Colbert Report show to the 2010 Winter Olympics host city. By 7:00am, hundreds of people started to line up for the Colbernation stage at Creekside Park next to Science World. The live recording started after 10:30am, giving lots of time to the show’s stage manager to “train” Colbert’s audience and speak about his connection to our city.

If you missed the chance to see Michael Bublé and Stephen Colbert today, you’ll can come tomorrow after 9:15am and be part of the second day of the Colbert Report show in Vancouver. Don’t forget to dress warm!

To help to spread the word about this major event, Colbernation’s website advises fans to download the exclusive comemorative poster and post it all over Vancouver.

Vancouver 2010: Stephen Colbert, Michael Bublé and Vancouverites is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

Science World has become a great Russian House. Thanks to my friend Veronica Rivas, Raul Pacheco and I had full access to the Russian Sochi 2014 House and the opportunity to mingle with Russians and people from all around the world.

Photo Credit: Sochi2014.com

The set up of the Sochi 2014 Russian House effectively brought a taste of Russian culture to Vancouver along with the spirit of  Sochi, the next host city of the Olympic Winter Games. Organized in different lounges, the house showcases Sochi 2014′s partners and sponsors.

The Russian virtual hosts were the high point for me. Even though the house hasn’t explored all the interactive possibilities that a virtual display could provide, it was well done and unexpected.

Speaking of interactivity, the Sochi 2014 Russian House has several activities for the little ones. Of course, they are all related to a passion shared by both Russians and Canadians. Hockey.

Raul was really impressed with the media centre. I found it the ideal place to work and keep up with all the Olympic events.

Merchandise is already available at Bosco Sport. No line-ups if you’re thinking of supporting Team Russia during the 2010 Olympic games or want to get prepared for 2014.

Sochi 2014 Russian House cultural program is outstanding. We’ve watched Dimithy Kalinin’s Palalaika show and it was mindblowing. Click here, for more information about upcoming concerts and shows.

The Sochi 2014 Russian House is open from 12:00pm – 5:00pm to the public and it’s free. The evening program is available to accredited guests only.

Vancouver 2010: Sochi 2014 Russian House is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

Another day of Olympic crazinesss in Vancouver! Another day of exciting discoveries!

On our tour on Graville Street we discovered that the Vogue Theatre (918 Granville Street) will be screening Today all the Olympic competitions for free. Tomorrow, daily tickets will be sold for $25.oo and tickets for the gold medal games will be available for $57.00. Vogue Theatre will donate $5.00 and $7.00 to the Red Cross for each day pass and gold medal tickets sold.  Weekly and all Olympic passes are also available, click here for more information.

Veronica Heringer-Ames and Shane Koyczan on Graville Street. Photo Credit: Vida Portatil

On our way to the cauldron, we bumped into Shane Koyczan, the Olympics opening ceremony poet, on Granville Street. Actually, I should say that we bumped into his fans first, then we saw who was the reason of the commotion. Koyczan is a simple guy from Penticton and seems a little bit suprised by his new celebrity status. He said on an interview to The Globe and Mail that this is a “sort of instant recognition” of a 12-year long career. Koyczan will perform soon in Vancouver. He told me that information about his upcoming shows will be posted on his Facebook group.

It was dark when we got to the Olympic cauldron. The streets close to the IBC were completely taken. I might confess that the big fence that separates the public from the cauldron annoys me. Again, if I am paying for it, I should be allowed to touch it!

Vancouver is a big colourful party. There are artists everywhere and the energy is contagious. You gotta be here!

Update:

“Shane Koyczan and the Short Story Long” will be performing on July 25th, 2010 at Guelph Hillside Festival in Guelph, ON. Visit the website for the complete Guelph Hillside Festival’s lineup.

Vancouver 2010: Vogue Theatre, Shane Koyczan and The Olympic Cauldron is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

Vancouver is the best place to be for the next two weeks. The energy, the events, the people, everything is so powerful in this city that for the first time I am feeling overwhelmed.

Imagine1day did a great job in promoting a really successful flashmob on Robson street today. Mr. Ames, Sarah Ruediger and I watched over 3,000 people dancing happily for a brief 3 minutes from Cin Cin’s balcony.

After a great lunch, we kept our adventure in Downtown Vancouver and decided to behave like tourists in our own city.

Yaletown has been lots of fun as well. People who live here are taking over the streets and partying like there is no tomorrow (and God, I love to watch everybody having fun out there!).

There are also artists entertaining whoever is on the streets. Things are hot here and Vancouver is having a great time welcoming the world!

(Yes, we saw The Bay’s broken window… and yes, there were protesters everywhere.)

Vancouver 2010: Dancing in the Street and Yaletown is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

Torch relay, day #106, bearer #43: Howe and Robson Street. Photo Credit: Vida Portatil on Flickr

It’s on! The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games have officially started, and what a great day the Heringer-Ames family had yesterday. We woke up early to see the last day of the torch relay and had lots of fun watching the Olympic flame passing by us.

Photo Credit: Vida Portatil on Flickr

It’s Carnival week in Rio de Janeiro, but apparently the Province of British Columbia has the best party happening in the word. My city is wearing red and white, people are having fun on the streets and an interesting cultural program is a temptation to whoever is in Vancouver right now. Check out the Cultural Olympiad program and visit CityCaucus.com to find some free stuff to do in Vancouver.

Mr. Ames and I tried really hard to find a place in Downtown Vancouver to watch the opening ceremony, but all the restaurants and venues that were showing it were either packed or had a 3 hour wait list. Our home with Megabite Pizza ended up being the best option, but the crowd effect was still missing, so we decided to log in to Twitter.  And yes… that was the best idea ever!

I wish I had created an event, so I could share the comments here with you. I can assure you that they were brilliant and funny! If you’re interesting in reading what Vancouverites and visitors are saying about the Olympic games, the most popular hash tags are #van2010 and #Vancouver2010.

Shane Koyczan stole my heart during the opening ceremony. I’ve watched a lot of people interpreting poetry, but this guy is so far the best that I’ve ever seen!

(I tried to get the official video of Koyczan through CTV’s website but it’s just impossible. I promise to post it here when it gets to youtube!)

Mr.Ames and I are heading down to Robson Street, between Bute and Thurlow, to watch the Dancing in the Street flashmob at 3:30pm. See you there!

Vancouver 2010: Torch Relay, Twitter and Opening Ceremony is a post from: MadameHeringer.com

                          

We are only a few hours away from the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony and Vancouver is more than ready to welcome the tourists, athletes and international delegations that are coming to share this unique moment with us. I tried to be tough and pretend that I don’t get excited with the Olympic vibe, but I must admit that Canadians are making this multicultural celebration incredibly special.

When I first arrived in Canada, I was surprised by thousands of Canadian qualities that I ended up writing a lot about in the Portuguese section of this blog. But in the last weeks, I’ve been touched so often by the traditional Canadian hospitality that I decided to let my Canadian and international readers know my 10 favourite things about the people who helped me call Canada my forever home.

1 – Canadians do smile A LOT

Lynn Valley Olympic Supporters – North Vancouver, BC. Photo Credit: BC Business Hub on Flickr

Yes, they do! And they giggle and they smile with their eyes too! They do it when they feel embarrassed, and sometimes they also smile to make you feel comfortable. They might not be the most smiley people in the world (I bet their faces would hurt a lot if they were), but they do have the most honest smiles that I’ve seen in my life.

2 – Canadians are excited about life

Torch Relay in North Vancouver, C. Photo Credit: BC Business Hub on Flickr

Living surrounded by Canadians is a great adventure. They appreciate every single minute of their day and they are always trying to find new ways to enjoy life. I’ve seen it all in three years, from crazy snowboard trips to the Christmas tree decoration party in my building.

3- Canadians are polite

Skytrain sign Photo credit: Litandmore on Flickr

“Thank you”, “I am sorry” and “please” are essential expressions in the Canadian way of life. Canadians also wait for strangers who are coming behind them before closing a door and hold the elevator for whoever is in the lobby. In Vancouver, bus drivers always greet me with a warm “Good Morning” and it’s ordinary to strike a conversation with a barista at Starbucks.

4- Canadians do protest

Wendy Pedersen of Carnegie Community Action Project protesting during the 2010 Poverty Olympics Torch Relay. Photo credit: Jay Black on Flickr

Like any other country, Canada has its own social problems and needs. The Carnegie Community Action Project believes that between 10,000 to 15,000 people are currently living in the streets of the Province of British Columbia. Around 643,000 British Columbians are living in poverty according to statistics gathered in 2007; the same province with the highest number of millionaires per capita is also the province with the poorest children in Canada.

You don’t need to agree with every single protest that happens in this city to appreciate fellow Canadians who stand up for their freedom of speech and try to make the world a better place to live.

5- Canadians are fair

T-shirt Printing at W2 Woodwards for the 2010 Legal Observers Program<BR>Photo credit: Kris Krüg on Flickr

Canadians try their best to be fair and one proof of it is the BC Civil Liberties Association which through their volunteer legal observers will be watching close the interactions between protesters and the Vancouver Police Department and private security staff during the Olympics. Click here to learn more about the BCCLA.

6- Canadians do care

Photo Credit: Duane Burnett on Flickr

Canadians really take their fundraiser efforts to the next level. It doesn’t matter if you live in a big or small city, in Canada you’ll get involved in helping people at some point of your life.

On February 16th, he group in this picture raised $2,602 dollars to assist in Haiti’s disaster relief. The funds raised were donated to the Canadian Red Cross.

7- Canadians are open to new concepts and ideas

Olympic torch relay artist shows off his finished work commemorating the event.
Photo credit: Steve.photoj on Flickr

Yes, they are. Canadians will never doubt that you’ll reach your goals and will never tell you that your dreams are only dreams. Canadians are not afraid of being silly or trying hard!

8- Canadians are good listeners

A researcher listens to mama and the new baby beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium.
Photo Credit: JakeInVan on Flickr

I don’t remember the last time that I’ve been interrupted by a Canadian. In Canada, I found the best listeners that I could wish for! In a conversation, Canadians are extra special because they do care, they are polite, they smile and they love to hear what you have to say!

9- Canadians are multicultural people

Photo Credit: -liyen- on Flickr

It doesn’t matter if you’re a new or old Canadian, we all love this land and we are all working hard to make this country the best place on Earth. Canadians are First Nations and generations of immigrants who are committed to a dream. Welcome to Canada!

10 – Canadians are proud to be Canadians

Torch Relay in Orono, ON. Photo Credit: Jim Dandy on Flickr

Indeed, Canadians are super proud to be who they are. According to Canadian Immigration and Citizenship‘s website, I still have 200 more days to go before I become a real Canadian. I know that I’ll live forever between two countries, however, during the 2010 Olympics games I’ll consider myself a real Canadian!

Let the games begin…

10 Things I Love About Canadians is a post from: MadameHeringer.com