Since coming to England from Ethiopia eight years ago, I\u2019ve lost parts of my cultural identity. I was stuck in a monotonous, isolated routine studying for a biochemistry degree at Imperial College London, without the family-centred lifestyle I was used to. Back in\u00a0Ethiopia, I\u2019d be surrounded by my aunt, grandparents, friends.<\/p>\n
So this year, I took 12 months out and moved to my uncle\u2019s house in Leeds. The change helped me try new things, like cycling: as a child, I had never ridden a bike. I bought one in a charity shop. My friends told me that it was made for a 10-year-old and donated an adult-sized bike to me.<\/p>\n
The bike had spent two years in my friend\u2019s garden, so it was in bad shape. I\u00a0spent a month taking it to a repair shop. I also joined a project called the Hackspace \u2013 it\u2019s a community-run workshop for makers \u2013 and built a\u00a0wooden bicycle. It\u2019s mostly made of recycled materials: I used an old flip-flop for the brake. The Hackspace\u2019s director, Mark, suggested I go to John o\u2019Groats and cycle all the way down to the south. At first, I\u00a0thought that was ridiculous, but then reconsidered it: I\u00a0wanted to do something new.<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t planned any logistics, hoping to figure things out as I went. My friends and family didn\u2019t think I\u2019d last a mile. Maybe they had a point: the first three nights were terrible. I hadn\u2019t bought a tent to sleep\u00a0in; only a tarp to cover myself. I\u2019d\u00a0packed light, relying only on one\u00a0cotton shirt. The wind and\u00a0rain were rough.<\/p>\n
During the months I\u00a0was on the road, I was prepared for the worst. But plenty of people offered me their friendship<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t brought enough food, either, and had to ask people for help \u2013 in those remote parts it was hard to find a shop and I didn\u2019t have much money. These wonderful people were often elderly and isolated, but eager to\u00a0help. This inspired me to use my journey to fundraise for Age UK<\/a> and Mekedonia<\/a>, an Ethiopian charity for vulnerable people.<\/p>\n During the two and a half months I\u00a0was on the road, I was prepared for the worst. But people offered me their friendship. A DJ discovered my videos on TikTok and sent me money for hotel stays. After I finally bought a tent, people let me pitch up in their gardens. I was invited into homes, garages, village halls and even barns to stay. I\u00a0met builders in the Scottish village of Tomatin, who offered me a place to stay for the night, and I helped them in return. I spent the next day bricklaying, making friends I still keep in touch with now.<\/p>\n The wooden bicycle caused a stir wherever I went. Locals would go crazy over it. I\u2019d tell them my story, they\u2019d gather their friends and family to take pictures, and donate to my fundraiser.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t all easy cycling. During Storm Floris, I was passing through Dalwhinnie, another Scottish village, and desperate for shelter. Then, the loveliest couple invited me in, gave me hot food, took me to their community hall and set up an air mattress for me.<\/p>\n Allow Instagram content?<\/p>\n This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n I feared my bike would fall apart by the time I reached England. But I was always offered help. When my chain broke near Newcastle, some cyclists helped me hitchhike to a shop, which then fixed it for free. A man in the Bedfordshire village of Haynes replaced my front wheel with one from\u00a0his daughter\u2019s bike, then let me sleep in his van.<\/p>\n I wondered if I would face racism. I\u00a0did have some tricky encounters, but hopefully I\u2019ve changed their minds. I\u00a0also got to know Ethiopians in Britain, who followed my progress on social media. Whenever I reached a city with a sizable Ethiopian population, they would offer to host me.<\/p>\n The last few days were hard. I had been catching up with my friends in London, and leaving felt difficult. But again, people helped. One lady in Faversham hosted me in her house. We watched Avatar together. Later, an Ethiopian who\u2019d seen my TikToks booked me a hotel room in Canterbury.<\/p>\n The next day, I reached Dover. A party of 10 Ethiopians travelled from London to meet me, with food, music and a trophy: a small bike with my name on it. My journey came to an end.<\/p>\n I had previously felt the absence of\u00a0community in my life: doing this adventure made the world feel bigger. The community helped me finish my journey. Not money or my resilience \u2013 just the kindness of strangers.<\/p>\n As told to Sumaiya Motara<\/p>\n