Canada Trinkets and Treats

As a self proclaimed Ambassador of Canada for the Vancouver Olympic Games, I feel a special kind of duty to show people from other countries some Canadian hospitality. For those I meet at Vancouver 2010, I want to have something to give them to remember me by as well as Canada. People visiting from other countries are going to judge Canada on what they see as well as by those they interact with. I want everyone to see that we live up to our international reputation of nice, polite people and show them Canada is a great place to live.

So this poses the question, what to give people I meet as a token of Canadianism? And where am I to buy such items since I am funding a trip that is the most expensive I have ever been on and need to save money not spend it. I got the brilliant idea to check out my friendly neighbourhood dollar store. I knew they had Canada branded products and really, where was I going to find anything cheaper than a dollar store? I’ve found stickers, pens, pencils, key chains, hats and socks. Now I didn’t buy all of that but I did buy some stuff that I will be bringing to Vancouver with me. I also found a few of small Canada flag pins at a gift shop. I also wanted to bring Toronto pins, if I could find them.

I found out that Flag Walk buttons (not pins) are being sold and my contact has graciously allowed me to put an order in for these. They were reasonably priced and I’ve ordered a bunch of Canada ones, as well as a few other countries for my family. I actually like these better than pins because they are bigger and it is easier to see the Canadian flag. Hopefully my new international friends won’t mind that they are buttons and not pins.

I was started to get very frustrated over locating Canada flag lapel pins to buy. In a year where an event as huge as the Olympics is taking place in Canada, you wouldn’t think they would be so hard to find. I was about to give up when a very smart person, genius actually, left a comment on my blog. They told me they had emailed their City Hall and government officials and were getting pins from them. I looked up all the contact information for my area and sent off emails to see what would happen. I am happy to report that they have provided me with a small supply of Canada flag lapel pins that I can give away in Vancouver. The City of Toronto is also sending me pins so I have something to represent my hometown which makes me very happy. Today my MPP’s office confirmed they have Ontario pins they can give me so I’ll have those too! I’ll probably be heading back to the dollar stores to stock up on stickers. I wouldn’t think children from other countries would be too impressed with pins so I’m going to give them Canada stickers.

Pictured above are the Canada flag lapel pins, Toronto pins and Canada stickers I will be giving out in Vancouver.

Here is the inventory of what I have to give away to visitors or even my fellow Canadians: 60 Canada flag lapel pins, 50 City of Toronto pins, 20 Canada stickers, 30 Ontario pins, 22 Flag Walk buttons – Canada, and my business card with my blog addresses and email. Hey, I want people to be able to stay in touch! Do you think that is enough stuff? If there is anything you think I am missing, let me know.

Are you bringing anything to the Olympics to give out to people you meet, maybe to trade as you wait for your event to begin? If you do I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment to share with all of us.

"FlagWalk is the creation of a unique walking route connecting Yaletown and South Granville, two of Vancouver's truly unique neighbourhoods. The FlagWalk pathway spans a total distance of 3.74 kms and features the flags of countries participating in the 2010 Winter Games." Taken from flagwalk.ca. Please visit their site for more information on this unique tribute to the countries of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

I’m A Pin Head/Hustler

Getting ready to go to Vancouver for the Olympics Games has been a very unique experience. For me, this is probably the only one that I will get to attend so I need to make sure I get the full experience. A few months ago someone clued me in to this sport of “pin trading” that has been happening for years at most Olympics.

When you read up on this non official event that does not award medals, you will see that it is commonly referred to as an event bigger than the Olympics themselves. What? How is that even possible? If this was going to happen at our Olympics, you know I had to be a part of it! I raced out and started buying up pins like a maniac. I was running to Rona on my lunch hour in a snowstorm, searching the Vancouver 2010 store online to see what they had, and asking people outright if they could help find pins for me. My mom helped by phoning Bay stores in
Toronto to see if they sold them in stores. In addition to that, I was entering every contest I could find to try to win pins, whether it was by leaving a comment on a blog or answering daily Olympic trivia questions. Some of the suppliers I deal with at work are Olympic sponsors or suppliers. One of my sales reps came across some Panasonic pins and passed them on to me. I have a contact at CTV that I have been emailing to see if there are any spare “believe” pins lying around. Not surprisingly the answer to that was no. My friend works at the airport and offered, I swear she offered, to see if she could find Air Canada pins for me. I was becoming obsessed; I had to have the pins! I had to have them!

Left: Panasonic pin   Right: HBC Mascot pin I won in a contest from 2010VanFan.

Then another genius person who I have met in my Olympic travels, my new friend Hardeep, suggested writing to companies associated with Vancouver 2010 and asking if they would send pins. People, I was on it! I started emailing and asking if they would send pins that I could add to my collection. And some of them did! The first company I emailed was GM and a very nice woman from Customer Service replied and sent me a pin right away. I was ecstatic. I’ve been sending emails ever since. Most have not responded even a week after I sent an email. I got my first rejection today from Canada Post, and I’ve had yes responses from RBC, Rona and Petro Canada. Thank you for supporting the Canadian Olympic fans. I am very happy to be adding your pins to my collection. As I write this post, I received a message from Atos Origin. I had sent them a pin request and they just responded. They are sending me a pin! Thank you @atosJenn!

As for the pin trading thing, I think I may be missing the point. I do not want to part with any of the pins that I have. I understand that you are supposed to trade only the ones that you have doubles of, but it was so hard to get one, how on earth was I supposed to get more than that? The whole trading thing kind of scares me too. You kind of need to know what it is you have, if it is a hard to find pin etc, and make sure you are trading it for something equal. With all of the work and planning and blogging I’ve done for this trip, I don’t know where I could have found the time to educate myself on Olympic pins. This time I think I’ll sit back and watch the action. Maybe by my next Olympics I’ll have become a Pin Master, ready to trade in the big leagues. The Coca Cola Pin Trading Centre is set up at The Olympic Superstore (Bay store) downtown Vancouver if you want to try your hand at trading. I will be at the Superstore buying Coca Cola Olympic pins. I've read that is the only store that is selling them.

As for the pins I purchased from retail, I have started wearing a different one each day to work. What is the point of having them if I can’t show them off? Now it is a morning ritual when I come in for my co-workers to check out which pin I am wearing. And guess what, they want pins now too!

Do you have a story or suggestion on how to get Olympic pins? Leave a comment to share with all of us. My quest for pins is ongoing and I can use all the help and tips I could get.

Thank you so much for reading. It is 9 days until Vancouver 2010 officially begins. It is going to be great Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

Above: My retail pin collection. Right: Some cool Olympic pins I won through the Cold FX trivia contest. Top is the 6 piece pin set, and the single pin is the Sliding Goalie pin. The goalie actually moves from side to side. Very cool! I have one to trade. I was told to get something really good for it.

 

 

 

 

 

Some other Olympic souvenirs I purchased from the Vancouver 2010 online store.  I've been collecting keychains for years and am looking to pick up some more while in Vancouver.  The lanyard is for my Mom. The bookmark on the far left is for me. I am a book lover. I can sit and read for hours and hours at a time.