Build day in Youngstown, OH

Today we had our first build day since Providence. We shuttled over in the van to a street with four beautiful Habitat for Humanity houses - three finished and one unfinished. The unfinished one, which we were scheduled to work on, was the closest to completion I've ever seen; in fact, we were the last volunteer group scheduled to work on the house! All that was left when we were done were finishing touches like blinds and carpet.

I worked with Anthony, Mary, and Gabe, putting up soffit and fascia. Soffit is the underside of the roof overhang and fascia is the trim on the edge of the roof. Mary and I mostly measured and cut while Anthony nailed the stuff up and Gabe contributed his technical expertise. At one point I volunteered to go on the roof to hold up the long pieces of fascia, which was exciting. The four of us had a great time singing songs, from slow jams to Disney tunes, and generally laughing like crazy. I'm proud of the work we did - we were as precise as possible (measure twice, cut once!) and the finished product looked very professional.

Others in the group worked on moulding, painting, caulking, doorknobs, and other details. Monica, the executive director of the local Habitat chapter, was extremely helpful and friendly and had even done a cross-country bike trip several years ago, so it was fun talking to her. It was really satisfying knowing that, when we finished, the house was basically complete except for carpet and landscaping. I wish we could have met the homeowner - apparently she really wanted to be there, but since it was Monday, she had to work. All in all a successful day, despite the brief downpour in which our sneakers (and just about everything else) became caked with mud.

Here are some pictures from the day! Though I managed not to be in any of them...

 Anthony nails up soffit in the rain.

 With the sun out again, Anthony puts the final touches on soffit while Mary holds the ladder.

Justine cuts a piece of moulding.

 

Theise and Noam install a doorknob.

Roof edge before...

...and roof edge after. Look, the sky is even bluer now that we're done!

Here in Youngstown

Brittany demonstrates our favorite sign.

Yesterday we rode into Franklin, PA. The ride was pretty flat and we even got to ride on a bike path for a while! Unfortunately I had a really stupid fall on the bike path, in which I was deeply absorbed in a story I was telling and didn't realize that I was going off the edge of the path. Of course when I tried to get back on the path, I just went down hard. My bike is fine, and so am I - just a little bruised. It was my first fall on my road bike, so I guess it had to happen sometime! We got into Franklin early enough to relax - I lay on the grass in the park for a while and it felt delicious. That night, we all went to a place called the Celtic Cafe, where the awesome owner/bartenders gave us all free t-shirts. We essentially took over the back room and just had a blast hanging out and singing along with the jukebox. Someone else on the trip made a comment about realizing every day how awesome it is that we're doing this. It felt like last night was a celebration of all that - every evening, I'm exhausted, but so happy to be where I am with all of these amazing people and to have made it through another day.

Theise and me at the Ohio state line

As of today, it truly feels like we are on our way. Crossing into Ohio marked the first state I had never been to before, and meant that we were no longer on the East Coast, but in the Midwest. Definitely felt like a milestone. Today was so hot and humid, though, that the ride wasn't as enjoyable as those of the last few days. Nevertheless, having been fortified with double my usual PB&Js at lunch, I made it to Youngstown. The funny thing about PB&Js is that, even though we eat them every single day for lunch, rather than getting sick of them, I actually like them more and more each day. After my body has been working hard all day, they're somehow more satisfying than any other meal could hope to be.

So far Youngstown seems completely deserted - I haven't really seen anyone in town except the wonderful folks from the Youngstown State University Catholic center who fed us dinner. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where we're staying, is a majestic stone building resembling a castle. I got chills when I stepped into the stunning sanctuary, all stone and wood and stained glass. We haven't seen much else of the town, besides the abandoned campus, but it definitely seems like an economically depressed area. I hope to get more of a sense of the place tomorrow at our build day - the first one since Providence! It'll be a relief to have a day off the saddle and a real treat to sleep in till - wait for it - 7:30.

Hello from Warren, PA

Well, I've been on the road with Bike & Build for 10 days now, and we've made it to Warren, PA. It's been a blast so far - definitely physically challenging, but the people in the group are all so fantastic and fun and interesting that it gets me through even the toughest days.

The trip began with a three-day orientation in Providence, in which I learned to change a flat tire and painted the interior of a Habitat house. We headed out on the 15th after dipping our wheels in the "Atlantic Ocean" near the Brown boathouse. It was strange feeling like I was finally leaving Brown and Providence for good this time. There are four of us from Brown on the trip, pictured below in front of some reservoir in Connecticut.

L-R: me, Paige, Chaz, Theise

So what's a typical day on the road like? We wake up at 6 (or earlier if we have a long day) and have our stuff packed and out at the trailer by 6:30. Breakfast and get ready by 7:00. Clean the host site, pump up tires, and leave by 7:30. We head out in small groups (usually two to six riders) and go at our own pace throughout the day. Lunch happens somewhere around halfway - we stop wherever we see the van pulled over. PB&Js have never tasted so good. After lunch, we have until 4:00 to get into the next host location. We average about 70 miles per day - so far the range has been 30 to 85 miles. We've been staying in churches, schools, and YMCAs, and they've all been incredibly hospitable. Most places have provided us with an awesome dinner, often a potluck during which we get a chance to meet members of the community. Between arrival and dinner, we take showers and, time permitting, explore the town. Between dinner and lights out at 11:00, we usually relax and play games.

Chris seems to have gotten taller...

Connecticut was full of rolling hills, which I knew about, because I live there. The day we went to Granby was fun because we passed through a corner of Ellington, my hometown!

New York was, well, pretty tough. The trip to Poughkeepsie was supposed to be a nice short day, but everyone took a wrong turn. Luckily, I had been riding in the last group, so we actually went the least far out of the way and ended up arriving first! That may never happen again...I tend to be among the last to roll in to the host location. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

The trip to Roscoe was definitely the most difficult day yet, and perhaps will be the most difficult day of the whole trip. It was a hot, humid day, and I was feeling sluggish, as were the people with whom I was riding. Maddy dubbed us the Struggle Bus - truly an accurate description. Each time I saw a new hill I wasn't sure I would make it, and when we got to the accursed Mulig Road, the steepest hill I have ever seen, I almost cried. Somehow I made it up the hill, and got into this machine-like zone of exhaustion and just wanting to finish the day, and I booked it the rest of the way to the host site. I guess it was a good test of my ability to just push through when I'm hurting and tired. Everyone was in bed and sound asleep by 9:00 that night.

Binghamton was our longest day yet, at 85 miles, yet after Roscoe it didn't seem so bad and ended up being a pleasant journey. We got a day off in Binghamton, as our build day had fallen through. It was just what I needed to recharge from a grueling two days. We found a pool, went to the movies, ate at a great little diner, and just relaxed.

L-R: Ben, me, Maddy

Pennsylvania has been gorgeous so far, with mostly scenic rides past farms, mountains, and lakes. Route 6 was a bit scary because there were so many trucks passing so close to us, but otherwise it's been great. Yesterday, on our ride to Coudersport, we got caught in our first real downpour. Luckily there didn't seem to be much thunder and lightening, but it was raining hard. The four of us who were riding together had fun, though, continuing to shout through the rain, and we were on level ground so we didn't feel unsafe. On the contrary, it was a welcome cooling shower. We made it just fine to the top of the 2424-foot summit.

L-R: Amy, Jake, Brett, Vidya, me

I have a few videos that might be fun to post, but I'm getting pretty tired at this point so it may have to wait till next time. I'll try not to go so long without an update next time! Tomorrow we bike 67 miles to Franklin.

one last drive to Providence

It's finally come. I head back to Providence tomorrow for Bike & Build orientation, and we ride out on Tuesday the 15th. I'm ridiculously excited to meet everyone after a fair amount of Facebook stalking, and to tie up some loose ends in Providence. I wonder if it will finally sink in that I've left.

At one day to departure, I have raised a grand total of...drumroll please...$4,273.69! (The 69 cents comes from a bandie, of course - one Sara Powell.) Special thanks goes to the amazing Adrienne, whose donation tipped me over the edge of the $4,000 minimum. Remember, if you donated but haven't yet requested a postcard, it's not too late! In any case, I couldn't have done this without the help of a whole lot of amazing people. Family, friends, and community members have shown me so much support and given from their hearts to the cause of affordable housing. If you meant to donate but didn't get around to it, there's still time! Just go to www.bikeandbuild.org/donate and find my name.

I would also like to give a big thanks to Landry's Bicycles. If you're in the Boston area, check out Landry's for the best quality bikes, equipment, and expertise. Landry's also happens to be owned by my uncles and aunt, and they are support of bike advocacy and lots of charity causes. In any case, they not only sold me my beautiful Trek Pilot 1.2 WSD a few years ago, but in preparation for Bike & Build, they also gave me a fitting and helped me choose all the equipment I needed. Everyone who works there is wicked friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help. Without Landry's (and especially my Uncle Peter), I would not have had the same level of confidence and comfort with my bike/equipment that I do. My Uncle Tom even took me on a few training rides last week (see the picture at the top) and completely revolutionized the way I cycle. Seriously. After riding with him, I felt like I could easily go for days without a problem.

If you want to track my progress across the country, the website has a handy route tracker with links to a photo album and other goodies. Speaking of goodies, there will be a number of mail drops along the way if you feel inspired to send me a letter (Grandma, I know you will!). I haven't decided where I am going to post pictures (since not everyone can access Facebook), but I'll let y'all know when I do. Finally, I will intermittently have computer/internet access, so I'll try to update this as often as possible, and emails will reach me eventually. If you'd like a more reliable way of contacting me, however, I'll be available by phone. Unless I'm in the middle of nowhere, in which case I can't always guarantee that Verizon will come through.

That seems to be all of the housekeeping details. I can't wait to get out there and start riding! Portia* and I have been through a lot of good times together and I anticipate many more. Just as soon as I learn to change a tire.





*Fun fact: I chose the name Portia because it sounded supremely elegant (and Porche-like?), and my bike is a stunning creature. I suppose I wouldn't have thought of the name if it hadn't been for Portia de Rossi, also a stunning creature, so I must give her credit. For added adorableness, I later decided to name my other (hybrid) bike Ellen.

The Graduate

As May 30, I am officially a graduate of Brown University.

I'm still kind of in denial about the whole thing. It feels like I'm just on break, like I'll go back to Brown at the end of the summer - even with all the preparations I've been making for next year. Having been to three prior Commencements, a lot of it felt like I was just pretending to graduate. A few moments made it real, however. Standing with the band seniors as we danced along to the band's performance of "Bad Romance." Walking through the Van Wickle Gates with my amazing friend Adrienne, surrounded by rows and rows of cheering friends, professors, and alums. Hearing Ruth Simmons congratulate our class on the grounds of the First Baptist Church in America. Feeling my heart swell with pride at the amazing accomplishments of my friends who had graduated Magna Cum Laude or who had made various honor societies. Trying not to cry as I gave a goodbye hug to my housemate, Masumi, one of my best friends since freshman year.

So here I am, graduated, with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender & Sexuality Studies. It feels like a big accomplishment. Even if we Brown students are, as honorary degree recipient Morgan Freeman put it, "a raucous bunch of miscreants," we've worked hard in school our whole lives and it's come down to this. I'm excited to leave, though. There is much that I will miss about Brown - being able to choose from myriad free concerts, plays, lectures, films, etc. on any given day/night; beautiful College Hill and quirky Providence; the general atmosphere of constant questioning and inquisitive learning; being able to take for granted (most of the time) a certain level of curiosity and understanding about social justice; and most of all, the close proximity to some of the most incredible people I have ever met. The friends I have made at Brown are worth every penny of the student loans I'll be paying off for what seems like eternity. At the same time, I am beyond excited to get out into the world. There is something about the college atmosphere that frustrated me after four years - I'm excited to have more of a work/life balance, to not constantly be at school. Most of all, I can't wait to dig in and get some hands-on experience, to directly affect change after years of intellectualizing it. And I can't wait to get to know a new city - in many ways, the ultimate city.

The day is best captured in pictures.

The band seniors celebrate.

Brown Band and seniors.

 Conductors of past and present!  

(L-R: Eli '08, Bryan '11, Scuzzo '10, D-Wash '07, Matt '05)

 

 Some of my best friends.

(L-R: Adrienne, Baird, me, Masumi)

 

Deodorant was essential.

Always wear sunscreen.

 Heading down the hill amongst cheering crowds.

Posing at the Van Wickle Gates.

My beautiful family.

A toast to the Gender & Sexuality Studies graduates.  
(L-R: Ana Carmen, Alanna, me, Ryan, Daniela. Not pictured: Jini)

And now, for your entertainment, Morgan Freeman.