Most of the time, people only see the bright side of Toronto. For instance, the Eaton Centre, the CN Tower, and the Waterfront. Wherever you cast your glance, there is a story to be told about the city and its diverse culture. Little do people realize there are many stories that are untold in the streets right by these landmarks.

Pete Olsen, a leader of the Mennonite Central Committee TOOLS (Toronto Ontario Opportunity for Learning and Service), recounted the story about how he learned to be invisible from a teenager in Toronto who was holding a sign that said ‘Give me five bucks and I will teach you to be invisible’. He was told to hold the sign and sit next to the man on a bench. People passed by and pretended not to notice the two of them. This is a social norm that happened everywhere to many homeless people. Having an experience of sitting with people in the street, average person would most likely to give a ‘dirty look’ or else walk pass the group without looking at them. For homeless individuals, who do not have political power, they are disregarded by society most of the time.

A group of 14 students from Conrad Grebel University College took part in a service trip called TOOLS to downtown Toronto during Reading Week. Last Sunday morning, they separated into groups of four and five and talked to people who sat in the streets near the Eaton Centre. That Sunday morning, one of the groups met Carl and Doug, who were sitting by a wall. Carl is originally from Vancouver who has met many people from various countries around the world, including Korea, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, and France. Doug, who seemed to be relatively tired compared to Carl, used to be a salesman at Old Navy. Their good friend, Trevor, with his puppy Finigan, later joined the conversation. After splitting up with his ex-wife, Trevor started living on the street. The three of them met each other in a homeless shelter, a place that they could stay at for only 14 days. Every morning at 7 a.m., they had to leave the shelter, wandering around the streets. Other than the restrictions, there are also some other reasons which lead them prefer to live in the street but not the homeless shelter. For instance, there are many different individuals who live in the shelter from different backgrounds. It might not be easy to get along with all of them.

Walking farther from the Eaton Centre, the group met a woman in front of a window of a shop who set her jacket aside on the ground. Her name is Charlie. As an artist, Charlie creates paddle art and sells the art pieces to get money, using cannon paddles of all sizes with different patterns on them as household decorations. She set a yellow pencil in her ponytail and shared her stories with the students.

She told them that she has a nursing degree; however, due to losing her job, she lives on the streets and does paddle art. Spending hours grinding the paddles to make them smooth enough, she then uses tape and paints to decorate her paddles. She sells them at the Queen/Bathurst junction for $20 apiece, even though she was told that a paddle can be sold for 40 dollars each. Charlie said, "There’s no need to set the price so high", while still accepting spare change and food handouts from people.
 

When sitting with people in the street, it was interesting to see a few people stop and ask the group "What are you guys doing?". Sometimes, seeing people talking with homeless people, people who pass by get curious and want to know what they are doing. The result can be impressive.

"Once," Olsen told the students, "I was talking to someone who was doing graffiti. A woman passed by and asked what we were doing. Telling her that I am just hanging around the street and talking to people, she asked if she could join us and have a seat on the ground. Before she left, she put down 20 dollars and told us that we made her day."

Bystander effect can be effective.

Zoe Andres, a student who took part in the TOOLS trip, said "When a desperate old man begged for a cigarette in the street, another man turned his head looking at another side of the road and wore his sunglasses to avoid any eye contact so that he could not see the old man."

There could not be a more perfect example of people treating people in poverty as if they were invisible, essentially discounting their reality and the hardships they face. The action of the man in sunglasses perhaps is a blissful means of escapism; if he is not able to see people in the lower class, who do not have any social, political, or economic power then the problem simply does not exist.

However, there are people who help the less fortunate when asked for help.

"I saw a man hold a sign 'Need a Ticket ASAP' standing in the street when my friend and I just passed by. But then, a man in a suit gave him his ticket and said 'I have the power to get there in another way'", said Cassidy Wagler, another student who attended the trip.

Reflecting on Cassidy’s description of the suited man’s speech, it’s hard not to be impacted by his powerful message. Those who are in the middle and upper classes have power, yet, the difference is whether they would like to offer a helping hand and share that power to those who are in need.

The UWaterloo club Warmworkers Waterloo, which is part of a larger parent organization called Warmworkers and has chapters at several universities across Canada, offers their contribution to homeless people. Anshuni Shah, the President of the club, said they try to facilitate the transition for homeless people from dependence to independence. She said that to help them find jobs, the club has contacted several people that are willing to employ them. Moreover, the planned program includes workshops to help them improve their resumes.

During this transition, Warmworkers helps them by providing winter clothes, hygiene products and tries to build a better relationship between them and the community. The previous term, students from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University had an outreach event in which they could find ways to be involved and have close and impactful experiences to help the homeless. Warmworkers is mainly funded by donations and fundraiser events.
The movie “A Night for the Homeless”, presented by the club, portrays many stories from the homeless’ point of view. In one of the stories a teenager said that people often asked him why he did not only get a job. Some people believe that the solution of homelessness is to let homeless people get a job. However, they argue that it may not be very simple for them.

Many homeless people explained that they do not have a complete education and cannot acquire a social insurance number to work legally. Social rejection and isolation can also be a huge barrier. They argue that people would not be willing to employ someone who does not have a tidy appearance and a place to live. They feel awkward to tell their employers that they do not have an address when they are asked.

There is an old saying, ‘you cannot walk in someone else’s shoes’. It is very important to take consideration from a perspective of other people. The movie ‘A Night for the Homeless’ explain the reasons behind the scene why is it hard to come up with proper solutions. People who are homeless are ignored far too often. Simply having a chat with them makes them say ‘you made my day’.

Are homeless people invisible or do we deliberately choose to ignore their existence and suffering? Would you differentiate yourself from them based on wealth or would you sympathize with their humanity? Regardless of your perception of the homeless, it is important to realize that they are human beings just like the rest of us. As their neighbors, the least we can do is to give them the basic attention that they require and acknowledge their existence.

The BarBurrito is a fresh Mexican restaurant located a Plaza at 584 Weber St N, Waterloo. It is easy to access; for example, you can take the route 200 from the UW Biology 1 building to the Parkside Dr & Northfield Dr stop. For an alternative route, you can the take the route 9 from Conestoga Mall to Weber St & Northfield Dr.

Regarding the menu, there are various mouth-watering options such as burritos, tacos and quesadillas. At the grill, you are free to pick your favorite meats, toppings and sauces to pack into your wrapp. There is a wide variety of meats such as chicken, pork, ground beef, steak, chorizo and fish. Moreover, you can choose as many ingredients as you want from the following choices: refried beans, black beans, rice, lettuce, corn, green peppers, red onions, jalapeño and guacamole.

Additionally, there are appetizers to sate your hunger while you wait for the wraps, such as chips and churros, which are traditional foods from Mexico. Also, Jarritos is a typical beverage from this country; you will find special flavours such as Guava, Jamaica, Tamarin or Mandarin. If you have never tried Mexican food, these appetizers can be a great start.
– Ceci, Kevin

The burrito was an amazing, classic dish. It was a wrap and you can choose between white and whole wheat tortilla for your base. You’re essentially allowed to build your own burrito as you wish. I built my burrito with almost everything; steak, cheese, sauce, guacamole, lettuce, corn, green peppers, tomatoes and sour cream and I really enjoyed each small piece of my burrito in my mouth because, together, all the ingredients created an unimaginable new taste.
– Zaya, Ceci

TACO
The taco has two different tortillas, you can choose between a hard or soft tortilla. You can choose one type of meat and add all the toppings or sauce that you want. For $2 more you can enlarge your order from one taco to three, and customize each taco with different ingredients and sauces. Is a good opportunity to try the tacos with the two varieties of tortilla they offer, and with different meats if you want! In my opinion, the tacos are a good opportunity to eat varied or simply share it with your friends. 
- Josue

QUESADILLA
Undoubtedly, it is the biggest dish that you can order at this restaurant. As all the other options, you can choose the meat and toppings that you prefer; you can also mix two kinds of meat for the same price or add more meat as an extra. Personally, what I liked about this quesadilla was that it was full of cheese and did not contain beans as the burrito. It is worth pointing out that if you add $6.50 to this order, you can make it bigger and get 8 slides. Also, I enjoyed eating with a friend; it is a good order for two people. Regarding the taste, I loved the amount of cheese and the mixture of meats that I ordered.  -  Kevin

ATMOSPHERE
The place offers a cozy atmosphere, but nothing outstanding, not even decorated with a Mexican style. It offers a pleasant atmosphere to converse with your friends since the music (English and Spanish music) really has a low volume to not disturb customers. Despite the low volume music I was dancing while eating because BarBurrito played dancing music on Fridays. Finally, another interesting fact is that the chairs in BarBurrito are very comfortable so it is like you are eating the food of the Gods.  – Zaya, Josue

PRICE
Additionally, there is a big variety of sauces to add to your burrito. We noticed that BarBurrito offers a promotion called 'Burrito of the week'. As such, there is the option to have the burrito of the week plus a drink for only $6.50. A regular burrito costs $7.60 and a large one costs $8.90. We highly recommend that you visit BarBurrito to try out their awesome selection of Mexican food and drinks. Though, it isn’t exactly the most traditional option around, it will satisfy your cravings for some good, old-fashioned Latin-American food. - Josue

If you want to find more information, check out their website: www.barburrito.ca