Name: Chalitha Bandarage

From: London

How long have you been collecting? Since August 2012 (since the London 2012 Paralympics Games)

How many pins do you own? 22

The best experience of my life has to be the getting an opportunity to volunteer at the London 2012 Paralympics Games, although I am disappointed that I was not given an opportunity to work for Olympics. I was part of the Venue Entry Team Member (Security) and to be honest, I was unsure if I wanted to work in the security team when I was offered the place. However, once I started working in the Paralympics, I was having the best time of my life and I wish it is still ongoing. I met amazing people and made new friends for life and I am proud to be a part of this once in a life time opportunity.

Just before I started working at the Paralympics as a Games Maker, I had no clue about pin badge collection/trading, not to mention what a pin badge actually was. When I went for my final venue training at the Handball Arena, just a few weeks before the Paralympics was due to start, I was sitting beside a Medical Games Maker, who happened to be wearing a accreditation filled with pin badges, which caught my eyes. I started talking to her, asking what they were and she told me all about how she started collecting pin badges while she was volunteering at Olympics. I could see spark in her eyes as she was talking about her experience during the Olympics and pin badges. This had given me hopes to collect pin badges, once I started working for Paralympics, but my interest grew in to an addiction when I was given my first pin badge (999 pin badge) from a police officer in the Olympics Park.

I was over the moon and I ended up showing that to all my friends and family and I aimed myself to collect as much as I could before the Games ended.

As time went I got so addicted to pin badges so that I wondered all around the Park, going to all the stores asking if I can have a pin badge. The response I got from most stores were the same, that they finished giving out pin badges during the Olympics, which disappointed me, but I managed to collect 22 pin badges (I didn't expect I could collect that much). When I saw my pin badge collection, I wondered why I haven't collected before (before the Olympics) and I have decided to keep collecting in the future. It is my new hobby now. In fact, I have even thought of volunteering for Glasgow 2014 and maybe Rio 2016, in hope of collecting more pin badges.

When I heard that the Apple store was giving out pin badges for free, I went to the Apple store in the Westfield Shopping Centre in hope to collect a pin badge. When I reached there, I was told that they only give them out between 9am and 11am. Since I had to work on morning shifts (7am-2pm), I was feeling upset that I would not be able to get one. However, I saw my opportunity when I was assigned to work in the Stratford Gate entrance. When I got a 15 minute break, I asked my team leader if I could quickly go to the Westfield to collect a pin badge and he was more than happy. As he was also a pin badge collector, he asked me if I could get him a badge as well. I managed to go to the Apple store and get an iPad badge for myself but when I asked another one for my team leader, they refused to give me. They said they would only give out one to each person. Then I saw another Games Maker in the Apple store and I approached him and asked if he collected pin badges. He said he's not into pin badge collection and I asked him if he could get an Apple pin badge for my team leader, as a favour. He said he could but he will not do it because he just didn't want to, which shocked me, as he was talking rudely at me and I was expecting Games Makers to be friendly. I was upset as I could not get a pin badge for my team leader. I managed to get more apple pin badges next few days, but I was unable to find my team leader so that I could give one.

I proudly wore my pin badges, along with my Games Maker uniform to work till my last shift which attracted interesting conversations with fellow travellers on the ways and on the bus. My father is a weightlifter who participated in many Games, including SAF, Commonwealths and Asian Games in the past, where he managed to collect hundreds of pin badges. He's displayed them with pride in a safe box, and I have always wondered what was so special about them and now I know what it means to him. I wish I had the opportunity to work for the Olympics, so that I would have collected more pin badges. I still miss working in the Olympics and can't wait for the next opportunity to collect more pin badges. I had the best time as a Games Maker with so many everlasting memories. I can proudly say that...I MADE LONDON 2012...!!!