Experiencing the Olympics has been incredible and something I recommend to anyone who has the chance. Sochi 2014 has been a whirlwind over the past two days and I have two more days to go.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of our US Olympic athletes – notably those on the half pipe snowboarding and speed skating teams as well as meet Dan Patrick of NBC and ESPN SportsCenter fame.

My American flag has been my golden ticket to meeting people, and all of the Russians want to have their picture taken with me.

There have been many logistical problems here in Sochi which has been frustrating. However, the lack of English has been especially surprising – now I’m grateful to find staff that speak English.

All in all, I feel very safe and am glad I came. It’s been a lot of fun so far and I’ve loved cheering on Team USA with my fellow Americans. There aren’t many of us here but we are loud. Yesterday I got to cheer on Jaime Anderson as she won a gold medal in women’s slopestyle snowboarding. An absolute blast!

On a side note, I shook Vladimir Putin’s hand last night at the Austria House when I came for a 30 minute visit. Never thought that would happen.