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Blog Question #2

Is it safe to be biking or going into shops during a pandemic situation. Is the next question that I thought of after I started considering possibly biking and join Uber for delivery near home so i can make some money and not be stuck inside all day and help out with something or deliver while exercising. While reading this article i found a wonderful quote "There's nothing better you can do right now for your local community, and your cycling community, than buying from a bike shop," says Shawn Wolf, co-owner of King Kog and Sun & Air, two Brooklyn-based bike shops. "And even if you buy a bike online, you'll still need to have it assembled or tuned up at a bike shop anyway." By getting a bike or visiting a bike shop you start familiarize with what store are nearby and walking distance or riding distance to get you necessity like food or other supplies near your home. If the these bike shops were to disappear so would the community established of biking since bikes need repairs in order to run smoothly or parts to last longer, not everyone is a specialist or master in biking like myself I’ve been riding for years but if something break and I don’t know what is broken or what needs to be fixed then how can I continue to bike ride if that doesn't get resolved. For starters I know to wash my bike to to bottom because if someones gonna work on it it should be clean in case others are going to work on it and touch the bike, especially for health reasons to, just be cleaning a lot of issues get fixed for your bike too. Although some shops are open by researching this question I’ve learned you should also call bike shops before just dropping by as they are also taking the precautions of being safe and not spreading the virus, either cal and see if you are able to drop off a bike fro any repairs and if you are allowed inside the bike shop to follow rules sanitize and wear gloves and masks so the people repairing your bike don’t also get sick in return. Most importantly is riding safe and keeping 6 feet away, the next thing you do not want is from overloading a hospital where people are getting sick because of the virus. 

Here’s a link to the article with a nice list of do’s and Don’t as well as great tips for bike riding and what is needed to start. 

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7489x/how-to-get-back-into-biking-during-the-pandemic 

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Blog Question #1

After being home for several weeks now because of the pandemic I started thinking about my volunteering experience at Vulture Space and was wondering how they were doing especially during a time like now. I had a question bfore this all started when i asked myself “Why are bike shops needed” since the had been at fora few days is mostly volunteering work. I knew people biked around and i love biking but when it gets really cold outside or snows biking gets less used because of the weather conditions. At that point why not use the bus for transportation  but I was only thinking about students in college like myself who get a free bus pass for the whole semester at school and not about the other people in Milwaukee or around the world that needs a place like the Vulture space.

After doing some research on this question it had become clear to me that bike shops are a essential business and are now needed more than ever during a corona virus pandemic that we are now experiencing. The article I read had great example that I didn't think of until now of why they are so importance or crucial and a essential business. In the article it brought up workers that are delivery since restaurants are closed and now need transportation and bicycles are used for this situation in a time of need for delivery workers that are crucial. It brought up a great example that if tire shops for car can stay open since its a essential job what about bike shops that repair your bicycles tires which are also just as important since many people bike now and have had a huge boom because of it. These people working on delivery's also need repairs or mechanical support to get home from work or for any transportation that is need for those who don’t own cars. In a time like now places like San Francisco or for example New York had a 67% increase in biking increase in ridership ever since the city went a crisis mode. MTAs and buses became really crowded and had to make sure people are 6 feet from each other so with other transportation putting these regulations biking is now needed more than ever.

Here is the link to the article.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2411072/bike-shops-essential-businesses-coronavirus 

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Why are bike shops needed?

Blog Question #1

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Friend Meet up

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Chilly day

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Day 4 Final Day

On this day I only worked 5 hours because of meeting a friend in downtown Milwaukee but after hanging out it was around 1 pm on a Sunday where they close early at 6 pm. Needless to say not knowing this be my last day because of the Corona Virus pandemic I really got a insight on one amazing person i met at the vulture space that day. I got to meet the original owner of vulture space and although his name has completely skipped my memory his personality and kindness was truly something to remember. He is Native American descendant and talk to us about his travels around the world and places hes biked to and working. His story got very emotional at one part but we talked for a few hours with my roommate next to me. He talked about how the world was before and how they treated him back then very poorly because of the color of your skin and where or how you were born. It was very moving and emotional of the stories he told but his biking experience throughout the years and his knowledge was out of this world. He showed me parts of the bike and what its used for and how or what can be changed and can dissemble and put a bike back together many times. I will truly remember him and i even saw him once biking around Milwaukee by accident. He helped me tune my bike and fix my brakes and i was able to assemble and attach a bike seat. Although this was my last day the people i met along the way has truly changed me and i look forward to volunteering again and helping my community. Especially now in a time of need. If it weren't for this class I don’t think id ever take the leap to fully experiencing and working at vulture space the same way. 

I logged in a total of 26 hours.

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Day 3 Vulture Space

This day was more of the same of organizing in the store and talking to the locals in the store and helping them with any needs or explain what the differences they need in parts for a bike they are fixing or want to upgrade.

The first thing that caught my attention on this day was Jessica talking to a regular named Ryan who would come in out of the store regularly because he was Uber delivery driver. No not the driving kind but on bike and that’s where it caught my interest since I’ve always known about it but didn't know how it worked and how well it payed and such. We talked about delivery stories and what they had to deliver or how far they had to bike or short bike rides that had a lot of easy money to make in certain neighborhoods especially McDonald's near colleges. Even working in a bike shop for a couple days I’ve never seen or interacted the biking community and it was fun just talking about biking and getting paid to go to different area or just exercising while delivering food. It was really engaging with me and talking to people about the fun and little things biking has brought to my life and how else it can be put into my life or community wise that I hadn't really been apart of until now. I really felt at home that day. Another 7 hours logged open to close.

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Day 2 Vulture Space

This will be a lot shorter summary than my first one but Ill explain what I did this day. This was another 7 hour day I completed in which i did the following. 

- Clean off spokes of grease from 5 - 9 mm thick poles

- Sorted them and organized them into the right container 

- Helped with teamwork and lifting up bikes and putting them up on shelves. and making room for others to fit in. 

- Sketched a few drawings for possible design or logos to draw on the surfaces of the store that need a repaint job or details to liven up the place. 

Over a chill day at Vulture space and also chilly since it was still cold outside so sitting next on the couch by the window was chilly indeed. A few hours pass by and my roommate also decides to visit and volunteer where I’m working at. Work gets done 2x faster now and our manager Jessica is able to help out customers and we get to help to at the same time. This showed me that yes there’s a lot of work to be done in the store but it sometimes doesn't get done since you have to help the customer most of the time. I found out later why its called the vulture space by Jessica since I asked how it got its name and she told me that its because since this place is mostly made of recycled parts to fix bikes and bikes to be used again or reused parts, and vultures are scavengers looking for anything they can use or eat. It made a lot more sense for Vulture space to have that name and now I know a little fact of the store. 

- We ended the day by learning some parts of the bike by holstering a bike on this machine that holds it up in the air so you raise or lower the bike in different positions and changing any part without being low on the ground and having balance. 

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Day 1 At Vulture Space

I start the day off by getting up and looking at bus schedules to get to Vulture Space. I arrive around 11:30 and they don’t open until noon, so i get a bite to eat at the corner of the street at a potbelly, great sandwiches by the way. Noon rolls around and I’m standing outside the door and peeking inside to see if anyone is there. No one insight decide to wait another 20 min while shivering in the cold it was around 25 degrees outside. Its now 12:30 so I decide to call them. Someone picks up and I tell them I’m waiting outside the store and told them you guys do open at 12 right? He tells me yeah they must be running late and our employee should be arriving there shortly. i wait another 20 min and then 30 min and still no one. I call again and tell them that no one has showed up and they said they'll give a call to the person who’s was opening up today. They even got my number this time to message me back when they arrive so i’m not doing any other guessing work. The time now is around 1:45 pm almost 2 hours before they opened and I was so excited and pumped and ready for work i even opened up my schedule for a full 7 hour day to work here and start learning. well one things for sure my patience was being tested and i kept my ground and told my self I’m gonna wait till they get here. Where else am I going to go or do since I’m in the city. Finally at 2 pm I get a call back while I was waiting inside of Potbelly and he tells me they have finally arrived and appreciates for waiting this whole time. I finally walk into Vulture Space and introduce my self to the 1 person who’s name was Jessica. I asked her if everything was alright and she told me her car had a flat tire on her way here and that it took a while for her to get a tow truck on the highway to get her out of that situation, and she biked here from where she got stuck after her got retrieved and to get fixed. I later told her that I’m a college student from MIAD and wanted to volunteer because of my love for biking and though this would be the perfect place to learn at and get new skills from. Actually this wasn't my first time walking in but 3 weeks before i came to visit to look at the place at told Jessica I met a guy named Alex and she said which one there like 3 different ones and I had mentioned he had a big beard and she laughed and said ah yes I know who you’re talking about. My first introduction with him was very unique and a fun experience. I walked in with my great friend Camryn and we got to look inside and on that day i happened to be wearing a bicycle patterned t shirt which is so perfect timing for applying and asking to volunteer at. Alex shook my hand and said what do you know about bicycles? I told him I don’t know the small details or ins and outs of bicycles but that’s why I wanted to come here to learn although I have been biking for my entire life and love everything about it. While standing behind the counter and talking to us he had music playing in the background and told us alright well if you wanna work here you gotta dos something for me. I laughed and said sure what do you need me to do and continued to scroll through his phone and play a song on the speakers in the store which happen to be “The Chicken Dance Song” He walked around the counter and started doing the steps for the chicken dance and said alright sorry for your friend unless she wants to join us she can go right ahead. I Joined in and so did my friend Camryn and we danced for a couple of minutes and he asked me a couple questions while dancing. It was a really funny first introduction to all of this and after Alex told me alright you passed the test. I was then accepted to work there after a small conversation and a chicken dance. As for my first day with Jessica I was there for 7 hours and she and move around some bikes to organize in the store and moves some heavy metal handle bar spokes in metal cases. I met other workers there and even regulars which I got introduced too and kept on moving some other items and cleaning a bit around the store. Time went by quickly and my 7 hour shift was over. A long waiting beginning but short end to my day. 

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What pushes me through the day is being able to bring joy to people when they can’t find it themselves, be there for others in any times of need and re assure them that someone like is listening and there for them to support and encourage them to keep moving forward. I love providing feedback and being in a cooperative teamwork projects in order to elevate all our minds together to bring in something with all combined set of skills while also being able to provide a leadership when needed if no one else is willing to stand up. I always try my best in being the best that I can be to be honest, faithful and provide loyalty to anyone that provides with it in return. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Helping people in need when needing a hand in life or a friend in this world is always important to me in my life, so if someone needs help I will do my absolute best to be there for them. These are what describe what are most important to me.

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Service Learning Blog

“My name is Xavier.  I am a Illustration student at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. I am taking a required service learning class for which I need to do 35 hours of community service at a non-profit agency. I am thinking about doing some bike repair learning or hope to work at Milwaukee Bicycle Collective. This blog will discuss my experiences while doing service and highlight some questions that arise over the course of the semester.