A Special Olympics Report 

Dear staff and students of Murrumbeena,

Firstly, thinking of you during lockdown #6. I cannot imagine how much stress everyone must be feeling; to navigate switching between remote and face-to-face learning on such short notice while trying to nurture everything else that comes with teaching. Big hugs and love to you all.

Secondly, konnichiwa from the Olympic Cycling Village, Shizuoka, Japan. Amidst all the uncertainty leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, I have been fortunate to embark on my Olympic volunteer journey. My role as team leader in the Olympic Cycling Village include helping to organise the daily group of volunteers in the Villages Management team.

As part of the Villages Management team, a day in the life of a volunteer might look like this:

A half an hour bus ride through mountainous terrain with some hairpin turns takes us to the cycling residential village. Everyone who enters must check-in and bag screen for security purposes, as well as take covid-19 countermeasures. There is a good 20-minute walk uphill in the humid summer heat to arrive at our initial meeting area. Various roles that we then do throughout the day include helping the smooth running at the check-in hall, greeting and responding to queries, attending at the laundry desk, general housekeeping, as well as cultural activities such as origami and large displays to create a more welcoming atmosphere.

My highlight has been meeting all the other volunteers who have been an absolute joy to work with. Many people have come from many different areas and places, with a goal to make the athletes' and teams' experience, one to remember. Taking the time to listen has been vital when bringing together a group of people of different ages, work experience, expectations and personal needs. It has been a welcome reminder to me that everyone with their diverse life experiences have something important to contribute. I feel that students at Murrumbeena already have an excellent foundation to appreciate diverse perspectives through their PYP learning.

It has also been a highlight to interact with athletes and their teams away from their competition space in a slightly more relaxed atmosphere. I have been welcoming athletes and teams by saying hello and thank-you in the languages of their National Olympic Committees (NOC; this is used rather than 'country', as 'country' can have quite contentious meanings for different areas in the world), as well as a ‘konnichiwa’. Team members return the greeting with a big smile on their faces and some also responded in Japanese and could speak very well too. I feel really lucky that in Australia, and especially at Murrumbeena, we have the opportunity to learn amongst so many different cultures every day. If it weren’t for those prior experiences, I may not have felt so courageous in just giving different languages a go. Being able to meet the athletes out of their competition space also reminded me of the challenges that athletes encounter being away from home, while also preparing for their best performance: travelling many hours, navigating different environments with language and cultural barriers, living

somewhere different where they may not have everything they would prefer and being away from their support of family and friends.

I started writing this during the Olympics and now I can't believe that the Olympics has come to an end. I hope that you all managed to watch the closing ceremony; you will have to tell me all about it, as I was at the Cycling Village at the time. Looking forward to cheering on the Paralympians during the Paralympic Games (starting August 24th) and I hope you all are too.

Miss you all and keep well,

Maki Sensei

P.S. Photo: A womens’ track cyclist medallist gave her bouquet to us while we were clapping and giving our congratulations. The generosity that the athletes and teams have shown has been heartwarming and something I will continue to remember.

Medallists receive this bouquet along with a ‘Miraitowa’ mascot toy and their medal.