The Odyssey of Professor Dan: A somewhat different bus ride

"Hello, do you speak English?" It's a man in his fifties who approaches me one morning at the train station in Toblach while I wait in the biting morning cold for my bus to Cortina. He's holding several pieces of paper, a small backpack is strapped to his back, and I can see a certain excitement in his eyes, but also a hint of desperation. "It's my first day here, I'm a volunteer, and I need to get to Cortina somehow. Can you help me?" the man asks.

To be honest, I could completely understand this man, who would later introduce himself as Dan. As for the buses, I too was in a real sweat during those first few days. Sometimes late, sometimes early, sometimes at one stop, sometimes at another – it was utter chaos. So, of course, I was happy to help Dan out on the bus. During the 45-minute ride, we not only studied the timetables and routes but also got to talking. And here, Dan surprised me quite a bit.

Even in adverse conditions, the volunteers are on duty. © FELICE CALABRO' / Felice Calabro'

He comes from faraway South Carolina, on the East Coast of the USA. He actually works as a physics professor at a university, but he took time off for the Olympic Games. These are his third Winter Games as a volunteer. He was already involved in Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018. "The Olympic spirit," Dan explains, "is something that fascinates me."

Daily service from Bolzano to Cortina And this fascination is what motivates Dan to go to considerable lengths to get to Northern Italy. He explains that he flew to Milan. "There I rented a car and drove to Bolzano, where my hotel is. Now I commute every day from Bolzano to Dobbiaco and from there by bus to Cortina," he explains. I look at him in astonishment, because I know that, depending on traffic, the physics professor will be traveling for three to four hours each way. "Oh, we Americans are used to such distances," Dan laughs. "The first day was awful." Volunteer Marcus As we chatted, Marcus eventually turned around. He was sitting in his full volunteer uniform, having been reading from his book. "Oh, my first day here was awful," he chimed in bluntly. He'd flown from his hometown of San Francisco to Milan. "From there, I somehow managed to get to the Puster Valley using public transport, but I got lost countless times. In total, it took me eleven hours to get from Milan to Cortina," Marcus said, but added immediately, "But when I saw these mountains, all the hardship was forgotten."

18.000 volunteers keep the games running. Marcus is stationed at the curling stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, directing spectators to their seats, while his fellow American, Dan, is on duty at the bobsleigh track. They are two of a total of 18.000 volunteers working at the Olympic venues – keeping the Winter Games running smoothly. Eighty-six percent of them come from Italy or live in Italy; the others – around 2.500 – travel from the rest of the world. How are they "paid"? With nice equipment, meals at the Olympic venues, and many unforgettable memories.

Our bus journey is slowly drawing to a close, and we get off at Piazza Roma in the center of Cortina d'Ampezzo. As I head towards the press center, Dan calls after me one last time. "Hey, can you yodel?" I smile and shake my head. And he says, "That's a shame! I really need to find someone who can yodel. I'm fascinated by it." I am fascinated too. Specifically, by the story of the two American volunteers.

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The Odyssey of Professor Dan: A somewhat different bus ride

On the way to the Olympic town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, I met all sorts of people. One encounter with the American professor Dan has stayed with me in particular. A diary entry.

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