Angela Chen
Rockville, MD
Vanderbilt University

Last 5 blog entries: A Summer to Remember a steep climb and long descent a great few days 2 days of bad then good tailwinds to watonga

Show latest update from from Angela 's blog A Summer to Remember After arriving to Dulles Airport via JetBlue's red-eye flight, I realized that I was home. It is the strangest feeling to know that I will finally be physically located in one place for more than 1 week (11 months to be exact- living at home with the parents while doing AmeriCorps). The sense of sadness is quite overwhelming- all attributed to leaving my Bike & Build family. I even foolishly made a convincing effort in my head not to cry but that failed miserably. Who was I kidding... tears come complimentary to B&B goodbyes. We spent the last 11 weeks together, through all the highs and lows of the trip: We are bonded as SC2SC10! This summer was truly an unforgettable one: one filled with lifelong memories and one that brought a group of 32 people together for 1 sweet journey. A little background/update about Suz (my knee, yes I named her): about half way through the trip (July 2) I had an accident while descending in San Isabel National Forest on our 116 mile day. I had to be Medevac to a hospital in Pueblo, CO and underwent surgery on my knee. I fortunately didn't break anything but I did however tear some of the muscle and tendons in my left knee, thus I was in brace-bound the rest of the trip- well sort of... (oh and yes, can't forget the bag showering- I rocked the MC Hammer/genie pants on Miss. Suz- quite uncomfortable at times but thanks to everyone's great duct taping skills, she stayed dry). I have regained errr probably 60-70% of my range of motion so PT is in the near future. I also want to thank all the parents who wrote and called with concern. It meant a lot to have your support. And a special thanks to the Barry family for renting a kiddy cart for me to ride in with the group (pulled by the awesome Sebass). Lastly, I couldn't of finished the trip without the group's support. Thanks for waiting around for this slow-poke, giving up the first row's middle seat, taping me for showers, helping me through everything, and making this summer the best one I have ever had. I thought sleeping in a bed again would be the best thing about returning home, but I was proven quite wrong. The first night, I shocked myself and chose to sleep in my sleeping bag on my thermarest. And last night, I slept in my bed and rolled around for hours. Not sure when my body will take a liking to sleeping in a bed again. There are so many things I miss about the summer- from the morning hissing of thermarests to the snores of 31 people passed out at 10 pm and sometimes earlier to the lunch stops (I don't know how to eat lunch anymore- not without 30 people passing by while I snack!!) Cheers to this summer! All of us made it to the Pacific in 4,300 miles (got to include the times we got lost or re-routed, a slight adjustment to our original 4084 mi), one way or another! Lunch stop (nom, nom time) ready set ride! hungry riders goofing around on the road A little building action in Tupelo, MS Breakfast at a boathouse (OKC) Rockies = breathtaking views working hard at our last build site (chico, CA) a colorful group in Twin Lakes, CO California! cart ride to the pacific SANTA CRUZ, CA! We started off a group of 32 strangers, as: Passionate Preston, Running Ryan, TV-star Travis, Leaping Lizzy, Navigating Natalie, Zesty Zac, Meandering Michael, Sickly Scott, Broken Brad, Live-Strong Lance, Boat-driving Brian, Absolutely Angela, Voluptuous Varun, Break-dancing B$, Prestigious Paul, Trekking Tyler, Sizzled Sarah, Nuun-loving Nichole, Just Jess, Dodging David, Eating Eugene, Kindergarten Karen, Milking Megan, Kleptomaniac Katie, Knowledgeable Kelsey, Karate Kim, Crushing Craig, Jumping Jillian, Koi-like Katie, Motivational Melissa, Kinky Kern, and Sneaky Sebastian. But above you see one of the many B&B families Bike & Build has built.

Angela 's bio: Hi Everyone! My full name is Angela A Chen and yes my middle name is simply A. My friends think it stands for America (Miss America to be exact) but my dad calls it his favorite letter. I’m 21 years old from Rockville, Maryland and I’m currently a senior at Vanderbilt University studying Chemistry/Medicine, Health, and Society. I have lived in Rockville all my life but I took a chance and came down south for school. With senior year winding down, I’m looking to take some time off before going to medical school and plan on doing AmeriCorps for a year. I love cooking and traveling but most of all laughing (any jokes willl do). I’m not particularly gifted in the athletic department however I do enjoy the burst of adrenaline from a good workout. I took gymnastic, ice-skating, and swimming lessons when I was little, but these sports never stuck. I was either too afraid of heights or not fast enough to make any teams once I got older. So, the extent of my sports experience is broad but rather shallow. Biking is something I did when I was younger but I haven’t gotten on a bike since middle school. But, after hearing about Bike & Build from a B&B alumnus, I knew this is how I wanted to spend my summer 2010! After ending up on one of Nashville Habitat for Humanity's builds freshman year, I got hooked. Not realizing at the time, that morning at 6:30 AM, I was going to become a Habitat convert. I became part of the Executive board sophomore year and in these three years, I have learned so much about the great need for affordable housing. Most importantly, a home is the foundation for education, health, opportunities, and a happy life. And it is this reason why I fight for this great cause. By providing affordable housing, generational results will happen and lead to a better future for all. I’m ready to challenge myself to this great physical task and bike for change. Although my parents have doubts about my bike riding skills, I’m so excited to take on this great amazing feat. I see this opportunity as a package deal: I gain a life-changing experience with a team of riders fighting for the same cause and I get to travel across the whole country. I have flown across from east to west and now I can accomplish the ride from coast to coast. If my ride across the country can help just one family have a home, I know this experience will be well worth it. As we build one house at a time, ride one mile at a time, I can’t wait to see what this adventure has in store for me.

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