BEIJING--The curtain is to go up in three days. The torch is on its way to Beijing. The whole world is expecting miracles. However, the miracle makers seem to be keeping their composure.
With the four-yearly Games to start on Friday, athletes from around the world dwell behind the fences of the Beijing Olympic Village away from spotlight, taking their time to get some last-minute relaxation before the competitions.
The athletes' village, with its teahouse, souvenir stores and entertainment facilities, is more like a holiday resort.
Athletes wearing flip flops and holding shopping bags leisurely tour the international areas, stopping by at their favorite stores to buy silk, chinaware, souvenirs or enjoy a session of the traditional Chinese shadow play.
British artistic gymnast Rebecca Wing said she felt more excited than nervous ahead of the Games, which she compared to a "grand party" with friends from all over the world.
By the end of this week, Wing, 16, will make her Olympic debut in Beijing. "Of course it's not possible to be totally relaxed," she said as she searched the shelf for her favorite handbag, printed with Fuwa, the five mascot dolls of the Beijing Games.
Canadian weightlifter Francis Luna-Grenier has certainly learned an exotic way of relaxation: through Chinese calligraphy.
He practices writing every day in the Chinese study center of the village, and proudly introduced himself by his Chinese name Gao Fu'an, given by a teacher at the center.
Despite the pre-Games tension and hard work, Grenier said writing helps him calm down at the end of the day.
In their last minute preparations for the Games, worldwide athletes are getting adapted to Beijing's weather, time difference, competition venues and other environment changes, hoping to bring their potentials into full play.
Yet despite the hard training and public speculation over the medal count, the athletes' village is all smiles on the square when national flags are raised every morning and traditional Chinese dancing is staged in the evening.
"The Beijing Olympic village is very different from that of Athens," said Maria Ferekidi from Greece. "But the Games are the same."
Ferekidi, who will take part in Canoe/Kayak Slalom, said she will do her best at the Games and know more about Beijing.
To enjoy Beijing's cityscape and traditional Chinese culture on the sidelines of the Games is appealing to many athletes.
"It's a pleasure to be at the Games," said Lithuanian boxer Egidijus Kavaliauskas, 20. "I'll tell my children some day that their dad used to play at the Olympics."