Sayonara Until Later

As I write this post, I am sitting on a plane getting ready to depart this golden state for Phoenix and shortly following for Charlotte.  In many ways, it seems anticlimactic that I will be traveling back to the East Coast in a mere 5 hours, a journey that took our team 80 days to complete headed in the opposite direction.  On the other hand, it's only fitting that the culmination of this slow-paced and laid-back summer with Bike & Build come to an end much more suddenly than the manner in which it began.  

Before kicking off our last ride day from Hollister CA to Monterey CA, one of Bike & Build's co-directors, Natalie, spoke to our team about the end of our ride across the country.  She very effectively and accurately concluded that the 32 of us are about to go through huge withdrawal; we are about to leave our 31 best friends, about to cut back on all the endorphins and happiness garnered from biking in the sunshine 8+ hours a day, about to return to real-world responsibilities and pressures, about to resume sleeping in bedrooms by ourselves, and about to return to a life that doesn't fully comprehend all that we experienced while on the road this summer.  Regardless of whether we are returning to a job, taking some time off to travel or resuming our university studies, the fact remains that our stint with Bike & Build has come to a close and that, for most, that is a very sad reality.  

As I have made my way through the past few days - days, I might add, that feel a lot shorter because I am no longer waking up at 4 am - I realize that certain facets of every-day life will likely feel awkward for a period of time.  Exchanging my casual t-shirt and shorts of a skirt and cardigan on the airplane; picking up a pair of keys to drive a car; unpacking my suitcase with the knowledge that I won't have to repack it in the morning; petting my dog; washing my clothing on my own schedule without a laundry loop; deciding when I would like to spend an hour exercising.  These small moments of life stick out to me as symbols of how Bike & Build had changed not just my routines, but also my outlook.  

I no longer see just a neighborhood but I see prosperity.  I recognize the affluence of my fellow airline travelers and can't help but wonder what these flyers are doing with their good fortune.  The grocery store has become this mixed bag of both adoration for the produce aisle and recognition at the impossible expenses this section of the supermarket represents for those struggling to pay their rent or mortgage.  Life is chalked full of nuances just waiting to be seen and Bike & Build has certainly helped open my eyes.  

That being said, my education is not nearly complete.  As one brief chapter of my life comes to a close, another begins.  I will be departing the country in less than a week fly to South Africa where I will be interning four days a week and taking classes.  

Bike & Build is physically over but that by no means implies that the friendships we have all made won't ensure or that the lessons Bike & Build subtly teaches participants won't endure.  Bike & Build truly was the "summer of a lifetime".  Thank you so much for sharing my experiences and my teammates' experienced by reading my blog and keeping tabs on our progress.