I remember meeting the old man in Harrisburg who told me that it is not too bad to live on the streets. If you read my older post “Not too bad.” You would know that he, in fact, was not a homeless but chose to be one. Just like he said, I thought that living in the streets of Harrisburg was not too bad. When Andy and I were sleeping on the street, a part of me was excited to eat at the churches and shelters next day. Only thing I was worried about was the cold wind that we had to bear (I still remember when we were shivering in 13 degrees outside).
The homeless people here get fed pretty well like those in Harrisburg and the food is amazing like that of Harrisburg (the shelters serve Korean food!). There are many different places where the homeless people get food and supplies. Things look very similar to Harrisburg except for people’s perception about the homeless. Every time Andy and I talk to the homeless people and hang out, other people look at us as if we were wearing funny clothes or something (actually, I am not that fashionable but still!). People are cold toward the homeless; they despise the homeless. Andy and I are thinking to live on the streets sometime soon but these judgmental views against the homeless make me scared to experience the homeless life.
Due to the hatred, the homeless people begin to look down on themselves. They are immune to the abomination and now they think that is how they should be treated. From what I see and hear, it seems like the homeless here came to a point where they do not believe that they have same rights like any other people. Saddest part is that other “non-homeless people” refuse to give the same rights to the homeless as well. There are unwritten laws which limit the range activities of the homeless; the discrimination is still prevalent in the democratic society of South Korea.
One day, when I was “cooking” at the drop in center, I talked to one of the homeless people. I said ‘hello,’ to him but he was hesitating to respond to me. When I said ‘hello’ again, he bowed to me and said: “I am thankful that you are talking to me.” I did not expect that response, thus I wasn’t sure what to do or say. Since then, he came to me frequently and talked about Korean politics and history. From that, I have realized that he did not have many friends to whom he could talk to; therefore, I tried my best to listen to him.
Interestingly enough, even some homeless people really think that they do not deserve to be treated well. While I was doing the dishes at the same place I volunteer at, I talked to a worker there who once was a homeless. I asked him many things in an attempt to learn about the homeless life. When I asked him how much he makes from working at the place, however, his face became very serious.
“Why do you ask? It doesn’t pay well. You are young so study rather than looking for a job like this.”
His voice was very assertive and intimidating. I laughed out loud and explained what Andy and I are doing in Korea.
“Oh, I see. Well, I would like to tell you one thing. Don’t be nice to the homeless people. They will become lazier if you treat them nicely.”
I was surprised to hear that from someone who was a homeless.
“But when you were a homeless, were you depressed when people treated you badly?”
I asked him but he did not respond to my question. He was pondering upon something and then went back to his work.
There was a few minutes of silence between us. I broke the silence with another question. I asked him if he has a family. He stopped doing the dishes and looked at me.
“I don’t have a family. I never got married.” He looked sad as he was saying the words.
“Did you choose not to get married?” I was not sure if I should ask him the question but I did anyways.
“Yeah, I chose not to get married because I didn’t think that I could afford a family.”
Right after he responded, I realized that the work was over. Since the man I talked to had to do his own work, we had to be separated. Without finishing our conversation, I had to come back home.
Issac Won
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