I am a proud alum of Bike and Build Providence to San Francisco 2009. Last summer was the most amazing experience of my life- and I want to do it again.
I'm Paige, I go to Brown University in Rhode Island. As I'm typing this, I'm studying abroad in Barcelona for a semester. I'm unsure of my major so don't ask me (even though by now I should have it figured out). I originally hail from Chesterfield, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. I have two older sisters that I consistently try to convince to sign up for Bike and Build. Something about a "real job" or something.
I originally heard about Bike and Build from a friend on my school's Ultimate Frisbee team. I was unacquainted with the affordable housing aspect of the trip, but interested in the biking. After last summer, however, I recognize that all national issues (health care, education, etc) trace back to lack of homes. What I want to learn more about are some of the root causes of homelessness and how we could work to attack the problem from the base up. Last summer, a stop in Danbury, CT really helped open my eyes to homelessness. An organization there was working to house veterans in a temporary or permanent setting, functioning as a halfway house for a large constituency. I really liked learning about the goals of the establishment and what exactly we were doing to help. Stops and build days like that are what I want to bring to my Bike and Build trip this year.
Outside of Bike and Build, I enjoy running and playing ultimate frisbee. I like to earn my views, so these tour buses and trips up the Pyrenees in cars are killing me. Harry Potter is my not-so-secret obsession. I'm working on building a foreign language Harry Potter library. So what if I can't read Arabic? The Half-Blood Prince is still worth it.
Last year one of my trip leaders said that by reading my profile/looking at my picture she expected me to be a gigantic dork. That's a pretty accurate assessment. I love planning fun activities and stupid games for everyone. I enjoy laughing and cuddling. Sometimes I'm too peppy in the morning but as the summer goes on, I get more and more exhausted (and therefore quieter). I like listening to music when waking up. Potato chips on peanut butter is the perfect sandwich for me (as long as there are 3 of them to eat). I'm not allergic to anything but I may have the weirdest eating habits ever.
My parents deserve a shoutout, because I haven't yet told them I'm reapplying. Last summer, my mother joined us on her bike and my father brought us cookies. Thank you for your continual support of life plans and always being there when I need you.
Paige's photos
