Going Hungry

For the first month of my trip, which took place primarily in the UK (after that mission trip to Belarus), I felt quite poor. I had lots of money put away, sure, but I had to last three months. Three months makes the list of times that aren't short. My budget was in the range of $250 per week. The unfortunate thing was, I was kinda already blowing that budget with transportation costs, since I could not yet use my 2-month Eurail pass. So I lived on 10 pounds (or euros, depending on where I was) per day. This was for everything. Food, lodging, drinks, whatever. I stayed with an Irish family in Dundalk, stayed at my university's manor  house in Belfast, CouchSurfed in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and stayed with friends in London. 10 moneys is not enough to live on, not if you're buying drinks. I learned to eat anything people would give me. Fortunately, CouchSurfing and staying at peoples' apartments often involves the sharing of dinner, and sometimes of other meals. It became a rule for me that if anyone offers you anything, you accept it. Drink that tea. They put a bunch of veggies on your plate that you don't normally eat? Beggars cannot be choosers. I learned to eat anything and everything, because more calories means more calories to burn, and when you're being thrifty and walking rather than taking public transportation, you need more calories. I would often go into grocery stores during the day and just browse food only to see the prices and decide to leave because I couldn't afford it. I became VERY hungry. Hungry enough to appreciate a lot more. No more picky eating. It wasn't allowed during this time.