Luckily, everything went well at the airport in Paris, and I was on a taxi to the place I would live in. It is in a part of Paris I was warned by friends to avoid because of the high number of immigrants. The first not so fun part was paying the taxi (taxis in Paris are expensive!)…The second was going to the floor I would live on and not knowing the number of the apartment! Without a phone on me, I was left with ringing on all doors until a family opened and told me where to go J I was met by two great people in a very nice and cozy apartment. Because my host was not there, her daughter and husband introduced me to the place and the neighborhood and helped me with several essential things – getting a metro card and not letting me be alone my first night in Paris. I couldn’t have been more grateful.
Since that day, I have spent five days with almost no human interaction. As much as I thought a “solo experience” cannot be that difficult, I have started realizing it is not easy at all. Waiting for the local branch of the Homeless World Cup organizing the event in Paris this year to get back to me about when we can meet, I did research on homelessness in France and Paris, walked around the streets to see where homeless people usually are, and talked to people about the situation of homelessness in Paris.
A few interesting things I noticed were that:
- the French consider the problem with homelessness the result of the government’s incapability to provide affordable housing for poor people and immigrants;
- the government has built sites where homeless people can live in communities;
- there are public showers (but you have to pay) for homeless people near several major tourist spots (and most people would never know they exist!);
- five years ago young teenagers (the organization is now called 'The Children of Don Quixote' or Les Enfants de Don Quichotte) came up with the idea of providing bright red tents for the homeless in Paris, and then throughout the country, in order to expose the problem and make people notice the many homeless. They did that in cooperation with an international organization based in France - Medecins sans Frontiers. The homeless would sleep by the banks of the canal near the city center where the tourists could see them – this would lead to embarrassing the government and hopefully action to alleviate homelessness. You can read more here: http://www.relfe.com/07/homeless_solution_France_red_tents.html.
- many homeless people have “pets” – usually dogs, but some also have rabbits and other animals! Some of the signs of the homeless request money both for them and for the animals. I even saw a woman pay a homeless man to touch his rabbit.
These and many other interesting things have caught my eye while walking around some of the most famous touristy places in Paris. One that impressed me a lot was when a homeless man walked by a homeless woman and gave her food! I assume no one can be more compassionate than the one who has experienced the miseries of homelessness and starvation himself (and herself). Maybe this is why The Children of Don Quixote have also provided tents for non-homeless people and families to live in for a few days in order to understand how difficult being on the street is.
While I have been learning a lot already, it is pointless to hide that I have at times felt useless – I am already here but how am I helping the homeless? Luckily, I received an e-mail from the local soccer association organizing the Homeless World Cup today and I will be meeting with them tomorrow! I cannot wait to learn how they are preparing for the event. They even said we would discuss my own mission – I cannot be more impatient to actually start contributing to one of the biggest international efforts to alleviate homelessness. That would make me feel that for the first time I am not only compassionate with the homeless, but I am also helping them.
For those who do not know what the Homeless World Cup is, it is an annual soccer championship for homeless people from now over 70 countries around the world that first took place in 2003. This year it will take place in the park right behind the Eiffel Tower (Champ de Mars). The event will be at the end of August for a full week. For information about soccer rules, teams, and statistically measurable impact of the event, you can follow this link: http://www.homelessworldcup.org.
Ok, I will stop here for now and I will get back to you after I have met with the local soccer organization! Thanks for following and wish me good luck.
The homeless man who gave food to the woman
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