Memories of an Olympic summer outlive the Games

It's been a full month since I last slurped broad Chinese noodles, donned my bright-blue volunteer outfit or gawked at elderly ladies practicing taichi in Beijing's early morning hours.

Indeed, my short stint as a volunteer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has come and gone. However, as I sit here in the heart of America, at the University of Iowa, I realize that the beautiful memories I have from that summer will never fade.

My friends and family tell me that I enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But I think my two-month stay in China transcends that simple designation.