Scavenging for Survival
I'm so fortunate to be living at home.
A graduate student was saying today that when she was an undergrad, she once survived a whole semester (or was it quarter)? scavenging food from different events at her campus because she didn't have enough money to buy food. She said that you get to know where all the "seminars" and such are that have a little food to go with the presentation. That and oatmeal, that's what she survived on.
I got to school early this morning. I park off-campus these days, and when I pulled into a street-side spot I grabbed a sandwich and began eating it. (Why, you wonder, would he be eating a sandwich after arriving early at school? It was sort of like noon to me, I guess, because I got up at 3:30 and took my dear, sick--she was afflicted with gastro-something or other--Aunt Barb to the airport, so by the late hour of 7:43 a.m. I was hungry.) I saw a couple of people as I was eating, and they were scavenging. I'm guessing Tuesday's the day that trash is picked up because there was a lot of it outside houses. These people were walking along, one with a shopping cart, looking at the cartons of trash.
Two different types of poor, students and street people. Street people seem poorer though.
posted by Byran @ 2:03 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Yeah, and you're fortunate to be paying in-state tuition, too. There's about a $9,000 tuition hike for out of state students here at Ohio State, and I assume it would be similar for many other public universities. And since I'm not living at home, scarcity of money (and often food) is an accepted, normal part of life. :-) P'raps I'd be more accurate in saying strictly rationed food. . . And I must also agree that street people are prolly more poor than students. I think we students tend to complain about it more, though; it's a funny thing. . . it's all in to whom one is comparing oneself. Poverty is soo relative, and I, for one, would do well to compare myself to the street people more often. :-) Vociferous complaining about my destitution has a way of drying up when I see street folk; odd, innit?. . . .
-pete
found your blog while looking for an Irenaeus quote. Just wanted to say that you've some very good thoughts.
By, have you been quoting Irenaeus? Who is that?
Tom
PS I dropped out of college.
Tom, I've often wondered why?
Merry
My schedule got really screwed up because of my illness and other things, then Jewel came along and I decided to move to IN. I really wasn't that far from my degree but scheduling was going to make it take awhile to finish.
I was actually offered a job in my field out here in IN (with a fantastic company, too) but I turned it down.
Tom
he wasn't able to get enough food. :)
j/k tom.
Q
Ha ha! Hey, my monthly grocery bill is pretty big!
But then, so am I. I guess they go together.
Tom
I find it interesting that you encouraged Jewel to finish, but you aren't choosing to do so. Cut down on the food bill and finish. :-)
Hey, why'd you turn that job down? What's your field anyway?
Merry
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