Olympics

The stands at approx. 5am.

Watching the Opening Ceremony

My shack

 So yes, I worked at the Olympic Games 2012! I worked with a catering company at Eton Dorney (the site of the rowing). I stayed with some other Worcester people in uni-esque onsite accommodation. 

James' floury handprints on me and Tash

The people I worked with were completely fantastic. I was put on a pizza unit, which involved making boxes, using tills, and then actually making the pizza's and using the oven. By the end of the week, me and Tash were able to run the whole unit by ourselves, which was pretty awesome!

No, we did not wear our hair-nets.

Snuck off to watch a race

 We had a pretty good view of the rowing from where we were... as long as there were no people around! I am also proud to announce that I was there when Britain won their first Gold medal! (We'll ignore the fact that I was sat at the back of the pizza tent eating a cold margarita with Annie when it happened - we just heard a lot of cheering!) 

View of the lake

View from our pizza marquee

The shifts were a killer. Working from 5am until 5pm most days, with only a ten minute or so break, on your feet constantly... I was asked to stay on and work the second week but I literally couldn't - my body was just SO tired! I'd drag my aching feet back to the shack, then sit in the hallway in my uniform with the other girls, all moaning, and then I'd just about manage to crawl into bed. Sometimes, I even had the energy to shower.

'Guys, I seriously can't walk any further.'

For the first couple of days, I don't think that anyone - not even our manager - had a clue what they were doing. We must have given out refunds totalling hundreds of pounds. We were telling everyone that it would take 10 minutes for their pizza to be freshly made, cooked, sliced and delivered to them. Even when our manager had 50 orders in his hand. Needless to say, this was not a good move. I have never been so stressed as I was then. At some point in the week, we all cried. On the bright side, we were bought a round of drinks by a quite drunk guy - and the drinks there aren't cheap! Sitting on the floor of our pizza unit (we couldn't even face going outside to sit by the lake) drinking beer was a slight pay-off for the job.

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down...

Some days were ridiculous, but we learned to laugh about everything. It was either that or cry! I sound so over-dramatic here, but you have no idea. It was crazy. I became a pro at managing the unit, holding the order slips in my mouth whilst making the pizza's with one hand.. We should have been getting the chef's wage! 

Chocolate pizza for a 6am breakfast

One afternoon it rained, and rained, and rained. We had to close the front of the tent just leaving enough room to see one customer. We covered all the plugs and tills with cling-film in an attempt to avoid electrocution. 

I felt awful because I knew there were people out there who would have cared a whole lot more than I did about the actual Olympics part of the job. I know that when I have my own children, I'll like being able to say that I was there, I was a part of it. But I have no idea who any rowers are! To tell the truth, Tom Daley and Jessica Ennis are probably the only Olympians I would recognise. So, when late one afternoon, just before we closed, a man came up and ordered a pizza, I thought nothing of it. There were only a couple of us in there - I think the others had gone home or were restocking the fridges - so me, Tash and Tash took the order, made the pizza, put it in the huge 300 degree oven, took it out, sliced it, boxed it, and handed it to him. He proceeded to pull out a bronze medal. Assuming it was from the merchandise stand next to ours, I nodded, not paying much attention. He was saying something but to be honest I was a bit zoned out. "Yeah, so is it chocolate?" I asked, thinking it was a bit cool, but not too interested. "No, it's a bronze medal." He said, looking confused. "Yeah, a chocolate one." I replied. "No, an actual bronze medal I won earlier." he insisted. I looked, and so it was. I had just served a

Bronze medal Olympian and I didn't even know it. Looking back, I hope he didn't feel sad - he must have been so proud of his medal, and there I was, not bothered because I thought it was chocolate! Oh, the shame..

They made me a leaving pizza!

(Now for the cheesy bit.) I feel I learnt a lot more than just how to make a great pizza whilst I was there. The girls I worked with.. we just weren't the same as each other. If we had been at college, there is no way we would have ended up being friends. But throw us all together into a tough situation, stick us all in the same black clothes - and we were making up pizza-related dance routines by the third day. I learnt that you can't judge people before you know them, put them into boxes based on first sight. We all clicked so well, and I still really miss them now.

On our last night all together, we went back to my shack, and then went out for drinks. It was really really great to spend some time together outside the walls of the pizza tent!

Despite being crazy-tough, I am so glad I took the opportunity and worked at the Olympics.

But I swear, if I hear Chariots of Fire ONE MORE TIME....

The beautiful Team Flump