gong khnyom (my bicycle)

Well, March just really got away from me there, didn’t it? It just slipped by as I went about my daily work, unsuspecting that I’d reach the end of it and have a mere two posts to show for it. Part of it is I’ve been making a concentrated effort to spend less time at my computer- with less than four months left here, I don’t want to wish I had done anything differently- and part of it is that I’ve been sublimely happy this month, working alongside my new counterpart (she’s basically the bomb, and deserving of that dated and somewhat tragic euphemism). I’ve been spending time planning new and invigorated lessons, and I have more energy to do all the things. So, less time inside the small white box with keys, and more outside, in the world, being.

But the focus of this post is actually how I get there- to the outside world. I’ve been using a gifted item for the past 21 months, and I figured it was about time to share my thoughts with all of you regarding the bicycle that Peace Corps Cambodia was kind enough to send to me. Hopefully, it goes without saying, this review is entirely my own, though I was given this item to me for the express purpose of its use, and I’m assuming, eventual review here on the interwebs.**

To the outside eye, my bike resembles your typical, average, everyday two-wheeled contraption. I thought that when I first received it. It did strike me as something new and different when I realized that the bike Peace Corps was gifting me was more than just a method of moving about- it was freedom.

My freedom is a cool, creamy ivory- a big juxtaposition to the typical silver plated bikes I see about town- with a roomy, spongy seat. No tiny, bikini-covered-parts crushing here, no sir! I have tested this bike on two very long bike rides, and I can tell you, it really lives up to its advertising. My butt only begins to ache after hour two, and transitions to numbness after hour four. I mean, that’s basically a reason to spring for one right now!

To make the bike a bit more me, I did add some yellow duct tape in spirals around the frame, and name it Bumblebee. I think adding the name has really bonded the bike and me in a way that I’ll never forget. I’m pretty sure that naming my transportation has led to said transportation to be kind to me. I have had minimal problems with my bike, aside from the expected bi-weekly air pump-ups, and the few times I’ve had to have the inner tube mended. (Well, there was that one time I had to buy a whole new inner tube, and it did cost $2.50, which hurt a bit, but I’m apt to blame the not-actual-asphalt-but-concrete-covering-giant-piles-of-loose-rubble roads I circulate on.)

I really think that Bumblebee can feel my love and gratitude streaming through my fingertips to the handlebar, and my tippy toes to the pedals, and this love has been returned threefold in the ease of caring for my bicycle.

I do feel like I have to mention that just this week, my back tire did finally break at a seam, and I had to purchase a new one. I guess it’s to be expected after 21 straight months of use (plus who know how many other months of use by a previous Volunteer! Oh yes, a key aspect- these bikes are recycled, which can only be good things for the environment!) I’d need to invest in something grander than just air for 7.5 cents every two weeks. Luckily, I happen to have a husband who carries more money than me (I average my daily needed .50 cents for breakfast and .60 cents for diet coke in my wallet each day), and he forked over the cash. I’m currently seeking ways to keep him from remembering that he paid, so suggestions welcome!

All in all, I have to say that if I were in the market to say goodbye to my friends and family for two years, move to a foreign (in every aspect) land, and seek to become a true part of a new community, I’d want a bicycle from Peace Corps Cambodia under my rump each day. Highly recommend this adventure and this bike, friends! Get thee to a recruiting office, now!



**This is not a real review of an item gifted to a blogger. This is satire.