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Long queue at the check-in
counter |
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Another long queue for the Spectator
Service volunteers! |
The first match day at Brasilia between Switzerland and Ecuador! And we were supposed to reach the Centre by 7am! I woke up at 4:50am feeling stunned. It was still dark when I left the house and the guard wasn't around yet as well!
I was lucky to get a bus immediately and reached right on time. Many volunteers were already there. Some of them had to start work at 5am! On match day, we got a special sticker on our "passport" instead of the usual date stamp. Also got my first lunch bag (the Catering team hardwork) with a grape juice.
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Team countdown procedure
inside the dressing room! |
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More than 6 teams would be in here
and the first was the Swiss! |
Bid and I walked to the check-in area. At 7:30am, the queue was really long! There was also another check-in for the STS (Spectator Service) to collect their armband. Tony then asked me to join him instead to the SMC where the snacks were being prepared at the cafeteria. We waited for a long while before the food was ready. Tony shared that Jurerê beach and the beaches at Fortaleza were amazing! Met Leornado there and we helped to send the food to the dressing rooms, referee room, medical room and the LOC room around the competition area. Joao joined us later at the dressing room. While leaving the Swiss camp, I had a slight glimpse of a team member and possibly a player as well, walking into the room! We were running a little late and finished the setup just slightly after 10am, 3 hours before the kick-off.
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Leonardo showing his
stacking skills |
The three of us walked back to the Volunteer Centre ourselves after that and waited for lunch hour. With at least 800 volunteers working today, the lunch crowd was huge indeed. I stayed to help throughout the whole lunch period, which ended later during match day at 4pm. Around five, there was a discussion for all the Catering team members but unfortunately I don't understand any of it. It was a little discouraging not being able to contribute.
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| A full-house Volunteer Centre! |
Right after my lunch at 12pm, my stomach didn't feel good at all for the whole day. Went to the toilet thrice since then. Apparently, many other volunteers and staffs were having the same problem! Most of them had their symptoms last night, but I was a little late with the effect. In fact, while I was having my lunch, a fellow volunteer came over and warned me about the chicken. Probably it was the culprit but I didn't pay attention to that. Later, some reports suggested that the problem was with the spaghetti and the sauce! We were also asked to fill up a form indicating our symptoms and the food we had. When Bart was filling up his, it was really funny. Because he didn't understand Portuguese, he made up his own questions and asked "Sim" (Yes in Portuguese) himself! Leonardo was almost ROFLHAO (rolling on floor laughing his ass out!)
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Bid in the famous wrestler's
mask and this trademark pose! |
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Guess where I sign my
name on the shirt!? |
This morning, I also met Mario, Tony's boss. In the evening, I got an extra lunch bag from him!
The guys were planning to go to the Fan Fest tomorrow for the Brazilian game against Mexico as well as the Belgium's. So, I asked Tony for a swap on my schedule. Instead, I got an extra holiday! It was perfect as I was longing for a break actually. Felt like I had been waking up early in the morning for many days.
My stomach was still not feeling too good in the evening. Bart, Hector, Antonio, Leonardo and I stayed on to have our dinner at the Centre while catching the Argentine's first match against the Bosnia. After which, Bart headed home and the rest of us continued to have a drink (literally just one bottle of beer) at the Brasilia Shopping mall. It was a nice guys-only outing to end the day although just a very short one.
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