MONROE — People are people.
That’s how Monroe Police Sgt. Cindy Chessie sums up her recent trip to China. She spent about two weeks there running the torch in a relay with police officers from different countries before the opening ceremony of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
“It was incredible to see all the people coming from all over the world for the Olympians,” said Chessie, 49.
The event took place Oct. 2. She came back to Monroe on Saturday.
Each state in the United States sent a police officer to the event. Chessie, who has been involved in the Special Olympics in Washington for 11 years, was a representative from the Evergreen State.
The 50 officers first flew to Beijing, where they joined 77 torch runners from other countries, Chessie said.
The Chinese capital city was bustling with people, businesses and construction, which was different from what Chessie learned in school. American stores were everywhere. And their Chinese hosts treated the American officers to Kentucky Fried Chicken and Domino’s pizza on the first day, she said.
The air was humid, hot and polluted. That didn’t dampen her excitement to explore the country. She hiked up to the top of the Great Wall and tried as much local food as she could.
In Beijing, the torch runners broke into smaller groups. They spread across China to promote the Olympics, joined by police officers from Shanghai. News media followed them. Chessie found herself on television news and in newspapers, she said.
The Shanghai police officers spoke some English, and Chessie saw they shared common goals of public safety and protecting people.
“We are all the same,” she said.
All the officers eventually gathered in Shanghai to attend the opening ceremony, which drew about 80,000 people, including big names such as movie star Jackie Chan and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Special Olympics is expected to wrap up today.
That so many came together to support athletes with disabilities moved her, Chessie said.
“We are all just people,” she said.
“Every bit of it was positive,” she said. “I will do it all over again in a second.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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