Last weekend I needed an escape from the stress of school. Because it was midday, and frankly way too hot, I couldn’t go to my basketball court and play for a couple hours like I usually would in order to destress. Instead, I decided to do something that would benefit not only myself, but my family as well so I decided to give my Dad’s bike its first deep clean in over half a year.

 

LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

Through this CAS experience, I was able to identify strengths, but also identify and develop some areas for growth. For context, I first learned how to wash a bike properly at ‘Week Without Walls’, a 4 day long school trip, in 10th grade from Peter, the trip organizer and rental bike company founder. This experience taught me about what areas of a bike are most important to wash, what materials are needed to wash a bike, and many other minuscule details on bike maintenance. Although, I did learn that I have difficulty applying oil to the chain independently. I had never been taught how to do so but luckily my Dad was supervising and was able to help me elevate the bike while I rotated the pedal in order to evenly distribute the oil on the chain. The last area for growth for me is more mental than practical. I learned that in the future, I need to wash the bike more regularly as it loses its value and functionality if it is not washed on a consistent basis.

 

LO7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

I was also able to recognize and consider the ethics of my choices and my actions through this experience. This was possible as I considered how much my Dad loves to bike in comparison to how much it is washed. I came up with the conclusion that this lack of maintenance would not be sustainable in the near future and decided to take action. Not only did this benefit him physically, but it also helped us to create a deeper bond which is very difficult nowadays as I am always online.

 

Supervisor: Andrew Hurd