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Motorcycle Diaries

“No te creo, no te creo.” “I don’t believe you.” Of course I must have ridden on a motorcycle. I explain that they were dangerous to ride in my city, a city like Quito. My sister runs to tell my brother, and next thing I know the motorcycle has been pulled onto the street and he is motioning for me to get on behind him. I laugh nervously, slowly backing away, but he is insistent. So I pull on the dusty helmet, long buried in a closet, and hop up behind him, wrapping my arms around his barrel chest. He revs the engine once, twice, and I am transported ten years into my past.

I am eight years old again, curled up next to my brother in the back of a golf cart. Warm air whips across my face as we drive into the darkness, a scant portion of the pitted road weakly illuminated by our yellow headlights. We are on Harbor Island, driving from our house to my grandfather’s bungalow, towards a dinner fried conch and bananas.

My brother swerves and I am no longer with my family in the Bahamas. I am barreling down an asphalt road, enjoying the same tropical smell of wet earth, the same humid air. My brother tells me that I can let go, and I realize that I’ve been clinging to his shoulders, my head curled against my chest. I slowly release my interlaced fingers and spread my arms wide, laughing as I try to explain to him how I feel. “Como un pajaro.” Like a bird.

Chloe Bash

About Chloe Bash


Chloe has traveled extensively throughout her time in youth choirs, forming cross-cultural connections and sharing her passion for music. At home she is committed to a leadership within her local community, serving as All-School Co-President at her high school and working as an assistant conductor for young choristers. She is excited to expand upon her past travel experience and passion for international affairs while on the Global Citizen Year.

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