Quinn Wilson
\nIn Motion Staff Writer<\/p>\n
A Twitter account called @SochiProblems documents the wonders of Sochi, Russia. As Olympians battle it out for the gold, people all around the world stare in wonder at the good, the bad and the downright smelly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor those of you asking, when there\u2019s no lobby in your hotel, you go to the owner\u2019s bedroom to check in,\u201d Mark MacKinnon, the Globe\u2019s Senior National Correspondent, tweeted to the masses. Awkward encounters abound, tourists post pictures by the thousands. Live wires in the shower. Light fixtures falling from the ceiling. Toilets with no way to flush\u2014not what most have in mind when traveling across continents to watch the winter Olympics.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not all bad. Even in squalor and countries away from home, tourists and participants in the Olympics have a lot of good to offer.<\/p>\n
Sugar Todd, an American speed skater, didn\u2019t think her parents would make the trek with her to Sochi. After all, traveling is expensive, especially when her parents have been supporting Todd\u2019s dream since she was eight years old. Turning to the internet, Todd started a GoFundMe fundraiser. In less than a day, complete strangers paid for her parent\u2019s airfare, hotel room and visas.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that age, I didn\u2019t fully appreciate the sacrifices they were making so their little girl could MAYBE one day go to the Olympics,\u201d Todd wrote on her GoFundMe\u2019s about page.<\/p>\n
In the Women\u2019s 500 Meter, Todd placed 29th, but that did not discourage her. On her official Twitter, Todd posted that she loves the Olympics, her sport and that this has been the most fun she has ever had.<\/p>\n
During the Men\u2019s Cross-Country Skiing finals, Anton Gafarov crashed and broke one of his skis, no doubt due to the warm weather and slushy snow. Justin Wadsworth, a Canadian coach, proves to the world that kindness can move thousands. He rushed out and replaced Gafarov\u2019s ski, allowing him to finish the race. \u201cIt was like watching an animal stuck in a trap. You can\u2019t just sit there and do nothing about it. I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line,\u201d Wadsworth said.<\/p>\n
Even though he was three minutes behind the leaders, the crowd gave Gafarov a standing ovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Quinn Wilson In Motion Staff Writer A Twitter account called @SochiProblems documents the wonders of Sochi, Russia. As Olympians battle it out for the gold, people all around the world stare in wonder at the good, the bad and the downright smelly. \u201cFor those of you asking, when there\u2019s no Continue reading Byte by Byte: Sochi\u2019s two halves<\/span>