Location: Boston City Hall
Date: Sunday, April 20, 2014; 1:00-7:30 pm
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| Indeed |
I had walked past the City Hall
plenty of times when visiting Boston, but had never attempted to go
inside…there had never been a reason to.
So it took me some time to find the entrance, but after a walk around
the building, I found the right door and went inside to see some people waiting
by a check-in table. I collected my blue
volunteer jacket, a special marathon pin and a couple of lanyards that we
had to wear around our necks – one of them had to have our id in it. The organizers were not taking any chances
for sure. Although the marathon was
tomorrow, this was a big event – the pre-race
“pasta party”, where the contestants and their family would come
and load up on the carbs. Our job was to
make sure everything was well organized and everyone had a great time. Thousands were expected and hundreds
of volunteers would be required. Looking
at the number of people in blue jackets, we definitely had those.
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| I had made it there |
I saw a long line and without
knowing much, just stood behind some folks.
Then I realized that it was for lunch – pasta of course – and since I
had already eaten, just went down the steps to the lower level and sat down at a
table. I was soon joined by 4 students
from Harvard, one of whom had to go write a paper after the shift here. I’m sure glad that those days are behind
me! We took some pictures, including next to a mile-marker. Our coordinator came in and he
looked like a busy guy, walking around with a clipboard and a
walkie-talkie. He came over to assign
duties and first and foremost took a roll-call.
There were some repeat volunteers who he recognized, though my name was
missing. I mentioned that to him and he
said not to worry. There were both,
indoor and outdoor duties, and I mentioned to the folks I was sitting with
that we should stick together. They agreed and said that since it was still a bit chilly outside, we should choose
indoors. So when the coordinator said
that he required 14 people for an indoor assignment, I raised my hand. None of the others did and so and so I was
the only person from our table being placed indoors. If their intention was to get rid of me, they
had succeeded.
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| My corridor |
We followed our coordinator and the first stop was the mezzanine floor, where he dropped off 2 people to direct
traffic. Next was a level where there
were going to be kids and strollers and he asked for volunteers. No one raised their hand and one girl even said
that she
“doesn't do kids”. Fortunately one lady volunteered and so we
kept on moving. We dropped off more
people at the gates to shepherd people either to the
“party area”, where we were; or up the stairs on the 3
rd
floor. These people had to be the most
enthusiastic volunteers and even break out into a dance while welcoming
people. This definitely wasn’t me, but 2
couples volunteered and that was that. I
kept walking and was finally posted on the 3
rd floor, which was a
‘U-shaped’ balcony with tables lined up
on the side. You could watch the
activities happening downstairs, including the entrance through which the
people would come in.
As soon as people arrived on the
3rd floor, there was a pasta station and students from ‘Wellesley College’ were on the serving
team. The most important thing that we
would need to do this evening was direct people towards the nearest bathroom on
this floor and so we were shown the location in question. Besides that, my job was to stand at the front
of the corridor by the tables, and guide people towards the back, letting them
know that there was additional seating and also prevent a bottleneck. A guy wearing black was walking around and he
told some student volunteers that as soon as people got up from their meals,
they were to wipe down the tables and rearrange chairs. There was still some time to start and I
chatted with a girl, who was also wearing black, and I asked if everyone in
black was in charge. She said that they
were the caterers and responsible for feeding all of the visitors coming in
today – all 13,000 of them. Now that’s a
lot of pasta. My new friend’s name was
Gina and we got along really well. For
the next few minutes we talked about the building we were in and the
architecture, which apparently is quite famous – though very industrial
looking. Her boss – the guy in black who
was directing students earlier – came and said that people were on their way
and we should get ready.
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| People were now coming in |
Everyone started coming up with
trays of food and I started greeting them. While I tried my best to direct
them to the back, they took whatever table was available. However, everyone was extremely friendly and
many had come with families. Everyone
was socializing and making new friends and the place was now almost full. Since everyone was getting food from
downstairs, the serving station on this floor was not being used. I asked them what the point was of having it
there and they said it was for seconds.
Well, that made sense I guess and many were in fact going back for
seconds. I walked around and saw that
the center of each table had an assortment of goodies from the sponsors, such
dried pasta, sauce and 3 types of salad dressings. One guy asked if they could use the dressing
and I said that as far as I was concerned, they could have everything on the
table, including the uncooked pasta!
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| For some reason, no one wanted this |
The menu included white pasta,
red pasta, meatballs & sausage and pasta and green salad. No one was taking the pasta salad though and
I joked with the server that perhaps a sign saying
“Will help you drop a minute of your pace” would help. While there was pasta for people to build
their energy, there was also beer.
Nothing like getting lubed up before a big race I guess. People had been requested to carry their
trash with them and many were asking where to dispose. It was downstairs, through the patio, where
the desserts station was based. So I was
telling them that at least there was something to look forward to as they took
their trash down, though a few left their stuff at the tables and we had to
wipe it down. Everything was going
smoothly and as predicted, the number one question was regarding the
bathroom. The funny thing was that there
since they were single use bathrooms, there were equal lines for men’s and women’s
and one of the women said that they should take a picture since this was a rare
sight!
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| That's where the bathroom was |
A TV reporter had come with a
cameraman to interview the runners and while she was doing that, one lady said
that I should get them to interview the gentleman who was with her. He was running for
“Autism awareness” and according to her, he was a legend in San Francisco. I went over and mentioned to the reporter and
she said
“let’s do it”. They interviewed him for a long time and he
even posed for a few camera shots. The
reporter thanked me before leaving, as did the lady and the guy. I was having a good time interacting with the
crowd and they were thanking me for my help, though really it was them who
should be appreciated, for running this race.
One girl came in on crutches with one leg in a cast and I wished her
luck for the race tomorrow, leading her to laugh for a long time. I went back to check on the food station and
the pasta salad was hardly making a dent.
I told the server girl that she may just have to finish whatever was
left and it wouldn't necessarily be the worst job! Everyone was working hard and my new friend
Gina had even lost her voice while directing people.
There were 3 projection spotlights with “Boston”, “Marathon” and “2014” on pillars at a lower level and they kept getting misaligned as people walked by them, leading me to keep correcting them constantly. We were trying our best to keep
people moving, thus ensuring that there was a lane for walking. One couple came over and started eating their
food while standing near the ledge.
Seeing them, others followed and now it was getting crowded. I told everyone that thy had to find a table
and while others left, the couple just said ok and continued to stand
there. I guess there are different ways
of defining “civilized people” and
just because you wear clothes and don’t live in caves, does not mean you are
civilized! It was getting towards the
end of the session and the entrance had now been closed. We were now just waiting for the people
inside to finish.
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| Something that I would cherish forever |
The volunteers were now eating
the same pasta though I had a dinner engagement with friends and so couldn't
join them. I said goodbye to Gina and
wished her well for the future. She joined
a long list of some of the most wonderful people that I have met over the last 18
months – full of enthusiasm and life. It
is truly a privilege to meet such people, even though briefly. I took a walk inside the building before
leaving and saw the Harvard guys. They
said that it had been cold outside and that I had made the right choice. I left with my jacket and pin after what had
been a proud day for me. I really wish
that I could have stayed for the race, especially this year. But this will have to do. It was one of the best things that I have
been a part of, not just for the activity itself, but for the occasion and what
it means for everyone. Thousands…millions
of people would have their closure tomorrow as the runners cross the finish
line. I had mine today.
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