Monday, September 19, 2011
My life-changing experiment
I grew up in a small suburb of Houston called Sugar Land; a place referred to by me and my friends as "the bubble". Everyday necessities such as food and shelter were things I took for granted. Once I graduated High School and signed up for classes at the University of Houston, I figured it was time to get out of the bubble and move closer to my new school. My life in the big city was drastically different from the suburban life I was accustomed to. There were many differences between the suburbs and the city, but the main one was the amount of people living on the streets. Sure I had seen homeless folk before, but was always under the impression that it was due to bad choices they had made in their life, which usually had something to do with drugs. Living on my own, I began to notice women, men, children, elderly, and veterans forced to live life on the streets. I feel that these people need a lot of help in which they are not getting. I have decided to spend one day each week with a different homeless person. I want to hear their stories and experience life from a whole different view point. By doing do, I hope to grasp a better understanding of life and I am sure I will learn lessons in which I will never forget. Our society constantly puts homeless people down, and by reaching out to them I hope to be an outlet in which their voice can be heard.
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I think this is a great idea. I was equally sheltered and shocked by the homeless population of our city and how people seem to see right through them. I'm glad not everyone is like that and I look forward to reading your profiles of these interesting, overlooked human beings.
ReplyDeletePS- have you heard of street papers? I was thinking of trying to start one here, but I've been distracted.
http://www.street-papers.org/start-a-street-paper/
I love your idea and I think you are very brave to be out there doing this. I feel as if a lot of people see the homeless as lazy people who want to live off of money they get in the streets, but what they dont know is that these people have a lot of different issues and reasons why they ended up the way they are. ABC 13 had an article about the homeless in San Antonio and how many of them have mental issues, many of them self medicate themselves with drugs and alcohol to find relief. I am excited to read about your findings and will leave you the article I read online. I know its not from Houston but Im sure these people have similar issues.
ReplyDeletehttp://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/state&id=8358187
-Vanessa Morales
I am excited to read all of your experiences. I, myself, have done something like this and it's a life changing experience, seriously. Will you be taking and posting photos?
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your time with everyone you come in contact with. Have fun and be yourself when you are with them! :) Visit my project when you get a chance - http://photopassage.blogspot.com
Jasmine U.
I am so fascinated by your blog and glad you will be taking the time to understand the homeless. I have asked the question many times my self as to why the homeless are homeless and how did they get there, but never went out of my way to find. Now with the rise of the bad economy I see the increasing number of people on the street and I look at them and wonder, Can becoming like them be a possibility for me? And how far are people really from being next? I hope to find these answers through your blog and will be following it closely as I am highly interested in this subject!
ReplyDeleteKarishma Sakrouja.
I think your blog idea is very unique. Not only are you bringing out a topic that most of us are familiar with but yet ignore it, but your actually going to have that personal experience. Cant wait to hear your stories as well as the homeless that are willing to share their true stories. More and more people are loosing jobs everyday which is a scary thought, but there is a community that has been forgotten which are the homeless. I am glad someone is going to take an approach to bring out the truth in our communities, they might not have a voice today but through your blog I am sure they will have one. Good Luck.
ReplyDelete-Viridiana Maldonado