A Ride of a Lifetime to Heal Wounds and Empower Women
At the age of 40, Crystal Kovacs rediscovered cycling, which has come to transform her life. During her first rides back, she would pedal ten miles and worry about making it up the last hill home. Over the next five years, her love of bikes grew, reshaped her life, and redefined what she thought possible.
A chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance. That line played over and over in my mind as I rode through areas with the reddest dirt you can imagine and lush tropical landscapes while navigating my way through Kenya.
When a friend asked me back in March to go with her to Africa this summer, I had no idea how much I would end up needing the trip, how life-changing it would be, and how hard processing it afterward would be. It turns out all three were huge, and I would not change any of it for the world.
Riding Across Kenya for Zawadisha
The purpose of this trip was to ride across Kenya, from Nairobi to Diani, while visiting local chapters of Zawadisha, an organization that funds microloans for Kenyan women in local communities.
We had a group of 16 women from across the United States. The trip itself included seven days of riding, with 60 to 100 kilometers covered per day, along with two days spent in the village of Mangu.
We raised money along the way through donations and ended up delivering $26,000 to the Zawadisha organization at the end of our trip.
A Journey Through Grief
I had no way of knowing when I committed to this trip back in March what my life had in store for me personally.
The last conversation that I had with my mom before she was killed in a car accident was that I was going to Africa. Little did I know that this trip would become the way I would sort through that pain.
But I do believe that the universe had a plan, and I was given this opportunity to ride somewhere extremely special, see pride in a way I never had before, and take a deep look into my own soul.
Connections Beyond the Bike
As we visited each village, we met some of the women we were fundraising for, and these became some of the most personal and memorable experiences of the trip.
We got to know these women, visited their homes and meeting areas, danced with them, and witnessed great joy.
At one point, while we were making baskets, Halmima, my basket-making teacher, reached over and rubbed my white arm. The connection was instant and one I will never forget.
A Shift in Perspective
Out on the road, my thoughts and what I perceived as necessities soon changed as well.
We would often ride thirty miles before lunch and arrive thinking that we had to load up on calories because we were hungry and thirsty from the efforts on the bike.
And while that was important, it became uncomfortable as we stood shoving food and water into our mouths and then looked around to see people who were truly hungry and thirsty.
Suddenly, chewing became less easy, talk became more hushed, and our thoughts started to shift.
While this trip allowed me to take the time that I so badly needed for myself and my personal grief, it ended up opening my eyes to other challenges and serious questions as well.
I had never seen poverty or hunger like I saw it in Kenya. I also never realized the amount of water we waste every day in the United States and how easily we think of it as a resource that will always be there.
What I thought was a trip that would be hard physically, and it was, turned out to be a trip that was equally hard mentally.
Creating Opportunity Through Microloans
The trip also helped me realize that there is responsibility within our lives. We can help others by supporting organizations that make a difference to those in need.
I'm proud we were able to raise $26,000 for Zawadisha and that this money will be delivered through microloans directly to the communities we visited.
The microloan program increases access to sustainable products and provides opportunities for recipients to improve their own lives, their families' lives, and their communities.
Bringing the Lessons Home
There are numerous ways in which a trip can be successful. Sometimes we ride high miles, meet new people, visit a new place, see something that changes us forever, and, if we are lucky, bring all of that home with us.
This trip was all of that and more for me.
I rode my bike from the capital of Kenya to the sands of the Indian Ocean with a group of total strangers. But the part that was most important was everything in between.
I learned that I am blessed beyond comprehension. I have a lifestyle where I do not have to work all day simply to survive. I have running water that turns on with the flick of a handle, and the water that comes out is hot. We have a refrigerator and freezer that keep our food cold and safe for us to eat.
All of these were luxuries I thought nothing of before I left home.
The Bike as Medicine
There is no better way to see a culture than on the back of a bike. There is also no better way for me to process grief or trauma than doing what I love in a safe environment.
Add elephants, lions, and the sweetest children you will ever meet to the trip, and this quickly became the trip of a lifetime.
I came home with a renewed spirit, an eagerness to help others understand a place that I now love, and a bike that will forever be my best medicine.
