if you have an opportunity to go to a poverty simulation, and you're not already living in poverty, i suggest you do it. i suggest you register and put it on your calendar right this moment. go ahead, i'll wait right here.
but seriously. good stuff.
i was Pablo Ruiz, a 36 year old father of three whose wife left and neglects to pay child support. my children ranged in age from 3 - 13 years and boy were they a handful. actually, they were pretty great, even after i pawned our TV to pay for a week of childcare that i didn't really end up needing because pawning the tv to get the money for childcare took so much time that i was late for work and they told me to go home anyway. aside from that, i forgot to pick up my 3 year old on time, and definitely wasn't anyone's favorite single dad.
from working at PATH, i feel like i've been able to somewhat understand peoples' situations and sympathize/empathize with their plights. i found out tonight that i had no freaking clue as to what they felt/experienced on any given day.
as Pablo, i let my children go hungry. i couldn't travel to the grocery store to use my LINK card because i had no way of getting there. i let my kids go hungry! what the heck?!
luckily, my 13 year old, Paulo, was resourceful enough to lend his babysitting skills to a neighboring family and bring in an extra $20 one week. needless to say, it didn't get us out of the water by any means, and i still felt like a total failure to my children.
i felt the disappointment in myself, the system, and those in my community during this simulation. i felt alone. i felt as if i were the only one who could get my family through each day. i lost all hope during the hour-long simulation. i gave up.
again, if you have the opportunity, i suggest you give it a try. you'll come away from the experience with a profound appreciation for those less fortunate than you.
