THREE Sarawakian lasses got to live their dreams when they were selected to participate in the recent Beijing Olympic Games as volunteers among millions of others.

They applied on-line a year ago but were accepted only weeks before the big event.

The adventurous trio — Jap Pei Ye and Chew Su Ting, reporters with a local Chinese daily, and Leona Ko, attached to a leading hotel here — readily agreed the 19 days spent helping out at the Summer Games in the Chinese capital were once-in-a-lifetime experience.

They considered themselves “very lucky” to have been selected, saying they rated their chances as almost nil given the millions of young people who also applied.

“It was just a shot in the dark — we never expected to hit anything.”

Jap and Ting were “burning with desire” to be part of the world’s largest sporting spectacle but became a bit apprehensive when given the greenlight.

They suddenly had mixed feelings, constantly nagged by the recurring question of “go or not to go?”

Friends encouraged them but there were also plenty naysayers around. Their own reluctance stemmed from stories of possible terrorist attacks as well as job placements not of their choice.

They had wanted to be based at either the Bird’s Nest or the Water Cube but had instead been stationed at different venues — Jap at the Olympic Village while Ting at the Feng Tai softball stadium.

“No doubt about it, we were very disappointed,” they recalled.

But they also knew it was a chance of a lifetime to participate — even as volunteers — in the Olympics. Furthermore, they would have the opportunity to watch some of the events and soak up the electric atmosphere on the spot rather than via TV.

In hindsight, they were glad they didn’t pass up the chance.

“The Beijing Olympic Games was the best ever opportunity presented to us to be part of the biggest sporting event of the world. It’s proximity to Malaysia and China’s lower exchange rate were very favourable,” Jap said, adding that for this reason, they decided to make the trip despite the initial “stage fright.”

She reckoned circumstances at future Olympics might not be as favourable.

Jap and Ting gave the organisers their answer one week before the Games. And while in Beijing, they found their initial fears without any basis.

Jap soon discovered that being based at the Olympic Village was not all that bad. She might have missed the pulsating track events at the Bird’s Nest but getting to know some of the international athletes at the Village more than made up for that.

“We were not allowed to talk to or even photograph the athletes because that was considered as harassing them,” Yap said of the strict regulations Olympic Village volunteers had to adhere to during working hours.

However, at times, they decided to take some “now or never” chance by having their photos taken with their idols.

“Most of the athletes were friendly and accommodating but some were down right condescending, especially from the host country. In contrast, world champions the likes of Messi and Roman Riquelme, to mention a few, were very approachable.”

Jap met Argentina’s big football names like Messi and Riquelme; China’s celebrity basketballer, Yoa Ming; NBA star, Kobe Bryant; former NBA Chinese player, Wang Zhi Zhi and China’s diving star, Guo Jing Jing.

However, it was not so much meeting these sports superstars that made her experience at the Olympics unforgettable than playing “chaperone” to the Yang di-Pertuan Agung who called at the Village to meet with the Malaysian athletes.

“I was asked by the Village management to receive the Agung and accompany the royal entourage to the Malaysian hostel. It was my first ever close meeting with a Malaysian royal.”

She admitted it made her feel important for a day!

Jap impressed her co-workers with her knowledge of Bahasa Malaysia when they heard her communicate with the royal entourage in the national language.

“They know all the world’s major languages and since they have never heard of our language, they thought well of anyone who could speak it well.”

While the rest of the world watched in awe the spectacular opening ceremony in front of their TV sets, Jap did the same although she was in Beijing.

“We were not given passes — so we had watch the event at our hostel,” she said.

Unlike Jap, Ting’s disappointment with her placement at the softball pitch never quite wore off … and was, in fact, further exacerbated by her disinterest in the game which she described as “boring.”

“I guess I must have met a number of internationally known players but I didn’t really know who they were.”

Ting was stationed at the entrance of the pitch, tearing ticket stubs — over 1,000 a day, according to her estimates.

Although there were no unforgettable “softball” moments for her, she admitted she did enjoy the atmosphere.

“The Olympic Games is the biggest sports spectacle of the world — not only athletes wish to be part of it but everyone else too. It’s everybody’s dream.”

However, there was one experience she would rather forget and it had nothing to do with the Games.

Bathing was a chore, she lamented, as she had to walk a good 15 minutes to shower in a proper bathroom. Her hostel (volunteers were put up at university hostels in the city) had a common bathroom. And throughout her stay, she couldn’t get used to the idea of sharing the same wash-area with a whole bunch of people. “So, to clean up, I sponged myself in a powder room at my hostel,” she quipped.

Both Jap and Ting did not stay back for the closing ceremony as they had taken leave from work to volunteer at the Games. However, they managed to squeeze some time to visit China’s places of interest such as the Great Wall.

Like the two lady reporters, Ko, 25, caught wind of the opportunity to volunteer in Beijing through friends and decided to try her luck.

She didn’t give herself much chance and it was about a year later that she got an email from the organisers. What followed was a long process of interview and short-listing before she knew her application was officially accepted.

For Ko, it was certainly a dream come true … so much so that even now, she is yet to get over her “Olympic” hangover.

“It’s something I know I will never experience again in my life and I treasure every moment in Beijing.”

She thought the opening ceremony projected patriotism of the people of China very well. She watched the extravaganza on TV at her hostel as she couldn’t get a pass.

“I’m happy for China which had been lobbying hard for the Games … and finally it happened. The Chinese people deserve it.”

Ko had no placement preference — she didn’t mind as long as she was close to the Games. She was assigned to the Wukesong Stadium where the baseball and basketball competitions were held.

Her job was to help the security guards ensure no prohibited items were brought into the stadium. Occasionally, they would come across irritated spectators when the queue was too long otherwise it was quite smooth.

Ko was not overly concerned about who were taking part in the Games — she was more interested in the historical aspect. She did meet some international athletes but wasn’t overwhelmed by the experience.

Although given different voluntary jobs, the three lucky lasses agree their Olympic experience was very special. After the Beijing Games, they are ambivalent towards attending another Olympics.

The memories they brought back from the Chinese capital would last them a lifetime — all indelibly wrapped up in souvenirs, mementos, photographs and above all, the happy thought of having been part of the support group that helped make the Beijing Games one of the best ever.