Back then, I am not sure if it's same as today, but... in the 90's, the kids were safe. We could play on the streets and move around more freely. There was no worries about kidnapping or molestation, poisoned candy, or whatever is happening out there. I lived few blocks to my Elementary school, so I was free to walk back and forth everyday. There were landmarks, places where I memorized my imaginations to hide: the bushes with narrow space between itself and the building, where I can run and hide, wait for a sibling to walk past, and jump on them. Ah.
In High School, when I was a wee Freshman on my first day, I decided that I was going there on foot! I pulled out my bike and my brother looked at me: "are you stupid? your bike's going to be stolen or broken." Of course, he was a Senior at that time, so he had experience, but I had to try. Keeping his advice in mind, I arrived, noticed bended bikes, abused bikes locked up. Okay, for once, I listened to him, hid my bike under the stairs. Then walked to school instead.
How could I go to school on my own feet?
AH! Rollerblades! How did I get this idea:
I begged for rollerblades, my old rollerblades were tiny, I had begged for a full year when I was in elementary school for a pair. I finally got my pair at Christmas, I went ahead and started rollerblading in the snow. It was aaaaaaweesome!
Since it was too small to fit my adolescent feet, I begged my dad for a new pair.. again. My dad decided that since I'm a committed user and always a fugal spender, he took me to a skate shop and brought me a $100 pair.
JACKPOT.
I rollerbladed daily to school, basketball practices, my part-time job.... literally... everywhere.
I kept it up for straight 3 years, from my Freshman year to first trimester of Senior year. I had to stop commuting on my rollerblades in second trimester of Senior year because I was placed in Fast Track program which required me to take college classes on their campus. Unfortunately, I lived half mile to college which connects by hiking trails. My first attempt, I tied up my rollerblades, hiked up the dirt and gravel hill to the campus. Then I tried to rollerblade back down... not so smart. Even some days, I had classes all day until 7pm, so it was dark out and of course... gravel downhill. On the nights that I have a shift at work, I would hike down home, pull on my rollerblades and headed to work.
Until one day... they disassembled. It was a sad day.
I continued commuting, on my feet by walking. Once it became summer, I started working Day Shift full-time, so I decided to switch to biking daily. It was aweeeesoooome!
Anywhooo: here's an photo series blog about attempting to commute via non-motorized scooter. Now that's creative!! My mom gave me one of those scooters when it was popular for Christmas 2000 (?), matching set with my two sisters, a metallatic gray, red, or blue. I took my little sisters scootering all the time when we head out for a swim. It was amazing. I went to retrieve it when I was visiting Colorado, but all of my sports things had disappeared, and like always, my mom hates it when I ask questions. Disappointed.
Back to the happy stuff. This video was taken when I took Bella out while I was rollerblading last Autumn. :) Ah, nevermind, unable to upload.
Happy commuting!
