I have been participating AIDS Life Cycle (ALC) since 2017. 2023 marked my 5th time riding from SF to LA for ALC. It is a fundraising event to raise money for San Francisco AIDS Foundation and LA LGBT Center to fight against HIV/AIDS. The actual event lasts 7 days for riding your bike from SF to LA in first week of June every year. I was invited by my friend to challenge myself for my first time ALC. I didn’t know what I signed up for so I didn’t do enough trainings. Obviously, it was so painful that I regretted not training enough for the ride. After that I made up my mind to do it again but with more trainings! My second year was such a different and wonderful experience. I enjoyed the whole experience and didn’t feel struggle at all for 7 days. The second year I made a lot of new friends and reconnected with old friends from last year. The sense of belonging and the feeling of being in community reshape my point of view and make me want to contribute more back to the community. That is why I did it again and again last couple years. I not only get to challenge myself physically but also mentally since I have a lot of time to think about my life on the bike. It was a journey not only for the cause to find cure for AIDS but also self-reflection to thrive and be a better person physically and mentally. I am looking forward to my next time!

自2017年起，我一直参与艾骑行（AIDS Life Cycle）活动。2023是我第5次从旧金山骑行到洛杉矶，旨在为旧金山艾滋病基金会和洛杉矶同志中心筹集资金，对抗艾滋病。这个骑行慈善筹款活动在每年六月第一周持续7天，从旧金山骑行到洛杉矶。我记得2017年我被朋友邀请结伴参加。当时我并不知道自己报名参加了什么，所以并没有进行足够的训练。结果就是，我后悔没有为骑行做足够的训练准备。第一次的参与我有了一点点遗憾，感觉没有完全享受到过程。我下定决心再次参与，但肯定要进行更多的训练！第二年的经历完全不同，在整个7天的骑行中，我能够放松享受整个经历，一点也没有感到身体上的不适。而且在第二年，我结识了许多新朋友，并与去年的老朋友重新建立了联系。这个活动给我的归属感，让我更想回馈社区。这就是为什么在过去几年里我一次又一次地参与的原因。我不仅有机会在体能上挑战自己，而且在骑行上有很多时间思考我的人生。每一次的七天骑行都让我身心都有了洗涤。期待下一次的骑行！