Alex and I are both huge fans of the Olympics. I vividly remember watching them with my grandma and grandpa when I would go visit them in the summers. And Alex loves them because it is the only time track cycling (his sport of choice) is ever televised. We have been watching them faithfully and we have a whole stash recorded on our DVR, so we can continue to watch once they are over.
It has been very interesting watching the Olympics in a country other than the good ol' US of A. Here are a few reasons why....
1) You learn there are more countries than the US, Great Britain, and China competing in the games. Sometimes it was hard to remember in the States, as those seemed to be the focus of the majority of the commentators remarks when we were watching across the pond.
2) As a matter of fact, you rarely hear about the US unless it is to say they are leading. I have learned very few fun facts about our US Olympians. :(
3) When Michael Phelps loses, especially to a South African, it's an exciting thing, not a sad one. And you will get to watch the race approximately 82 times, as well has hear from both of the winner's parents (Chad le Klos was the winner, for those of you that missed it or didn't get to see it on replay as much as I did).
4) The "Races to Watch" or "Events to Tune In" feature don't choose suggestions based on the excitement of the race, or the uniqueness or popularity of the event, but rather the events that represent as many African nations as possible.
5) The medal count is divided between "Total Medal Count" and "African Medal Count"
6) You never know who the commentators actually are...they never tell you, nor do they troll their names across the bottom of the screen as they do on NBC. After faithfully watching all the men's and women's gymnastics events, wondering who the female commentator was, I learned on the LAST DAY that it was none other than former gold medalist from Edmond, Oklahoma, Shannon Miller!
7) One of the most awesome things...I have two countries to root for....the USA and the RSA. woot!
8) Being in South Africa means I am almost watching the games in real time. There is only an hour time difference between London and Johannesburg, so we watch almost everything live!
9) There are three channels devoted to Olympics. We don't miss anything.
We love the Olympics. We are already looking forward to Rio 2016, and we hope to maybe see them in person!
It has been very interesting watching the Olympics in a country other than the good ol' US of A. Here are a few reasons why....
1) You learn there are more countries than the US, Great Britain, and China competing in the games. Sometimes it was hard to remember in the States, as those seemed to be the focus of the majority of the commentators remarks when we were watching across the pond.
2) As a matter of fact, you rarely hear about the US unless it is to say they are leading. I have learned very few fun facts about our US Olympians. :(
3) When Michael Phelps loses, especially to a South African, it's an exciting thing, not a sad one. And you will get to watch the race approximately 82 times, as well has hear from both of the winner's parents (Chad le Klos was the winner, for those of you that missed it or didn't get to see it on replay as much as I did).
4) The "Races to Watch" or "Events to Tune In" feature don't choose suggestions based on the excitement of the race, or the uniqueness or popularity of the event, but rather the events that represent as many African nations as possible.
5) The medal count is divided between "Total Medal Count" and "African Medal Count"
6) You never know who the commentators actually are...they never tell you, nor do they troll their names across the bottom of the screen as they do on NBC. After faithfully watching all the men's and women's gymnastics events, wondering who the female commentator was, I learned on the LAST DAY that it was none other than former gold medalist from Edmond, Oklahoma, Shannon Miller!
7) One of the most awesome things...I have two countries to root for....the USA and the RSA. woot!
8) Being in South Africa means I am almost watching the games in real time. There is only an hour time difference between London and Johannesburg, so we watch almost everything live!
9) There are three channels devoted to Olympics. We don't miss anything.
We love the Olympics. We are already looking forward to Rio 2016, and we hope to maybe see them in person!
