If you were hanging around the back of V-huset today about 5-6:45pm, we might have rubbed shoulders. The bike auction was cool- there were about one hundred formerly abandoned, now collected, bikes for sale to the highest bidder. There were some real wrecks that felt too dangerous to even touch, and some nicer, more stylish bikes, like the classic yellow postman bike with a big wide metal basket/tray on the front. I would’ve thought about bidding on that one, but when trying to think like a bike thief, it seemed like too much of a potentially covetable bike.
Now, taking into account that I’ve been road cycling back home in the US for exercise for many years and probably know more about padded cycling shorts than anyone ever should, I was confident that I’d pick a bike with no major problems- true, there were many rusty chains and flat tires, but no biggie I just needed something basic. After prowling the rows of bikes for a while, I had to run off to audition to join one of the Nation* choirs. It was scary and I was nervous, but I guess I did an ok version of Duffy’s ”Warwick Avenue” and now I’m singing soprano two in my first-ever choir. Exciting and also very Swedish, I’ve heard. (…to sing in a choir, that is)
After the audition I raced back to V-huset for the auction, which was taking place on the concrete loading dock. If it had been night time it would’ve seemed more than a little shady, with all the desperate yet excited crowd jostling for a look at the homeless bikes wheeled out by the little wizened Swedish man. I hung back and waited, thinking maybe the bidding competition would decrease as more bikes were sold. I heard previous auctions sold some bikes for as little as 200 kroner, which is about $30. I’m pretty sure all the bikes sold, even one without a seat, crazy! There was even a girl who bought a bike with only one pedal, what an idiot.
…and that girl was me. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Do you ever have those moments when you just utterly fail at something? I would like to blame it on auction fever, the released tension and endorphines from my successful choir audition ten minutes earlier, the language barrier, the fact that I was exhausted from waking up at 6:45am for a morning spin class, or on the simple fact that I really need a bike, but honestly, I just f ’ed up. and it cost me 600 kr. (Dad, if you’re reading this, please stay calm.) Thank god my friend M-slice** was there to give me a hug and shield me from the laughing faces of others- I owe you one lady! It actually took me a couple minutes to realize that the bike wasn’t complete, which was probably better than if I had realized it in the middle of that circle of clothed vultures! So, not wanting to lie down and take it, I got mad and went back to the circle and emerged a SECOND time with a decent girly pink bike. Although, as far as I was concerned at the time, the fact that the bike had two pedals was an improvement…
*a student social organization that puts on events, dinners, club dance nights, etc. for students. There are may be more than ten here at Lund University, and they are all named after regions or cities in Sweden.
**not her real name
