Tonight I was sitting on the patio outside the hostel working on photos and writing my latest blog post, and I noticed a guy sitting on the sidewalk wrapped in a blanket. I was out in shorts and flip flops, since it wasnt too terribly cold out. It wasnt difficult to tell he was homeless. If youve known me for a while, you know that homelessness is one of the issues I care a lot about back at home. Anyway, I finished with my photos and blog post and decided to go over and have a chat with him. In the week Ive been in New Zealand so far, I havent seen anyone living on the streets. His name is Ben (when it he says it with his accent, it sounds like Bean) and hes 27 years old. He has schizophrenia, which keeps him from being able to hold down a steady job because he hears voices a lot. Ben came up to Taupo on the bus from Palmerston North (3 hrs south of here), where hes from, about a month ago because he heard it was a cool place and that the people up here were friendlier. He sleeps down by the lake at night because theres little storage shed he can sleep in and to stay dry when it rains. I asked him if itd be okay if I get him a room at my hostel for the night, but he politely declined. He said hes been living on the streets for several years now and doesnt mind it. I asked him if hed eaten today, and he said he hadnt. So, we took a walk down to McDonalds and got him a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke, and then walked back. We talked for a bit longer, since he wanted to hear my story by that time, and afterwards, he got up to walk back down to the lake. As incredibly happy as he was to get a hot meal, I was just as happy to be able to do something small to make his day a little brighter.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 09:01:39 +0000
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