This is a story of a hard working family man whom I had the pleasure of meeting. He traveled to Belgium on the pretext of starting a new job as a seasonal fruit picker, but instead, ended up sleeping on the sidewalks of Brussels for more than two months.

Part I: Through his eyes

It was early September 2017 when a stranger drove into my village offering seasonal work in Belgium as a fruit picker. What seemed like a great opportunity soon turned into my worst nightmare, for the next two months I was homeless in a foreign country until I was given a fresh start by a random person.

I am a forty-year-old male who lives a simple, yet humble life in a Bulgarian village near the city of Varna with my wife of 15 years and our two beautiful kids. As any loving father, I make it my mission to provide for my family to ensure them a stable future. Circumstances have driven me to work abroad in the past, however mainly in Greece. Belgium was completely new to me.

We were low on funds and winter was a few months away, I had to make a quick decision, whether to take this stranger’s offer: to work a maximum of two months, earning €8,5 per hour or figure out another way to survive the next few months. I would be making more in an hour than I am making in a whole day here, plus it was only for two months, It seemed ideal. After discussing it with my wife, we both decided that it would be best if I took the job.

The “job dealer” requested that I pay a total of €220, €120 to ride in his van to Belgium plus a €100 commission for “finding me the job”. I didn’t have that sort of money. But in comparison to what my journey will yield, it was peanuts. We decided to take a loan of 500 BGN (250 EUR) from a local moneylender and spread it over a 6-month payment plan, so far so good.

The following day, we said our goodbyes and it wasn’t long after I was picked up that the driver requested the €220. I gave him the neatly folded banknotes immediately and we started our 30-hour journey to Belgium, passing through Romania, Hungary, Austria, Germany, and finally Belgium. We drove most of the time, with short breaks on the way. There were other strangers in the van and a backup driver. It was a long trip and I didn’t notice anything odd – the driver even bought me a soup at one of the stops, saying “don’t worry, this one is on me.”

Abandoned in Brussels

By now, the only people in the van are me, the driver and the backup driver. I was told that they had to quickly meet someone who owed them money and they will be back to pick me up in fifteen minutes. I nodded even though something didn’t feel quite right, then I was dropped off under a bridge where the trains passed and they told me not to move.

Fifteen minutes turned into thirty then into hours, it started getting dark and the situation reality hit me hard. I felt deceived and angry. Almost 2,500 km away from home, in a completely foreign environment with €30 in my pocket… To make matters worse, my backpack was in the back of the van, so I lost the few possessions I had.

I had to make it! I felt like one of the people in the show Survivor, but this was its urban edition

I was abandoned, cold and confused. I am yet to process the magnitude of my situation, I spent the night wandering the streets of Brussels in what seemed more like dreaming. With nowhere to go and no one to seek help from, I had no other choice than to sleep rough.

Officially homeless

I officially had €30 to my name, Brussels being expensive didn’t help either, I could not do much with this money other than survive a few days. I felt alone and I didn’t speak foreign languages, but I couldn’t face telling my family.

I wandered endlessly through Brussels, I felt exhausted and lost, but still hopeful. It was tough with no jacket. One evening was so cold that I decided to get on the tram and ride from end to end. It felt safer to sleep for a few hours there until I had to get off. I knew that I had to make it! I felt like one of the people in the show Survivor, but this was the urban edition. I went from what looked like a lost and confused tourist who sat on random benches throughout the city, to a person who sat on sidewalks with a paper cup.

I saw a lot of beggars on the street and I even got to know a few during my two months of being different. For some reason, being forced outside changes your priorities dramatically and starts eating away at your psyche. But getting depressed is too easy. I met homeless people that had been without a place for years and seemed to have coped so far. What kept me going was the hope that I can raise enough money to go home.

I was asking for tap water. The only thing that kept me sane was the idea that somehow everything will sort itself out, the hope that someone will help, the hope that I will somehow save enough money and buy a ticket home.

I escaped my current circumstances by thinking of my children and my wife. I loved it when my kids begged me to take a turn in the kitchen and cook for them, I loved seeing them happy, excited and full of life.

I married young and had to grow up without a father. My childhood was pretty tough, considering that I ate, showered and slept where I went to school. Here I am today, with a solid beautiful family, a two-storey brick and concrete house that I built with the 4 years that I worked on a farm in Greece.

I loved working on perfecting my garden where I grew some vegetables. Watching plants grow is really rewarding. I also had two goats and a few chickens making our life a bit more self-sustainable. Such thoughts keep you strong, and staying sane is my objective.

I took a leap of faith coming here! There must be more to my faith than this. The hardest thing was when I decided not to tell my wife about my situation. I knew that I haven’t left them the sort of money that would buy me a ticket across Europe. It would only cause her worry and sleepless nights.

I spent almost two months stranded in Brussels, I figured a way to sustain myself. I bought food from local shops, with money I collected from rare everyday people. Some rarer people got me tea and food on occasions. I was indeed more than thankful. Yet, thousands passed by every day, mostly without even noticing me or perhaps they settled into to the idea that it is normal for another human being to be on such a low, that he or she has ended up on the streets.

I was averaging €3-5 a day by sitting on the pavement while holding a cup in front of me. This was enough to buy some bread and call my wife, kids, and my brother from one call center. I even managed to save a euro or two per day, just in case. However, the longer I stayed on the streets, the more invisible I felt. A smile from a stranger could make a big difference…

Part II: I saw a stranger in need

On my way home

It’s was around 6 PM when I started my journey from the office to my home on a typically cold and humid Wednesday evening in Bruxelles, Belgium. It had already started to get dark and one could hardly have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Busy pedestrians were rushing to get home, looking at the pavement with their hands in their pockets due to the wind, the steam from their exhalations filling the air.

On my way to Porte De Namur metro stop, I passed a homeless man who was sitting on the ground, with whom we exchanged a brief look and a nod for hello. I continued walking while thinking how horrible it must be to go to “bed” on the side of the street and wake up as soon as the traffic starts. 2-3 seconds must have passed when I decided to go back and investigate why this individual was in this situation.

Rami: Hey! Where are you from?

G: Bulgaria.

Rami: Why are you sitting on the ground like this?

G: Circumstances.

Rami: How are you doing?

G: Good! I have been better.

Rami: What brings you to Brussels?

G: Work. I was supposed to start over two months ago but things didn’t go as planned.

Rami: Why? What happened?

G: The man who offered me a job and drove me to Brussels, dropped me off not far from here. He said that he needed to finish some urgent business. It seemed odd at first but he assured me that he won’t be gone more than 15 minutes and told me not to move. He excused himself by saying that someone who lived nearby owed him money and he is going to collect it, after which he would return to pick me up. I haven’t seen him since…

Rami: Wow, your story is crazy. How did you get in touch with this job dealer?

G: A stranger drove into my village in Bulgaria one day and announced that he was looking for seasonal fruit pickers. He promised very good pay, €8.5 an hour, and said the job is only for two months. His proposal was particularly attractive – the money I could make would last me and my family until next summer. After some internal deliberations and a discussion with my wife, I decided to take his offer and travel to Belgium.

Rami: I am sorry to hear about your misfortunes, I wholeheartedly hope that somehow your situation is resolved.

G: Thank you! I hope so too.

Rami: What is your plan now? What are your next steps?

G: I can’t go back to Bulgaria at the moment. My plan is to somehow save some money and buy a ticket to Thessaloniki (Greece) where my brother is working on a farm. He told me that he may be able to find work for me there.

Rami: I have to go now. I want to give you this, I hope it helps.

G: Oh, I haven’t seen a 5 euro note in a long time. I really appreciate your help. I wish you all the best.

Rami: Take care!

The more I thought of this absurdity, the impossibility of his situation, the more I wanted to do something about it, to speak to him, to see if there was any way in which I could help.

I tend to spare some change every now and then when I see genuine people in need. On rarer occasions, I buy an extra sandwich when I go for lunch which I give away. Even though I think that my minute contribution may brighten someone’s day, it certainly does not solve their problems, nor does it give them any meaningful, long-term support. And people judge – when you see a homeless person on the street, what is the first thing you think? Have you ever thought “He must have fucked up somewhere, somehow?” or “Urgh, look at this guy, he smells of booze, he probably deserves his fate…” Or just straight out pretend that you do not see your fellow human being, sitting on the street, begging for help? No human being deserves to sleep rough in the 21st century, no matter what their mistakes were. And the sad part is that, often times, it is not even the person’s fault, but rather misfortunate circumstances which affect the most vulnerable individuals/families the hardest…

The more I thought of this absurdity, the impossibility of his situation, the more I wanted to do something about it, to speak to him, to see if there was any way in which I could help.

The following day, I started my day half an hour earlier than usual. I took the metro from Schuman to Porte de Namur on my way out, I quickly grabbed two freshly squeezed orange juices and two chocolate croissants, so I could share my breakfast with my new friend. He was sitting right where I left him last night.

I felt responsible for this person, what he described could have happened to anybody, and it is truly disgusting. While I continued my morning route to the office, I decided to check for flights to Thessaloniki, hoping to find a reasonably priced flight… Knowing that I could easily make a difference in for this person, to turn his life for the better, meant that I couldn’t walk away from this. Otherwise, I risked not being able to stand myself. Washing my conscious by giving him money wasn’t an option either. I wanted to see this man on his way to being fully self-sustainable, I wanted to see him board the bus to the airport and start his next adventure positively charged.

I spent the next couple of hours at work and finally decided to take my lunch break around 12:45. I already knew that I am buying two lunches as I wanted to make sure that G is not hungry and that he would be on board as I break the news to him that I’d like to help him get to Thessaloniki. I walked with a colleague to one of my favorite sandwich shops, an Italian mom and pop deli and my mind was settled that I would help this man today. I only wanted to make my intentions known to my fiancé whom I called on my way to G, briefly telling her his story and my plan. She agreed with me in a heartbeat.

It is 13:10, when I arrived at G’s location, he was sleeping. I suppose he didn’t have a full night sleep.

Rami: Hey man! I brought you some lunch.

G: You really didn’t have to, a kind woman who passed by gave me some food.

Rami: Please take it! You’ll be hungry later. I wanted to ask you, do you have all your documents with you.

G: Yes, I have my I.D.

Rami: Great! I want to help you get to Thessaloniki so you can start working as soon as possible and be able to support your family. Do you accept my offer?

G: Are you sure? Are you really going to help me?

Rami: Yes! We will get your flight ticket now on my phone.

G was dumbstruck…

I quickly took my phone out where I was keeping the flight search session live as I thought thus locking the ticket price. The flight I wanted to book for G was on Friday, 17th of November, two days away. The purchase was successful and I showed him his ticket and assured him that this nightmare chapter of his life is almost over. We shook hands and I went back to the office.

While there, I quickly printed a copy of G’s ticket – giving him something tangible to look forward to. On my way home, I saw G again, but he looked like a different man. He was smiling, but his utter disbelief was still visible. We shook hands firmly and I give him his tickets. He was a new man… I couldn’t bear the idea that I would have to leave him behind in the cold and that I hadn’t invited him to our place, so he could gather his energy until his flight… Naturally, I had to discuss this matter in person with my fiancé – after all I was going to invite a stranger into our home.

That night, I couldn’t fall asleep for quite some time. I was hyped, as if I was the one whose reality was shifting.

The following day it was drizzling, and I purposefully took a detour as I didn’t want to see G in the morning, knowing that I could have provided shelter. I felt helpless and sad that he had to spend another night outside in the cold.

During my lunch break, I passed by to say hello and see how G was doing. Delighted to see me, he firmly shook my hand and we chatted for a bit. I invited him to dinner and to sleep over and he accepted with gratitude. I then told him about my idea to include his story in Positive Citizens as our first “Positive Impact” project. I proceeded by saying that it will greatly help us establish trust in the platform, which could help others in similar situations if the project takes off. G quickly agreed that I could write about his story and take some videos and photos. This is how the video which you saw at the beginning of this article came about.

That evening, I started my journey home from work, G was waiting for me in a different spot, opposite to where he usually sits but this time he was standing – almost as if his position was a real-life metaphor that someone had finally noticed him, that he had been re-acknowledged as a full member of society…

Imagine if out of the many who pass by people in need on the streets every day, ignoring, judging, pretending they do not exist, that you decided to stop and talk to them, found out their circumstances, and decided to do something, no matter how small. Tell your friends about the story of the person you helped. And perhaps one of your friends also decided to stop, talk, listen, help…

One bit at a time, homelessness would be history…



