Before creating this blog, I used to have a blog called “homeless talks”. It was a short-lived blog. I deleted it after posting two stories. But the issue of homelessness is something that I cannot stay indifferent to. It is one of the causes that makes me emotional. How much we can do yet we don’t. How many excuses we have when we pass a homeless person. I am often guilty of this too.
Today was different though. I didn’t have to be in the clinic to see patients. Today I decided to spend the day differently.
When I first came to Melbourne, the first thing I heard was that “Melbourne is the world’s most liveable city”. Isn’t it ironic? So liveable yet so many people live on the streets.
Being a broke uni student, I decided to make some home-cooked hot food and go out. Go out, with an intent to talk to homeless people on the streets of Melbourne and keep them company for a little while.
As a professor of psychology Scott Plous once said, putting one drop of water into the fire is better than putting none.
Lisa and Chanel-le puppy
I saw Lisa- the woman wearing a bright pink top (with partly matching nail polish) and the biggest smile, sitting on the footpath of the Southbank bridge with a cute puppy in her lap. “What’s her name?”, I asked, being proud of my ice-breaker. “Chanel”, she replied. I smiled. It was ironic that she had a branded puppy.
I asked if she welcomed any company, and she invited me to sit next to her. “Oh, I would love a chat! I haven’t really spoken to anyone today. It will make my day go fast too!”. I complimented her about how genuine she was, upbeat and positive, and how refreshing it was to see a homeless person smile so much.
“You’ve got to be hopeful and positive. Then you will have a chance that good things will come your way. When I used to work in Reject shop, I would always wear reindeer ears around Christmas. People loved it”.
Then she smiled wide, her eyes lighting up and continued, “Oh I would also buy a packet of lollies, put it next to the counter and give candies to kids. They loved it”.
I asked if she was hungry, and she said she hadn’t had anything warm today. I got the plastic container out of my bag. She opened and started having it commenting how much she had missed warm food. To be honest, I had this instant feeling of happiness not so much because a homeless person was having the meal, but more so because I could share my cooking with someone.
Living by myself for the past three and half years has helped me improve my cooking skills. I have experimented with different ingredients and different cuisines. But I often catch myself on the thought “I wish I had someone to share the food with”. It never occurred to me, but a nice home-cooked food slightly loses its meaning when it is just for yourself.
Lisa put some in her palm and signalled Chanel to have it. It was entertaining to watch. I found myself getting quite comfortable sitting on that concrete ground.
“So how long have you been living outside?”, I wondered.
“Three months. It will be fine, I am sure”, she lowered her gaze for a second, then continued “What bothers me more is that people look at my teeth and think I am a drug addict. They don’t know that I have a kidney issue. They look at me being homeless and don’t know that the reason I ended up here is because of being a carer for my mother and not being able to work”.
I didn’t know how to respond to that. There was truth in what she was saying.
Soon, I was on my way.
Bianca
She looked about 20, but her wrinkles were giving the impression that she was 35. Her sign said “homeless. 3 months pregnant”. I asked her if I could sit. She nodded. I wondered how her day was. “Slow” she replied haphazardly, then turned her head and continued looking at the passers-by who were rushing to get home after a busy workday. “Mine was slow too”, I added in an attempt to break the ice. She didn’t really care about my ice-breaker. She kept her eyes focused. “I need to collect $20 in this rush hour so I can sleep in the shelter tonight”. “How much have you got so far?”. “Only $2” she mumbled, then looked up at the clouds and added, “Looks like it is going to be raining tonight, and I will be sleeping outside”.
Subconsciously, I also looked up trying to catch the glimpses of people, part of me secretly hoping that she would be able to collect the remaining $18. Some of the looks I got while looking up, in all honesty, scared me. The frowning, the silent anger, looks of curiosity filled with ignorance. Being treated like a homeless person in that instance, I realised that if someone gave me (or her) a kind smile, it would still make a big difference. As much as homeless people need money, food and shelter, they equally need social acceptance – an aspect of homelessness that is often overlooked.
I wasn’t sure what else to say. I wished all the best for her and her unborn child, got up and disappeared in the passing crowd.
Ani's Reflections 