5 Life Lessons I learned on the road

the Ride to Read !!

Dear readers,

The 3-part series of articles written for supporters Bicycle Touring Pro comes to a finish with this 3rd piece (and my personal favourite): “5 Life lessons I learned as a Bicycle Traveller”

Check out the full article !

A snippet:

“It’s not that “I was blind, and now I see.” It’s not as if there aren’t other ways to experience moments of understanding. Simply, traveling on bike and being alone for so much of the time during the Ride to Read, I was blessed with ample opportunity to think and to contemplate. And some lessons, more so than others, really hit home.”

Bicycle Touring Pro – check out: “Ride to Read – cycling tales from Europe”

Part of the three-part series of articles I’m writing about the Ride to Read written for Bicycle Touring Pro.

full article here

 

via Bicycle Touring Pro – check out: “Ride to Read – cycling tales from Europe”.

Bicycle Touring Pro – check out “Ride to Read – the realities of a cycling fundraiser”

Recent article about the fundraising aspect of the Ride to Read !

via Bicycle Touring Pro – check out “Ride to Read – the realities of a cycling fundraiser”.

a Fundraising update (part I)

Where are we at with our fundraising? What are we doing to continue the process beyond the actual ride?

…and why wasn’t that darn fundraising wheel updated after I made my donation??

Firstly -

As you know, the Ride to Read has been as much about cycling as it is about literacy.  Reading and writing is a gift that many of us indulge in everyday, in this very moment for instance, and it is something that I wanted to raise funds and awareness for, representing a great Canadian charity – World Literacy Canada – and their humanitarian and educational efforts in India and Nepal.  I chose to do so by cycling alone across the European continent, enduring moments of joy and moments of difficulty, and choosing to dedicate those difficult moments to a cause that I believe in with all my heart – literacy and education.

The fundraising goal set for this trip was chosen somewhat arbitrarily – 10,000$.  Many months ago, when deciding upon the desired sum, I thought that 10,000$ was both a lofty and an achievable goal, and therefore perfect.  By our western standards it is neither too little or too much money – and I liked that.

Now, it seems that I have raised a dollar amount closer to the amount of kilometers cycled – at the end of the trip my chronometer reads 4,295km.

We have raised, thus far and to my knowledge, an approximate 4,400$ !!!

Have we reached the hoped for goal? No. But is 4,400$ still a whopping cool sum of money for World Literacy Canada – yes!!

 

Secondly - 

What am I doing to continue the Ride (aka. the fundraising) beyond the actual riding?

This is an issue that has nagged me for some weeks now.  I didn’t like the idea of arriving in Istanbul and having this fundraiser simply blow away in the wind – just because I’m not cycling across Europe anymore (I ran out of Europe, I’d have to go to Asia, lol) doesn’t mean that we can’t start something fun and interesting to generate just a bit more funds for WLC.

Soo… the current idea is for me to play at “freelance journalism” and write a few articles for some Canadian magazines, newspapers – really anyone who would post a story about bicycle travel, Europe or fundraising projects – and have funds generated from these articles dedicated 100% to the Ride to Read.  I’ve learned and experienced a lot on this trip and I am taking plenty of notes – both voice, video and written recordings – that have not fully been published on this blog.  I wish to use this material to write a few articles about specific countries, cultures or experiences I had during this bicycle trip, and channel the payment for these pieces, however symbolic they may be, towards this fundraiser.

Please do note – although the Ride to Read team has already put this plan into action, your help in furthering this fundraising initiative is appreciated.  If you are reading this and know of a magazine, newspaper or other type of media that would be interested in collaborating with us – do let me know! Any contacts, personal and professional, can especially be helpful in this case.

Thirdly -

It’s currently a bit of a waiting game.

Why? Because our guy at World Literacy Canada went on holiday (bless him, I hope he is having a great break!).  But, since all funds donated go through WLC first, and then later get reported to me and my assistant, it’s impossible for us to know if we raised 20$ or 2,000$ in the last 2 days.  And we won’t know any more about it until he gets back from holiday at the start of August!

My sincere apologies for this – if you made a donation and checked our donation tracker wheel to see if it would be automatically updated – sorry, it’s just not how our system works.  From the start I didn’t want any sponsor, known to me or unknown, thinking that they were contributing to “some gal’s crazy bicycle adventure half a world away” instead of to the charity the money is destined to – this is why all the donations have gone, and continue to go through, World Literacy Canada.  This way there is no room for confusion – even if the downside is that information about fundraising progress trickles down slower to me, the cyclist.  Ah well.. patience is one of the many virtues I have trained these past few weeks

If you’ve donated, if you are waiting to give or know anyone who still wishes to donate – don’t hesitate to do so!!

….of course, not I, nor anyone else will know that you have done so until (approx.) 2 weeks from now – but trust me – when we find out we will sing your praises! we will thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

you can count on it!

– and that —

 - I think -

.. wraps up this post about fundraising and the Ride to Read.

THANK YOU to each and every single person, whether I know you, whether we have become Internet-friends during this ride, or whether I have yet to meet you and give you a very enthusiastic bear-hug, thank you so much for taking the time, energy and money, to donate to this fundraiser!

Know that you have done a noble and beautiful deed .. and that there is a young woman with cyclist thighs typing this blog post in the city of Istanbul (Asian side) very and I mean very thankful for your contribution!!

 

the Ride to Read !!

 

 

The end of a journey – in Istanbul, Turkey

Yes!!!! Have made it - miraculously, incredibly, certainly – to the mega-metropolis that is Istanbul.

The last few days have been pure chaos. Just as the stories and adventures get really interesting, I have fallen behind with blogging and writing. Please know that the poste are in the works! The stories will get to you! … But right now… I must – rest!

Exhaustion is kicking in – just one last thing before I let my eyes shut – THANK YOU!!! Merci, gracias, dziękuję, grazie… And thank you again in every language on earth!

For all your help, your support, your encouragement, your wonderful presence – to those who wonder how I could have cycled and been on the road “alone” for so long, I can only smile when I realize that I was never alone. Not ever.

Words cannot express my gratitude!

Thank you SO MUCH!!!

New (official) Ride to Read video – check it out!

Ride to Read – a woman’s ride for literacy, on a bicycle across Europe from Guba Gergo on Vimeo.

Enjoy our new inspirational Ride to Read video and get ready for the “10 days of $10″ campaign. Donate just 10$ to our cause during our 10 day campaign to help us reach our goal over the last few weeks of Ride to Read. Starting on July 10th!

IBikeUbike

I would like to give a big shout out to fellow biking revolutionaries – this family of 5 who have given up driving and embraced cycling as a means of transportation and a way of life, write an incredible blog
about their cycling (and life) adventures.

Check it out at: www.ibikeubike.com

They have also been great Ride to Read supporters and have been generous enough to dedicate a blog post and article about this ride and the “10 days, 10 dollars” campaign. Check out the article titled “It means so much”:

Now that’s some amazing support! Thanks so much!

…Long live cycling, the cycling community and our abilities to read and write about it all!

Kasia – your supported cyclist

Day 59 – “Sofia, inspiration and the mystery of the early-setting sun”, in Sofia (Bulgaria), 0km cycled, (but many walked!)

I wake up to the traditional Bulgarian breakfast that I already told you about in yesterday’s post, plus a bit of my own Muesli and fruits. One coffee, two coffees and I continue the usual writing, blogging, tweeting and researching iPhone frenzy I have grown so used to over the course of this ride. Inside Pavlina’s apartment I am alone, it is quiet (except for the yelping of a little puppy outside); everything is familiar and safe.

The same cannot be said for the unfamiliarity of downtown Sofia. I’m not one to get scared off by a new place or city, and in fact Sofia intrigues me with this energy of change and activism, with its many cafes, its neat and artsy shops. But it is a tough city to navigate for newbies and foreigners, a shortcoming readily acknowledged by the locals themselves. Firstly, as everything in Bulgaria, cyrilic reigns over all, and although I can now read this alphabet somewhat accurately it takes me a long time to do so. The brain, from lack of practice, feels like it’s peddling through molasses. Not that there is much to read of the kind of signs that are important to a new-comer: street names. These are very few and very far between even though the locals know all the street names by heart (do they study these in school??). There is tons of construction going on, mostly due to a new tram line project, forcing you to cross and re-cross the streets to avoid the mess. When asking for help, some locals are very friendly and warm while others immediately shut down and refuse to talk with you when approached in English. Not for any political or xenophobic reason – they’re simply uncomfortable and embarassed that their English is poor. I quickly switch to Polish to lessen their terror, and with most, this allows me to awkwardly continue our dialogue of streets, directions and destinations.

It is arduous, yet I set out in the persuit of sport clothing, hoping to find those dreamed-of longer shorts or one more T-shirt to add to my minimalist travel wardrobe. No luck! Furthermore, I’m left to fend for myself since the shopkeepers at one sport store claim to “not know of any other similar shops” when in fact there is another place just 100m down the same street…

I find some pants which could work but they are too expensive. Time to abandon this idea – too bad, I’ll make do with what I have and dedicate the rest of my time to more important tasks. Not to mention my dislike for shopping in general…

By 15:00 I am meandering down to the park near the radio station where Yanina from the “Ideas factory” (www.ideasfactorybg.org) has suggested we do a spot on today’s radio podcast about the Ride to Read. She tells me to come around the studio at 15:30 or 16:00 at the latest. Only a few moments go by – I had purposely come to this neighbourhood early to people-watch, sit and relax a bit- when I see a missed phone call from Yanina. I call her back and am surprised to hear her slightly anxious voice “Where are you? Are you coming?”. It seems a bit odd that she wants me at the studio so early, but don’t say anything about it. I run to meet her at the correct spot, quick. The park I was at wasn’t the right one (go figure!).

It’s fun doing the radio interview (and I’ll make it available here on the blog as soon as I receive the link for it myself). Everything is translated live into Bulgarian, and they seem very happy with the whole story. Their appreciation for the project is very visible, as they say “and maybe your story will inspire some Bulgarians to cycle for beautiful cause!”

I hope so!

Only once I get back home to Pavlina’s does reality hit. She is there waiting for me (since I have the keys), and I’m pleasently surprised to see her home an hour early. “It’s only 5pm”, I say, “that’s pretty sweet you got off work early!”. She looks at me perplexed and answers, “No, I didn’t, it’s 6pm!”

Ooohhh! Silly goose…I’ve changed time zones and didn’t even realize it!

Bulgaria is one hour ahead from Barcelona time… and it only took me 5 days in this new country to figure it out. I was wondering why Pavlina left for work at 8:00 when she said she would go at 9:00, why Yanina was rushing me when I thought I was early but was in fact I was late…and why, for goodness sakes, the sun has been setting so early!

Finally, as I reset my clocks, everything makes just a little more sense

Kasia – your time-zone crossing cyclist

Thank you to Totalitea Tea Boutique in Calgary!

We would like to send a warm Thank You to Totalitea Tea Boutique in Calgary for supporting the Ride to Read. If you are in Calgary make sure to stop in to their storefront at 336-315 8th Ave. (3rd floor Banker’s Hall) or at the Calgary Farmer’s Market and pick up something from superb tea and tea products. Well worth it! If you aren’t a local of the area but would like to check them out you can do so online at http://www.totalitea.com

Thanks Again!

Day 48 – filming “Day in the life of Ride to Read”, crossing border to Serbia, 60km

Today, we film.

I meet Gergo and Martin at 9:00, they will interchangeably fulfill the roles of cameramen, directors, navigators, networkers, drivers and artists throughout the day. All I have to do is cycle, and show some of what my day looks like while on the road.
We get right to it, filming always takes time, and we’re not going to stop all day really, except for a short coffee break, we film right until 18:00.

My respect, understanding and appreciation for film is growing by leaps and bounds. Already a few takes into the process and I am observing how much time and good organization it takes to film what will, in the end, be a clip a few seconds long. Setting up tripods, switching lenses, changing positions for a new angle, taking more than one take, although by far my favourite part is when Gergo straps his rollerblades on (these two video makers are also blading fanatics) and grabs his camera to film alongside me as we cross the Tisa river. He’s blading on the pavement alongside my bike on the road and it feels like we’re crossing many boundaries between creative video making, sports and art. So cool!

It’s hot, very. There’s going to be no rest or nap today, so I guzzle coffees, juice and water just to stay conscious. The guys opt for RedBulls; they are pretty tired too.

No sense in telling you the exact contents of the video (you’ll see it soon enough!), the big afternoon border hick-up deserves a mention though. I headed away from the highway border crossing, instinctively, since I never take the huge roads, choosing the smaller road and thus the “limited” border crossing road instead. I figured, logically, that limited meant that the big transport trucks were not allowed to cross there. I learned instead that limited meant that only those with Hungarian or Serbian passports could cross.

The guys made a few more calls, to make sure of the accuracy of this information. It was confirmed, there was no way either my Polish or Canadian passport would get me across there. Were I to cycle back to Szeged and then to the highway crossing I would lose another day or half-day of time; instead we take apart the bicycle and pack it into the guys sedan. It’s the second time this trip that I get inside a motor vehicle, alhough it’s not really to advance my journey but to backtrack. We make a stop in Szeged, the guys have a friend who’s family owns a gas station where we can film some shots for the video. We are treated to coffees, juices and a free map of Serbia too. Is this what it’s like to be a movie star?

Do enjoy the photos of some of the “behind the scenes” making of our video. It’s back to work for all as the guys edit film, add music, text etc. to comlete our masterpiece.

Kasia – your enthused cyclist

P.s. oh yeah, and the border crossing! It goes well, I am encouraged by drivers to jump the line and cross ahead of them, so I do. I feel like I’ve crossed into a land of comprehension and familiarity, compared to my week in Hungary, even though it’s the first time I’m stepping (or rather, riding) on Serbian soil. Must be my Serbo-Croatian friends back in Canada and my year of Serbian folk dance with them that give me this feeling. I am back with my slavic family, with much more linguistic ability; I’ve always loved their music and now I hear it everywhere. The gas station attendant saunters by humming a Balcan tune… I am in love with this country already and, with several days extra experience at the time of this writing, I can tell you that it’s only going to get better!!