La Gringa Ciclista Hangs Up her Helmet

As a consequence of my surgery, I am not allowed to ride my bike for six weeks. This has put a cramp in my style as the “gringa ciclista.” Instead of riding my bike to schools up to two miles away, I have to walk everywhere.


Up to an hour and a half of my day is now dedicated to walking to class, which is tiring when you consider that I also stand up during four hours of teaching. The dust tornadoes are miserable, and it gets really hot around noon when I start my treks.



But on the positive side, I can stop and visit with people passing by instead of merely screaming, “¡Buenas taaaaarrrrdddessss!” as I whiz by on a bike. Many times I run into former students who graduated and are continuing in high school. I ask them what they are studying, how they like it, and how it compares to middle school. All of them say that it is a lot of work, and when I ask for their advice to the current middle schoolers, they unanimously say, “Do your homework now because it’s not that much compared to high school.” Amen to that.


I really enjoy running into people. I feel more connected to the community when I can stop several times along my trip to say “hi” to friends. True, some of the boys who are my students just duck and look the other way (as if seeing a teacher outside of class were like seeing a freak of nature), but most students greet me with a polite and enthusiastic, “¡Buenas tardes, seño!”


So for now the gringa ciclista is in retirement, but it is only a matter of time before I pull a Brett Favre and make a comeback.