For as long as I can remember, I have been a fanatic of the Olympic Games and anticipated watching everything from the opening to closing ceremony. While these two weeks of competition dominate the world stage, they have also become a measuring stick of my life.

When I was four years old, my Uncle Danny began working at the Olympics—giving me a personal connection to this global event. One of my earliest memories associated with the Olympics is my uncle bringing me a stuffed animal of Powder the snowshoe hare and a book (complete with temporary tattoos) from the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. For years, Powder—one of the 2002 mascots —sat on a bookshelf in my bedroom and greeted me each time I walked through the door.

To get in the spirit for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, I insisted on making a set of Olympic rings with my mom from paper plates. We had to paint them the correct colors and then pin them together in the proper order. My enthusiasm for the games was evident, as displayed in a journal entry of mine from August 19, 2004. I wrote all about my day at the beach during a family vacation—including climbing a lighthouse and riding the waves— but was sure to also mention that we watched the “Olimpikes” after dinner that night. After those games, Uncle Danny brought me a stuffed animal of the mascot Phevos who also became a great member of my bedroom welcome committee.

I remember watching Michael Phelps become a sensation at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, being in awe of the “fastest man in the world,” Usain Bolt, and falling in love with gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson as they claimed gold and silver in the women’s all-around competition.

Following the games, and my uncle’s return, we visited with him and listened to his amazing stories of the city, his trek on the Great Wall of China, and the tour guides of the games. He brought my sister red silk pajamas, chopsticks with the Fuwa mascots for both of us, and Olympic trading cards for me that I was able to share in a lesson with my Chinese class at school a few years later.

Prior to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, my uncle and mom arranged to give my dad a plane ticket to the games for Christmas. I loved talking to him on the phone as I watched the events from home. I watched him on TV sitting behind the Norway bench during the USA versus Norway hockey game, and took in a speed skating contest featuring Apolo Ohno that my dad attended with two of my friends during one of our sleepovers. Most intriguing was attempting to understand curling. Dad says it’s much easier to follow in person.

In the summer of 2012, I watched the gymnastics contest in London from Isle of Palms, South Carolina while on vacation with one of my best friends. I remember thinking the next time I’d watch a Summer Olympics opening ceremony, I’d be a high school graduate.

As a high school junior, I watched the opening ceremonies of the 2014 winter games in Sochi during a weekend family vacation to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Feeling inspired, my sister and I took to the frozen lake to test our skills for a shot at figure skaters for the 2018 games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Needless to say, my sister might have a chance at the triple toe loop, but I decided it was better if I keep both skates on the ice at all times.

Then, on August 5, 2016, I watched the opening ceremony from Rio at home with my family. I was in awe as I took in the history of Rio de Janerio and watched Michael Phelps lead the 555 American athletes into the Maracanã Stadium. I let some tears fall as I imagined the thoughts of the members of the first-ever Olympic Refugee Team and realized the next time I watch a Summer Games opening ceremony, I will be a college graduate.

The Olympic Games have exposed me to the greatness of the human spirit and other parts of the world I only dream of one day visiting. I’m grateful for how they have brought me closer to my family and friends and have become pieces of some of my fondest memories. So while I’ll never be a contender for a spot on Team USA, I will always appreciate how the Olympics have been a backdrop to my childhood and will continue to help me create memories into my adulthood.