The following photo story was sent to us by Anna Tea. Here you can find Anna’s website and she is also on Instagram at @dancetea. So have a look at her stuff, and have fun reading her photo story on Roadmap Magazine!
Photostory: Anna Tea | Copywriting: Kat Leung
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Chapter 1. Dreams come true
I never had a bike before the age of twenty. My parents disapproved, thinking it would cause misalignments in my back, meaning I would need to get massages.
I was ready to make this decision independently, to materialize the vision I had of me riding a cruiser. I was filled with a sense of excitement, waiting with anticipation, when I finally bought one online.
My neighbor helped me assemble all the parts together. It was in Ukraine, around the city of Lutsk that I learned how to ride.
Chapter 2. Will never leave you
I moved to Berlin at the age of 23. Originally I had only planned to stay for 4 months, yet, I had intentions to stay forever. Even with the uncertainty of settling down here, I wanted to ride MY bike in this city.
As soon as I had fixed accommodation, I asked my parents about the possibility of transporting it to Berlin. This bike had lost all its previous documents and getting it through the Polish border was my main concern. However, my father managed to deliver it safely to the place I was living in at the time. I have reunited with my bike once again, bliss.
Chapter 3. Transition
In comparison with riding this bike in Lutsk, for leisure or when the weather was good, my bike had transformed to my main source of transportation in Berlin.
Both wheels had to be replaced several times, a mudguard was needed for the rain, I had gone through 4 different baskets.. the list continues. My bike was serviced all over Berlin. It became a symbol, my lifestyle had changed since moving to Berlin, and as I adapted to these changes, so did my bike.
Chapter 4. Drama
I walked home one evening, despite having ridden my bike to the studio that day. My bike was stolen.
I was affected for a long time with a feeling of both anger and sadness. I posted ads on social media, to see if anyone had seen it. I would check eBay every hour, to see if it would maybe turn up.
However, it didn’t, and I knew the chances were slim. My friends around me suggested that I should forget about it, though a small part of me remained optimistic.
The 2 new bikes that I bought after that, could’ve never replaced it. It felt wrong, it didn’t have sense ease or beauty when I rode it.
Chapter 5. Back Home
One evening, 5 months later I saw my bike close to Görlitzer Park, it was truly unbelievable.
It was locked to a tube, surrounded by lots of guys trying to sell me weed. I asked if they knew who the owner of the bike was, he appeared. I told him that the bike belonged to me, I show him the photo I had on my phone. He asked me so many questions, I tried to compose myself even though deep down everything was shaking.
They past my phone from one guy to the next, speaking in a language I couldn’t understand.
Finally „the owner“ proposed that I buy the bike back from him for 25 euros, which, I agreed.
Chapter 6. Almost goodbye
I felt in tune in the universe again, riding my bike is enjoying life. Though this didn’t last long, as my luck would have it, the police stopped me for not having my lights, which I had forgotten that evening. They also pointed out that I had no front breaks which was not allowed.
I was surprised by this new information, but I thought this could be easily fixed. It turns out that it wasn’t that simple, 5 bike stores had refused to put the breaks on, they explained that it was too small, so it wasn’t possible unless I changed the parts to install the new breaks. This alone would cost me around 200 euros, which was senseless in spending, as it would cost me the same for a new bike. So I told the police that I would sell my bike, which is what I had initially planned to do sometime during the past winter.
Chapter 7. Never ending story
As I stirred with this decision to sell my bike, I managed to find the suitable brakes which could fit my bike for 4 euros in Ukraine. I’m now happily riding my bike all over Berlin once again. I’m curious about what might come next…
