Homeless

"Por favor ayudame"- A piece of cardboard held between tired hands grabbed my eye. A woman, maybe late 30's, held out this cry for help, asking pedestrians for spare change. Her sign then continued to describe how she has 2 children in need of food. Unfortunately, during my time in Spain, I saw this too often. "How are they allowed to beg?" I asked. Arturo, our in-country advisor, had a solemn look on his face and explained how homelessness is a big issue in Spain. It seemed to me that asking for change was legal and often ignored. As well as sleeping on benches, ledges, or anywhere you can lay your belongings down. I had never seen something like this before. I knew homelessness was a problem, but I have never realized it was to this extent.
In my hometown of Key West, begging is not tolerated. So this situation was something extremely odd and foreign, but to Arturo, it was something sad and typical. In Granda, as we took our hike to where we would have our language classes, we stopped at "La Mirador de San Nicholas" A viewpoint overlooking La Alhambra. There sat an older woman, next to her, boxes of castantes. Shell-shaped clappers connected with string. As people passed by she looked longingly. As if praying for someone to look at her product. As someone would walk by, she would play the castantes.
This woman stayed in my mind throughout the day, as we began to leave the school, I saw her again still playing her castantes. Then almost every day on our way to school I would see her. It bothered me so much I began to not even look at her. But as we pass more and more people without homes, I saw others do the same. Too ashamed to watch and to distracted to care. I then saw how instead of becoming the solution, I was ignoring the problem.
Over 40,000 people in Spain are homeless,1.5 million families are living in shelters, and over 100 million people are homeless worldwide. As these statistics continue to rise, so does the rate of unemployment. These events have unexpectedly made me realize that because of my actions I might have affected someone's life. I was feeding into these statistics without even realizing it. Although I might not be able to help them financially, I could help with my body expression and what I say. Sometimes just being kind to someone can change an attitude. Or perspective.
Too many times have I seen mothers with their children hold just a little bit tighter while passing by someone less fortunate than them, or see someone looking down at them because of their situation. Unfortunately, people are put in that position of being homeless because of being laid off at work, addiction, etc.…
Since my Experiment in Spain, I've found myself being kinder. Saying hello instead of silently judging, or offering a warm smile while passing by instead of moving away. I believe that people follow by example. I am now a senior in high school and have learned that what I do is seen by others. Therefore what I do or say can influence people positively or negatively. I want to be that change that people see in the world. I am a leader and a role model to the younger generation. I believe that educating people on the statistics of homelessness and showing how to be kind to people can help better the future and help create a more peaceful world. This program has enlightened me in so many ways that I could go on forever about my experience. I've chosen this story to talk about to show that actually experiencing the country does not always mean rainbows and butterflies. This has opened my eyes to an issue that I otherwise would have never thought about and has made me realize that I can influence change from the knowledge I've learned in my experiment abroad.