Tonight a few of us decided to go on a little adventure. After once again dining at the dining center, we met up with Jewel to go for a nice little bike ride, or so we thought. The initial plan was to grab a few bikes and go for a leisurely stroll through campus. Just as we were about to depart the plan changed; we were now going to take on the busy streets of Tianjin and towards the Tianjin Eye. While it was already a tough challenge to any novice biker, it was an especially tough challenge for me since I had not ridden a bike since leaving for college. We decided we were all ready for the challenge and left to find one more bike for Jewel. The problem was that we were never able to get an additional bike for Jewel, so someone had to have a passenger for the rest of the trip. By the luck of the draw, I was able to bear that responsibility.
I was pretty nervous at first, but it would end up leading to a very crazy, scary, and fun adventure. Weaving through cars, mopeds and pedestrians was pretty intense and it was amplified by the fact there was another persons safety in your hands. Jewel assured me that she had the ability to bail in any case of emergency, so that was somewhat relieving. It was awesome seeing the streets and city light at nighttime, all while participating in China's primary mode of transportation. We were all pretty tired and it was getting late, so we decided to turn around before we made it to the Eye. Jewel's roommate offered to carry her for the return trip home. While driving Jewel and having her shout in my ear at any sight of potential disaster was a lot of fun, I would say riding solo was a little bit more relaxing and less stressful. Overall it was a ton of fun and a great adventure, so I was extremely happy I decided to come along with the small group.
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