Why Being Poor Sucks Date Thursday, April 18, 2024 - 07:47 AM PST Topic Whining I'm sure all of you know that it's no fun being poor. I'm sure most of you have felt the pain of an empty wallet. Well, this is something that I've been experiencing lately, and I need to get it out of my system. And what better place to do it than Shmeng? Especially since I've been neglecting all my worried friends here, who have been thinking that I've slipped off the edge of the map. Actually, I kind of have slipped off the edge of the map. I slithered from the known world of the homeful to the oblivion of the homeless. Yes, I, Schizo, have spent the last 4 months in a homeless shelter. And let me tell you, if you are homeless, you do not exist. Even to your case worker, you lose personhood. Privacy does not exist. You share a tiny apartment with another family, in this case a single mother and her baby son. Every week you are required to abase yourself, and apologize for the fact that your unwelcome presence is still taking up space in their precious shelter. You have to tell them why you haven't declared bankruptcy yet (which was supposed to be up to me, but turned out to be a big battle, where I was made to feel very irresponsible for not instantly calling a lawyer about it.) You have to start an apartment hunt long before you are financially able to rent one, just because your case worker feels that "it's about time". I could go on and on, but take it from me, it's both humiliating and irritating. And of course, there is the stranger living with you. The lack of privacy. The crowding as three people try to fit all their belongings in one small bedroom. The inconvenience of having no mailing address. The embarrassment of trying to explain to people your living situation. The desperation as Christmas approaches with the dismal possibility of not even being able to have so much as a Christmas tree or a string of pretty lights. Beyond being in a shelter, being poor means having to choose whether or not to stand up for yourself in the face of a boss who is out of line, or to retain your much needed paycheck which may be the key to having a home of your own. (I chose standing up for myself, which resulted in being fired on Halloween. And being cheated out of 2 hours worth of pay. The man is an asshole.) Being poor also means having to get another job, one that consists of putting hundreds of tiny balls into ball bearings. It is the most mind-numbing, monotonous work I have ever come across. It requires me to spend eight hours of my valuable time in the company of some of New Hampshire's dullest. It makes it so that I only see my boyfriend on the weekends, since he works 2nd shift and I work 1st. It also requires me to leave my precious 5-month-old daughter, causing her to abandon her usual sunny and laid-back nature, and become clingy and unhappy. Hopefully as time passes, she will adjust, but for now it is tearing me in pieces. This is all part of being poor. This has been the dismal experience of my last few months since I last was able to participate here at Shmeng. Luckily, I am able to end this article on a brighter note. As of December 2nd, I have become the proud possessor of an apartment of my own! At the time I am writing this, I am in the process of moving in. Hopefully I will be sleeping in my very own bedroom come the 5th. Those of you who have never been homeless can never fully realize the sheer joy of having a home again. Those of you who have ever had to worry about where you were going to sleep will be able to participate in the deliriousness of my delight! In spite of all the suckiness I've experienced, I can say right now that life is very good. I think the past few months have deepened me and made me stronger and more aware. I think that, no matter what the future brings, no matter how filthy rich I may become, I will never lose my appreciation for the simple things, the little dignities, the stuff that everyone takes for granted, but which is denied to the homeless. On the whole, I am glad I had this experience. But it still sucked! This article comes from Shmeng http://www.shmeng.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.shmeng.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=439