An unexpected shower visited the Olympic Village on Thursday afternoon. Although it was raining cats and dogs out there, Jacintha Ballantyne, team official of St Vincent and the Grenadines delegation, grabbed an umbrella and walked out of her dorm.

In the international zone of the Olympic village lies a small Chinese teahouse. Small as it is, it possesses all the features a teahouse should have. Old-styled tables and chairs, fake bamboos, miniature bridge and brook and melodious Chinese traditional music created a perfect atmosphere for tea degustation.

Every afternoon, the teahouse will perform three tea-themed classical dancing shows and Ballantyne made her way through the heavy rain only because she did not want to miss the show.

"I don't have much access to know Chinese culture back in my country, but I need to see and experience it. It's amazing. The rain can be ignored," said the excited Ballantyne.

Ballantyne's excitement was echoed by some Spanish athletes, who applaused and cheered after the show. They were forced into the teahouse by the sudden rain, but they were so immersed in the dancing show that they barely noticed the stop of the shower.

Apart from watching the dance, Olympic villagers can also taste traditional Chinese tea here. "I tried some black tea. It was a little strong for me, but I like this taste. During my stay in Beijing, I will do as much sightseeing as I can. And the Tian'anmen Square will be my first stop,"Ballantyne said with a smile.

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2008)