Poverty Assimilation

The poverty assimilation was amazing and had a huge impact on everyone that attended. I, for one, got so stressed during the event that I could never imagine what it would feel like to actually go through this everyday. I literally feared for my family and child that I would do anything for them. I always made sure that my child was fed and that I was fed. Because I made that my priority, I was late on rent and utility payments and was later then denied the ability to open a checking account on that basis. I was also really upset with the way I was treated from the workers at the different vendors. I was talked down to, scammed, judged, and lied to from the people whom I was seeking trust and help. How are we supposed to let people live like they are nothing? I have been treated like this before but I never thought that it would happen all the time and so frequently. I learned that there are so many things that go into surviving from pay check to pay check. Unlike the other participants, I did not pay much attention to others around me. I was so focused on getting the things that I needed and did not care what other people we doing. It never even occurred to me to ask my neighbors for help. I can see how families could easily depend on each other and create such strong bonds and relationships with one another.

I really liked how we all gathered together after the assimilation and debriefed from the chaos that we just experienced. It was very interesting to hear all of the different stories and ideas people had to try and survive in the "fake" world that we just lived in. After hearing all the struggles people had, it hit me that this is what it's like for people every day, month, and year. I think it is so amazing that a group like Vista puts this on for everyone can understand a little bit more how some people live. I came home that night and sat down on my couch for a bit just to think about what I just experienced. I looked all around me and felt so blessed for the things that I have and for what I have been provided with my whole life. I feel very fortunate to be where I am in life even though I struggle with things of my own. I know that this experience will help me realize how lucky I am to have the things that I do even though it may be hard at times. I will never forget this and I know that it will come in handy when i work with families in the future.