Rural Realities

Author: Crystal Belle

When arriving at Middlebury College almost four years ago, the innate beauty of the college campus amazed me. I loved everything from the McCullough spruce tree to the miniature-sized town. However, there was something that was very apparent to me - how vast and spacious the actual campus was, in spite of the label "small liberal arts college." I always wondered how I would ever find a way to get to class on time.

There was no way I would ever skateboard or rollerblade to class, as I had seen quite a few students do. Then there was the very popular bicycle. That was even funnier than the thought of rollerblades. A New Yorker like myself, from Brooklyn at that, riding a bicycle in the midst of nature-driven Vermont. THAT WILL NEVER BE ME, I thought aloud to myself.

So, like most of the other urbanites here in rural Vermont, I trudged to class with my two best friends - my feet! As the bicyclists raced by me, during my daily promenade to Proctor or Munroe, I would secretly wish that I could get from point A to point B as fast as they could. However, I kept my sentiments bottled up, afraid to admit to my desire to conform to the Vermont way of life.

Freshman, sophomore and junior years rolled by, and I remained bike-less, still crawling to class as the bikers zoomed by. Finally senior year arrived, and I had more urges to ride a bike. Why buy one now when I'm a senior? It's almost winter, too late to ride a bike. These thoughts continuously floated through my head, yet my heart told me to simply purchase the damn thing! Hey, if purchased, it would be the closet thing to having a car here.

It finally happened on Saturday, Nov. 1. I told myself that I had to buy a bike and see what the experience was truly like. After having listened to the bike salesman explain the pros and cons of owning a Raleigh M20 for about an hour, I was ready to roll - literally.

As I walked the bike out of the store, I felt like a new person and somewhat of a traitor to my subway-dwelling days in Brooklyn. Yet still, I was ready for the challenge and most importantly, I was ready to get to class in two minutes as opposed to the dreadful 10.

My very first ride was wonderful, reminding me of my childhood days on my purple 10-speed mountain bike, riding through the Prospect Park section of North Flatbush. It felt right and even better when I would leave three minutes before class started and still manage to be on time.

I couldn't believe I waited so long to make the switch from walking to riding on this huge campus! Although many of the ruralites as well as urbanites make fun of my new "gadget," I am proud of my cute, blue Raleigh mountain bike.

Yes, it might reflect a sign of my conformity to Middlebury's wilderness.

However, while riding, I still wear my funky shoes, and Parisian-style jackets, while breezing past the collegiate pedestrians.