In the Bike Shop
Here at St. Mary's of the Angels we have a cooperative bike shop where members of the community can get bikes. The bikes are generally old and rusty. Some survived the flood, others were donated from far-away cities. You don't have to pay money to get a bike, but you do have to earn it through a work exchange. There are four steps:
1) Patch an inner tube from our mountain of flats
2) Overhaul a wheel by taking it apart and repacking the hub with grease
3) Choose a bike frame and build up your own bike
4) Create an art project to help beautify the space
I spent Saturday afternoon in the bike shop with Cece, a twelve year-old girl from the Eighth Ward. She just returned to NOLA from Texas with her mom last month and needed a new bike. We started by patching tubes with two younger girls, but they got distracted and soon I was working one-on-one with Cece. As we first started to disassemble the wheel she was a bit unsure of herself, holding the wrench awkwardly and twisting the wrong way. But once she picked a Huffy off the rack and realized she could ride it home that day, she was a woman on fire. Together we got the bike tuned nicely, and she learned how to do everything herself. I learned new things too, as it was the first time I had overhauled coaster brakes.
Cece rode home that day with a smile a mile wide. So did I.
1) Patch an inner tube from our mountain of flats
2) Overhaul a wheel by taking it apart and repacking the hub with grease
3) Choose a bike frame and build up your own bike
4) Create an art project to help beautify the space
I spent Saturday afternoon in the bike shop with Cece, a twelve year-old girl from the Eighth Ward. She just returned to NOLA from Texas with her mom last month and needed a new bike. We started by patching tubes with two younger girls, but they got distracted and soon I was working one-on-one with Cece. As we first started to disassemble the wheel she was a bit unsure of herself, holding the wrench awkwardly and twisting the wrong way. But once she picked a Huffy off the rack and realized she could ride it home that day, she was a woman on fire. Together we got the bike tuned nicely, and she learned how to do everything herself. I learned new things too, as it was the first time I had overhauled coaster brakes.
Cece rode home that day with a smile a mile wide. So did I.
posted by John Engler at 8:29 AM
1 Comments:
Hey John, Emily here. :) (Got the link here from Logan and Nick's page.) I didn't know you had been in Maine... I partly grew up on Little Deer Isle, so it was cool to read about the apple orchard. And Lauren had told me she'd heard you were going into the Peace Corps, so as I told her, how could I then be too sad you were leaving New Orleans? I liked what you said to me, "SOmetimes I belong other places, too." I know you'll do great things in Guatemala.
But what I'm really replying here to say is, I didn't know you knew CeCe, or had helped her with her bike! I really got to love CeCe while down there - she was so sweet and I loved her smile. She gave good hugs, too. I miss her. We had some good times and hopefully will have more!
I'm going to go back as soon as I can, but meanwhile, I'm drumming up some support for CG and trying to raise awareness. And resting, so I'll have lots of energy when I return.
When are you going to Guatemala? What will you do there? Hopefully you'll keep updates going here so we can all read along and find out.
Much love to you - I'm grateful to have met you, and I know in the future you'll do great things because you're just cool like that. Know that a bunch of us are sending may goodthoughts your way. Keep up the good work! :)
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