The Countdown Begins: the Olympic Torch Travels the World

The 2008 Summer Olympic Torch Relay began its tour around the world this week, as an official jump start to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic games. The torch relay began on Monday in Olympia, Greece and will soon be traveling through Almaty, Kazakhstan on April 2. From start to finish, the torch will travel 8500 miles through 20 countries on its way back to its final destination in Beijing, China.

As most parents adopting from China already know, the Olympics will be celebrated from August 8 to August 24. Travel and hotel accommodations will be more difficult to obtain during this time.

Some interesting trivia:
The mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics are the five Fuwa, each representing one color of the Olympic rings. The Fuwa were inspired by the Chinese elements or phases: Beibei (water), Jingjing (wood), Huanhuan (fire), Yingying (earth), and Nini (sky). Each of the Fuwa's names were chosen to resemble a child's knickname. When linked together, however, the five names form the phrase "北京欢迎你 Běijīng huānyíng nǐ" which means "Beijing welcomes you".

A 100-episode Olympic-themed cartoon series featuring the Fuwa was released in China on August 8, 2007.

Download a Fuwa wallpaper for your computer desktop, here.