Opening Ceremony

We just returned from the opening ceremony. It was quite enjoyable. The first event was registration. They approved our binders (thanks Mike for putting those together), then we completed a checklist of paperwork (such as turning in photocopies of passports and student id's.
Following registration was a buffet-style meal. It was very nice. Many food items which I probably couldn't appreciate as fully as I did. (Not that it was bad, but I'm not food expert.) My favorites were avacado/artichoke/tomato spread on a cracker and pasta with alfredo-type sauce and something seafood for meat. The primary dessert was coffee-flavored, and even that was good. Not that the coffee part was good, but that it was good enough to make up for that.
During the latter part of the mealtime, there was a karaoke time, for people to sing various songs in front of everyone, with a slide show of pictures from the night in the background. (Mike even got his picture up there!) Songs were sung in Russian, Spanish, and English. Probably my favorite was a beautiful rendition of Beauty and the Beast.
Overall it has been another great day. I even have been able to meet some people from all over -- Lincoln NE (UNL), Kazakstan (with Purdue University), Bangalore (North South University).
From a reputable source, the contestant officials want to make the ending a suspense. They don't post results with an hour to go, so there will be some suspense. Apparently, they sometimes go to the extent of not notifying you of passing a question (though they still notify of failures).