The other side of begging

I’ve got a brief story on the other side of begging. Of course, you know and have experienced both sides of it, but I think it’s worth repeating from where I am, just be just to the story I told earlier. I was out with Michael (a friend of Amani’s; it was he who picked my up from the airport). We were walking downtown, and approached a couple times by kids wanting money. He just ignored them, and kept walking. After this, I asked him about it and what he thought. He told me:

(Michael): If I’m busy and/or am going somewhere, then I just ignore them and don’t talk to them. But if I have some time, I stop and talk to them. And there are usually two situations. One is that they say they need money because they are sick. In this I case I say that I am a doctor (He is a doctor), and I work in this hospital, on this floor, in this ward, on these days. Come to the ward and use my name. I will make sure you get seen and taken care of. Usually they run off before I finish the whole thing. So they’re not sick, not wanting money. And for kids, I tell them that you’re young, able to work. Come with me, and I’ll help you get a job, help you to find work, to support yourself. Again, they are most often not interested. So when they try to beg, they are often lying, and/or they don’t want to do anything except beg, so I don’t like to support this by giving money.

So anyways, this was his take on it. Michael is a very great guy. He’s become a good friend in a short time since I’ve been here, and helped me with many things. He’s also taken me many places (as will be detailed later).