Dear Blue Razor scooter,
There has been a rise in your popularity in recent semesters–scooter culture is certainly one of Yale’s unique aspects. I see giant looming athletes looking slightly ridiculous zooming by, balancing on your slim deck. I see business suits and pencil skirts hurtling to their next meeting. I see half-awake students in their pajamas zipping to their first class, cutting it close against the clock. Every time someone passed me on a scooter, my heart cried out, longing for one of my own.
So, at the top of this semester, I bought you on Amazon. You arrived at the post office, and though you didn’t require much assembly, I’ll admit it took me much too long to figure out how to fold and unfold you. Riding you at first was terrifying–it was a bit of a rocky start trying to recapture the effortlessness child Cassandra seemed to have in riding her scooter. To make matters worse, certain parts of Yale’s campus is paved so unevenly that if I’m not going fast enough, your wheel gets stuck in ruts on the sidewalk.
But now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, you’ve been the most compatible, convenient best friend I’ve ever had. I take you everywhere with me. I fold you up and bring you inside the classroom and dining halls. Some students are more daring and will leave their scooters parked right outside the dining hall. When an entire team of football players all do that, it looks like the Secret Society of Scooters has convened. Red, blue, pink Razor scooters intermingle with other brands I am less familiar with. I am too afraid you might get lost in the crowd, so you are right by my side wherever I go.
My folded up scooter accompanies me even to lecture.
You’ve given me freedom to go places I normally wouldn’t go. While I am not a STEM major, I’ve taken you up past Science Hill to the Observatory and the Planetarium to stargaze on a clear night. I’ve visited the Yale Farm to teach children about plant life. I’ve gone to the park nearby just to swing and look at the sky. You, dear scooter, have allowed me to broaden the radius of my explorable world.
You’re the reason why I tossed my broken umbrella and got myself a bright yellow poncho instead. I can scoot in the rain, splashing through puddles without a care in the world with my knee-high rain boots on. Because I am not advanced enough to ride a scooter with one hand, I’ve broken my habit of constantly checking my phone on the way to places. You’ve enabled me to look away from a screen and live in the present.
We traverse the residential college courtyards together.
My first class is a straight shot down a street from my dormitory. The experience of zipping down that quiet, smooth, slightly downhill street under the foliage of trees that line the sidewalks has never failed to cheer or wake me up. On the right, I pass by red brick buildings, a contrast against the blue sky. On the left, I pass by an ornate white marble library. I am filled with renewed gratefulness to be on this campus as I turn off the street and head to the classroom. I cannot help but feel so cool as heads turn and the professor nods in welcome. A girl and her scooter–what an entrance we make.
Future adventures, here we come.
Sincerely,
Cassandra
