Living in My Car

My father told me "Always own a car. That way you always have a home and can just pack up and go if you have petrol." I never thought that I would one day live out of my car.

I'm too big for the backseat of my car. I have to sleep curled up all night. I can't stretch out otherwise people can see my feet. I am always so sore in the morning. I have to climb through the front seats to get out from the back seat. Sometimes I get my foot stuck. Ouch!  I have to put the key in the ignition to wind the window down to open it. It often worries me because a fast exit cannot be had.

I never get a full night's sleep. I get cramp in my calf muscles. Ouch! I have to get up through the night to have a stretch. I wake up early at daylight and then (if it is a weekday) I have to wait four hours until the charity opens. At least I can have a hot shower. I can do my washing and clean my car out. Yahooo!

I use public barbecues to cook food, and a butane stove to make a coffee. I also use the powerpoint at the barbecues to charge my phone. One day people at the barbecue had an electric kettle plugged into the power point. I asked if I could use the powerpoint for my phone. "Are you a local?" they asked. "We pay rates!" Now what have I done? It's not fair. 

My car phone charger is not playing the game. First my car fridge breaks down, now this. Why is it the simplest things go wrong? I need it! It means the world, otherwise I'm alone.

Living in your car sucks!

In the evenings the mozzies start. I need repellent. Another hell night for sleeping. I love the rain but can't leave the car windows down. It' gets so humid. If it rains and I have to close windows at least then there are no mozzies, but the car gets hot and the windows fog up. When you sleep in a car you must always keep the windows down a fraction. Condensation can get into the electrical components. This has happened with my car. I have electric windows and door locks. The doors wouldn't open from the inside. It is a pain.

My living fear is that I have car problems. This week my car is making a sound. It is the bearings. Please car stop making that sound. Please. I've been waiting for this. Oh great, it is going to cost $389. That's gonna clean me out. That uses my whole cheque. What am I going to do now?

One of the good things being homeless is that I always park near the water. I park near the beach, rivers marina carparks, dead end roads - always near rivers, ocean or lakes. I wake up to a room with a view. I can appreciate the beauty of the water. Most women would be too scared to be where I am parked, but the car is locked. It's safe.

I do wish for a home. My homes were always full of plants and I used to treat myself to flowers - they fill the home with life in a way that a painting cant. All I would need is a bed, a shower, a kitchen, a fridge – a place where I can unpack and know that I don't have to move. A place where I can write.