A poverty simulation. United Way was going to show me what it's like to be poor in less than two hours. I thought I had it in the bag. I know how to dress up ramen so it seems like a real meal. I've donated plasma to make rent. I could handle this.
But I soon found out that real poverty - the kind that exists without a car your parents bought you - is an all-consuming syndrome. It's a collection of afflictions that feed on each other and conspire to perpetuate the cycle.