I really ought to let any avid readers know what's going on, and for the moment, I do have time, so it's high time I did.
This past Sunday, when my boyfriend returned from a trip with his father the Evil Old Man, and started to grumble and snarl to me about how the Evil Old Man had spent pretty much the entire ride complaining about me and how I'm a bad influence, et cetera, et cetera, I finally decided it was time, I packed up some clothes, my hairbrush and toothbrush and notebooks and sketchbook and some pens and pencils, quickly researched some shelters in London, and set out.
Boyfriend helped me out, and a friend gave me a lift to the edge of town. I hitch-hiked out to the city, to London, and so here I am, and here I have been, for now close to a week. And yep. I'm homeless. :)
Surprised to see a smiley there?
It's very liberating to be free of the Evil Old Man and his constant presence and disapproval, his bitching and moaning and accusing. It's almost even more liberating to walk down a city street with everything I really need right here with me in a backpack, lightly packed.
London is a good city to be homeless in, if you know what you're doing. Most of the shelters only cater to a specific crowd and are often full, but the Crash Beds program will always find a place for you, even if it's crowded and they have to bring out cots. Crash Beds, the Youth Action Center, and My Sister's Place also provide free meals to their target communities daily, and there are other places that have less frequent free lunches and dinners, like the Salvation Army.
The library, if you can get a card (I needed an address, but getting the Salvation Army's center of hope, one of the shelters that will cater to people without income if it's not full, to give me a letter saying I had stayed there was enough for a limited account) allows 90 minutes of free internet use per day, and the many employment services organizations will give you internet and phone use too, at least for employment related activities.
There are workshops and lessons and things to look into, but probably the most important thing, at least for me, is having my friends, who live in town. I got them to hold onto the heavier of my two bags, in which I packed most of my clothing, and I have the assurance that I am always welcome there for a meal or a nap.
Thanks, guys. I love you!
I've been busy, mostly just to fill the time, and I already know my way pretty well around the city core. I'll be signing up for one on one job searching help with someone before too long, in order to help shore up and bolster my biggest weakness... anxiety and trouble with confidence.
However, just thinking about how I'm living right now actually does fill me with confidence. I am being a resourceful, crafty, city survivalist, and I love it. Going through hard times and keeping my head makes me feel strong and capable. now it's just a matter of getting together enough of a base of resources, contacts and sanity to bring this confidence to potential employers in all its living, beating, street-defeating glory and using it to my advantage.
This... is gonna be tough. But I think I can do it, with the right kind of help, and the right kind of help is around, I just have to sniff it out. I'm on it!
Oh, and also, since I'm here without much to do most of the time, at least for now, I'm pursuing one of my interests... music... by getting in contact with some local bands looking for a vocalist. Who knows? I may end up part of a team and make music my job, for a while. How sweet would that be? I'll try to keep you posted, when more interesting stuff happens.
Love from a place of freedom and strength.
SerpentStare
