"REAL" by Katrina Sacramento

If I could use one word to describe the Backpack for Hope experience, it would definitely be REAL.

I use this word, above all others, because that's exactly what it was. At least that's what it was for me: an over-privileged kid from suburban SoCal. And although it felt like a slap of reality to the face, I must say that it was a good one.

I'll admit that on the ride to the photo studio where we stayed I was not excited at all. Knowing that I was just going to have my backpack and that I couldn't take a shower wasn't very appealing to me. Looking back on it though, I know that I wouldn't have traded that experience for anything else. I know it's hard to imagine picking sleeping on a cold photo studio floor over sleeping in a warm bed, but if I hadn't spent the night on that floor then I would have never heard the epic words spoken by Mike Juloya: "I'm miserable! Even homeless shelters have heaters!" I would have never been able to experience being scared of going to the bathroom because of being scared of the stories told by my fellow backpackers. And most of all, if I had chosen to sleep on a warm bed instead of that floor, I would have never experienced what it was like to be in the homeless condition (even though we had it even better than they probably did anyway). It was such an eye-opener, and for that I am truly grateful.

For me, the most humbling experience of all was carrying my backpack around with me all weekend. It forced me to understand the people that I was serving. It was weird, because if we brought a lot of things, it meant that we were hurting when we lugged all of our stuff all over LA. If we didn't bring a lot, it meant that we had little to live off of during the weekend. Either way, it was a lose lose situation, but it was a real one. People in the homeless condition face that kind of thing each and every day, but still find ways to live and to smile the same way that people in better living conditions do. That, to me, was the most enlightening thing of all: realizing that people in the homeless condition are just like me, and face decisions that I could easily be facing if I wasn't born into suburban life. And even though that might be heartbreaking, it just made me want to be an even bigger part of organizations like 25/35 so that maybe I could help the people that I'm just beginning to understand.

I'm truly grateful for the experience that I had at Backpack for Hope. It was one of the most real experiences that I've ever gone through, and I pray that one day many more people can experience the same thing.

- Katrina