A Tale of Two Cultures

There is no free lunch in the world.
It is a Chinese saying I learned from my childhood and I believe it.
Now I find it is not completely true, at least on the bus to Atlantic City.
Last Sunday I went to Atlantic City to meet my friend by greyhound bus. I paid $18 for a round trip and got $20 refund at the destination. I understood that it is a way of attracting people to the casinos. But I was a little bit surprised when I found my friend got $25 refund and a free bowl of noodle. She was from New York City and only paid $15 for a round trip!
Then she told there are some people making a living by taking bus everyday. They take a round trip in the morning and another one in the afternoon so that they got $18($2 for tips) and two meals everyday.
“But it is not enough for renting house,” I said.
“They don’t need house, “my friend said:” they sleep on the bus or everywhere and bring their belongings with them,”
I still suspect if this kind of life could stay for a long time. You need working not only for survival. You need to work to developing yourself so that you can make a better living and also become part of the society.
Of course you can also make huge money by gambling with the $18 you earned. But it is a dream that never comes true for most of the people on the bus.