Outside the Rings: Vancouver preparing for its Olympic turn

Walk into the British Columbia Pavilion in Beijing, and it's about as calm as can be. However, everyone here knows the calm will soon be over.

"It's starting to feel real now," said Karla Limion, who works for the Vancouver Olympic Games.

The 2010 Winter Games will be held in Vancouver, but realistically, the global glare starts the day after Beijing's games are finished.

"Oh, it's fantastic," laughed Limion, "it's going to be an amazing experience for the city, for the people of Vancouver, and for the people of Canada. We're all absolutely thrilled about it already."

This pavilion sits just a block away from Tiananmen Square. Its main purpose is to answer questions from people about Vancouver and Canada, as well as keep the Olympic excitement going.

"Being here, it's made me even more excited," smiled Teresa Conner, also with the Vancouver Games, "being part of that Olympic experience and seeing how the international community gather around the Olympics. We've learned a lot."

And people are learning about the Maple Leaf.

Soon, you'll see it everywhere.

The Canadian Olympic merchandise store inside the pavilion is already selling items.

You can find maple leaf pins, maple leaf hats, Canada T-shirts (made in China, of course), and no Canadian sports experience would be complete without a hockey puck.

"I'm super excited about it, especially since being here, hoping to get hockey tickets," said Conner.

Yeah, Canada is next. Organizers say they are ready.

"We'll be able to show the world a really good time," promised Limion.

The games are only about a year and a half away.

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