By Libby Kingman, Tour Volunteer
You don't normally think of Uganda when you think of the Winter Olympics, but that didn't keep us from bringing our show to the world stage! After being on the road for several day s travelling from Southern California, we eventually made it to Vancouver. When we arrived at the border, a border officer came on the bus with a stern look. Everyone became very, very quiet. Then he quickly eased the tension with wishes to have a good time! Canadian humor, we guess.
On Sunday afternoon, we took the Sky Tran into downtown Vancouver, where all the Olympic action was happening. Most of the kids had never been on a train before, and some were visibly nervous prior to boarding. Jimmy was worried about the high speed of the train, but didn't stay nervous for too long. He quickly made friends with the train officer, who explained to Jimmy all about Vancouver and the Olympics.
Downtown Vancouver was packed with tons of Olympic-goers—and probably Olympians, too—but we were surprised how many people wanted pictures and autographs from Spirit of Uganda. As we walked through downtown, we saw a poster on a telephone pole advertising Spirit of Uganda's performance—including a great picture of Brian Odong. Who would have thought that, in a city of Olympic athletes, a bunch of kids from Africa would be getting so much attention?
Monday night brought a great performance at the Orpheum Theater. Then on Tuesday, all of us bundled up for a trip to the Richmond O-Zone, which was near the Olympic long-track speed skating oval. As always, it was a team effort loading in and out. But the area was bursting with people, and Spirit of Uganda drew a crowd even while the kids were warming up. Not that they ever warmed up completely, seeing as how they were dancing barefoot in sub-freezing temperatures. But despite the 
cold, the kids were engaging and entertaining as always. More than 2,000 people joined us for this outdoor show, so everything was broadcast on a giant Videotron. Spirit of Uganda on the big screen!
Performing at the 
Olympics created a special memory for all of us and we were thrilled to have been a part of such an international event. With that under our belt, we packed up and headed back across the border.
