I had the opportunity to speak to a handful of strangers in downtown St. Augustine about their lives and some of the things on their minds. One especially stood out to me, her name was Iggy or “Goldilocks”. She took me around downtown and introduced me to her friends, all while talking about the problems she observes with society and people’s perception of her. Iggy was the most open and generous person I had met in a long time. She gave me a new perspective on life and listened to the things on my mind as well. She invited me to come to spend time with her over the weekend and observe her everyday life.
“Our entire nation is hypocritical when it comes to laws and regulations. Cause I’m not rich and white, I’m not free.” Iggy, 29 years old, quit her job two years ago to live on the streets and preach about Christianity.
“I got a dollar and some change in my pocket and I’m the happiest motherf***** there is!” Iggy spoke about life on the streets, stating that after giving up her financially rewarding job, her heart changed and she became a more generous person. Iggy saves up any money she can to buy snacks to donate to the St. Francis House. She continuously takes a stand against those who look down on the less fortunate, claiming that life on the outside is more rewarding than being surrounded by money and politics.
Sheila Largo, a contributing artist at the Golden Gypsy in downtown St. Augustine, used to work with a creative arts therapist “back in the day.” Originally from New York but having been raised in South Florid, Sheila spoke about her love for art and expressing herself. “I’m just glad I have somewhere that I can display my art again. I split the profit 50/50 with the owner, but showing my art is good enough for me.”
Sheila hurried around the Golden Gypsy, showing off each one of her creations.
Terry Olianski, 63, is a retired police officer from Toronto, Canada, visiting St. Augustine during the winter season. Back in Toronto, Terri briefly worked as part of the Honor Guard. His position in the Guard led him to meeting the Queen of England and Prince Philip.
“You know, they saw that one of our guys had a British medallion on his chest and they came right over to us. About six months after I received a huge package in the mail with tons of pictures of me and the Queen and Prince Philip together.”
“When I was a cop, I used to make tons of friends on the roads. They didn’t really appreciate my friendship though.”
KYRA SHPORTUN 