Vampires

There are so many kinds of people here. Really fascinating people, with rich, unexpected backgrounds. There is also a wide variety in the beliefs that people here hold. Today, Todd was telling me about what he had learned about one of the men Glenn, from Grace. Glenn had told him that he used to be in the navy, until he left to begin his own business. When the business went under, his wife at the time left him, taking everything, which is why he is on the street. It is difficult to tell if these stories are true or, in the very least, even partially true. Later this morning, Glenn was helping us to cut bars of soap in half. The ladies were putting out garlic buns, that were really strong smelling. We started talking about the old myth of garlic warding off vampires. Glenn began saying that although he doesn’t like to often talk about it, that he has seen some vampires down at a section along the waterfront. He went on to explain that vampires are real people that have a deficiency of plasma in their blood, and that this very real medical problem has led to people attacking others. To be honest, he spoke with such a calm tone and confidence that he could be very convincing. Being here and talking to people is opening my eyes to the reality that a lot of these men live in, whether real or self-created.