There is an unusual feeling around Beijing as the games begin in less than 24 hours.  The atmoshpere in the city is different than any other I have ever felt.  It's not an excitement or a nervousness, rather a mysterious calm.  Things seem too perfect.  This feeling sums up the overall feelings of the games thus far.  

It's that feeling when you walk into the Hospital, that sterile, things are too clean feeling.  As I was walked down the street this afternoon I realized that residents of Beijing are not even comfortable in this enviroment.  They are not used to being watched 24/7, not used to the high-tech security and they are certainly not used to the enviromental precautions being taken to make sure the world sees Beijing in a postive manner.

I didn't know how to describe the feeling for the first four weeks I was here, but I think that I have finally been able to identify this awkward feeling surrounding the city that will host the 2008 Summer Games.  It's that feeling when a movie director tries too hard to make too many connetions in a movie, and none of them work out.  You leave the theatre feeling like you didn't see the true product, and you almost want to go ask for a refund.

Beijing almost has the exact same feeling right now.  Deep down I know this is not the Beijing that people talk about from years, even months, past.  I want to see the "other" Beijing.  The Beijing that won the Olympic bid...not the Beijing that is less than one day away from the opening ceremony.

As I walk around the city, people's faces tell the story of the seven years from annouced winning bid, to closing ceremony.  The faces are tired, exhausted and depleted from the effort put forth to have a positive Olympic experience.  I almost feel bad for the local people.  They know what this city truly should look like, not what it looks like now.

In a sense I feel like I am missing out on the real China, the real Beijing.  I can't blame the city or the government though, because this is the biggest moment in the history of their country.  With industrialization happening in less than a blink of the eye, people around the world are wondering what the "new" China will look like.  A good Olympics could mean economic and political barriers being torn down around the world, while a bad one could mean the reversal of seven years of hard work...the effort might seem like too much, but when you look at what is on the line, can you blame the government for not taking every step to ensure that these Olympics are one of a kind.  I sure can't.