Charles Yang, then 15 years old, was about to embark on the longest and most intense journey of his life: A ten day biking trip through all of Taiwan. Frozen in his place, with hands slightly trembling, Charles started to second-guess his choice. He thought about everything that could go wrong and prayed that he would remain safe through his journey. But Charles didn’t let his nerves get the best of him and instead focused on the reason he was making this trip—to travel all over the country and make new friends in the process. He had no training, no extra clothing, and a million and one fears; but he had never been more eager to take an enormous chance.
Charles laughs at the amount of times he failed when he first learned how to ride a bike. “My dad would push me and when he let go, I would fall,” Charles said while smiling. Charles dreamt that night about successfully riding his bike in the park, and when they went to the park again the next morning, he was able to ride on his first try. He also ended up riding into a wall because he took his eyes off the road to look back to his father. Nevertheless, he continued to bike for the rest of the day. He then kept in practice by riding around forty-five kilometers per month.
In June of 2009, Charles’ uncle referred him to a website with information on a biking tour of Taiwan. The tour was called Jiuyuan Tuan and it was from July 1st to July 11th. It was free of cost and the tour provided bikes, jackets, and water bottles for everyone who wanted to participate...
-Samah Pirzada
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