Reflection: Holy crap! How did I get here??

For those of you that knew me growing up, I had no hobbies (eating does not count) nor a sense of adventure.  2 years ago, if you asked me to go camping, go night swimming in the ocean, or run an obstacle course that had barbed wire and fire, I'd probably respond with something lame like, "but what about..." and list off unnecessary worry what-if's.  Yeah my life til my mid-twenties was pretty tame.  That is until I moved to the Bay Area...

Ahhh so young.  Me at 17.  No adventure needed.  I just wanted to hug soft cute things!

Moving far away from my parents and my familiar life, I began searching for myself.  As cliche as it sounds, when you are on your own you have the opportunity to grow into your individual self and find things that spark your passions.  What I found was spontaneity and the need to challenge my courage.  Not quite "passions" but it fulfills me =)  I suppose this is what happens to you when you live most of your life sheltered by your parents!  (Just kidding Mommy and Daddy!  I promise to be safe...)

Woohoo look at me!  I'm a Bay Area girl now!!

Okay so how did I choose motorcycle riding?  About 3 years ago, I was dating a guy that wanted to ride.  My reaction?  Oh my expected judgmental, "What why??  They're so dangerous!!  You can die!!"  We'd get into debates about it.  I decided to ask motorcyclists on Yelp for their input and researched more.  

My worried Yelp post:

3/26/2009 Liezl C. says:

Are motorcycles really that dangerous?  Or are the people using it just not careful?  

My boyfriend wants one and it worries me because other drivers suck and don't see motorcyclists on the road.  I don't want to nag him.  I think they're cool and I want him to have fun with it, but I can't help but worry...Someone comfort me!

The more I talked to actual riders, the more I realized how safe they can be.  The more I realized how safe they can be, the more fun it seemed!  In May 2009, I started asking fellow Yelpers about riding classes for ME.  

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5/28/2009Liezl C. says:

I'm thinking about taking motorcycle lessons.  When I say chicks like me, I'm talking about someone who will have patience to teach a girl who is a bit intimidated, not physically strong, and completely unexperienced.  I'm also nervous to learn around male students.  Yeah I must have a complex about something =)

I have a goal in life to ride cross country in Europe.  I gotta start learning sometime right??  The movie Motorcycle Diaries really inspired me!

Lot of girls who ride bikes in the Bay!  Tell me about your experience learning!

After a year and a half of talking to riders, getting over all the potential financial costs, and summoning up the courage, I FINALLY sucked it up and signed up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course in December 2010.

The reason for this blog is to track my progress (it can be hard to see how much you're improving if you don't remember how much you sucked in the beginning) and to share with new riders or want-to-be-a-rider about a real chick going through the anxiety and the thrill of experiencing this learning curve.  I welcome tips, feedback, inspiration, pictures, and your own riding stories.  Let's keep this blog a positive learning environment yah?

posted on 1/9/11