Homeless Life

I went to pick up my brand new cell phone and iPod Shuffle at the StudentPhones headquarters today but I had to wait for a while so I decided to get some tea at Tim Horton's (which I found out from Erik today that despite it being emblazoned into our Canadian identity, it is an American company). I got my tea and donut and sat by the window so I could people-watch. Outside of Tim Horton's sat this young guy holding a sign that said "HUNGRY". He sat there, politely smiling at the many students that passed by. Over the next half an hour I saw people give him some McDonald's food, an orange, an apple, a banana, a gift certificate to Timmy's, 2 bottles of Boost, a huge bag of M&Ms and change as well. He discreetly tucked his goodies away into his sweatshirt and continued to ask for food. And as he continued he seemed to get a bit more vocal about getting donations. An older man sitting beside me inside Tim Horton's signalled to him a few times and gave his nod of approval whenever he received something. I figured that they were together because the older man got some change from the younger guy and bought a drink. I'd say about 1 in 15 people stopped to donate some food or change. If that guy had been sitting there all day, I'd imagine he would collect enough food to feed himself for a few days. He probably eats more food than I do in a given meal! Having seen how much stuff he was getting, I wasn't feeling so bad for him. Does that seem like an odd thing? I often wish to know the stories behind homeless people. Why are they homeless? What do they do with the money they get? What do they think about the people that walk past them every day?

Anyhow I wished I could stay to observe him longer but I had to go collect my cell phone. How vain do I seem now? By the way I didn't get my phone because they were so busy. They should be called International StudentPhones because of the 5 people I talked to, they all had accents: British, Hispanic, Scottish, Japanese. I think it's a pre-requisite to be hired by the company. Maybe when I go back tomorrow I'll see the same homeless guy again and be in a more giving mood.