« P.S. | Main | Because I just need to beat a dead horse... »
December 07, 2004
Welcome to San Francisco...
So yesterday I got a full body hug from a homeless guy as I was getting on the 16th & Mission BART to head over to Oakland.
I had given him a buck, he said thank you (after bartering me up from a quarter...), and just as I was about to leave he totally hugged me. Not just a little pat on the back or shoulder, a big, straight on hug.
Ok, so it's not that I don't appreciate the thanks, but man...
And it made me realize two things:
#1. I am such a wuss.
#2. I have become a complete germaphobe since I started nursing school.
I can't decide if I should feel bad about this or not. The humanitarian/super socially-aware part of me thinks why am I tripping about this? Just because he is homeless doesn't mean he is a bad person or that he's got some weird disease, and I should be happy about the exchange and be on my way.
But the paranoid, hyper-aware that it is a fact that homeless are more likely to carry hepatitis, HIV and other communicable diseases, knowing that he was definitely high on something, part of me just got a little heebed.
I feel like a jerk, but I also still felt like I needed to wash my hands a few times.
Not to mention the fact that as I was leaving I dropped my pen and had to fish it out from a grubby, crumb-filled gutter in the staircase leading down to the train.
Bah!
Am I nuts? I feel nuts.
Posted by missfitsandstarts at December 7, 2004 06:02 PM
Comments
Naw, you're not nuts, you're just hobophobic - scared of bums.
All kidding aside, your reaction is perfectly normal a stranger giving you a hug in American culture is ... well, it's scary.
Posted by: Saint Nate at December 7, 2004 08:30 PM
No, you're not crazy. I do part-time homeless outreach and I hate it when the people I talk to want to hug me. I wish they wouldn't, and then I feel awful for wishing they wouldn't. I also keep lots of antiseptic towelettes in the car.
Posted by: Lunasea at December 7, 2004 09:06 PM
Nope, not nuts. I don't have anything against homeless people, but I would be very freaked out if someone on the street randomly gave me a hug. And I especially don't like it when people who aren't very clean touch me without my permission. Ech.
Posted by: Katie at December 7, 2004 09:35 PM
a guy helped me wash my car, and he wasn't quite a bum, but he'd hang out at the car wash, helping people.. didn't have much money, just helped..smelled like pee.. anyway, he helped and i gave him $20.. and when we were about to leave, he hugged me... yup... you can always take a shower.. it's not like he's hugged everyone in sight.. :/ hugs...hugs are nice. germs..germs are not.
Posted by: suki at December 7, 2004 11:45 PM
I would feel weird about that too. I am not too fond of strangers touching me.
I have had Harvard Square bums shake my hand and I did want to wash it... no hugs though.
Your lucky day!
Posted by: frecklegirl at December 8, 2004 10:00 AM
Oh man, i couldn't handle that either. I mean, it was a nice gesture, but eww.
Posted by: Stacey at December 14, 2004 09:50 AM
Stumbled across your site trying to get some info about nursing school before I make the great leap. I'm from San Francisco too! Sigh, I miss it (now in SD). Anyway, good blog, I'm sure I'll be reading more of it. :)
Posted by: mimsie at December 14, 2004 10:57 PM
