Now that I am out of quarantine and around other inmates, I thought it would be good to give you an idea how real it is here by having another Keeping It Real Blog—Post Quarantine Style.
So without further delay, you know when you are keeping it real in prison when:
- You need to put an orange cone outside the bathroom stall when using it since there are no doors just thin curtains.
- You cover your eyelids at night so the guards flashlights they shine in your face at 3 AM do not wake you up.
- You have to get up early or stay up late to take a shower since there are only 2 showers between 15 guys.
- You need to borrow shoes off someone since you get cannot get any for entire month.
- You definitely need to wear shower shoes aka flip flops while showering. (I won’t comment on why).
- You literally are not allowed to switch the station on the TV because you are not the shot caller.
- You cannot sit close to the TV because the room is segregated and whites sit in the back left. (I just do not really bother watching tv)
- You must be in uniform while eating lunch.
- Someone gives you homemade taffy to try that was made out of simple drink mix. (It actually was really good. So was some fudge I tried.)
- You must use your coat as a pillow since they still have not brought me a pillow. (I will be getting one today though)
- One of your bunk mates has been incarcerated for over 45 years and plans on living out the rest of his days here. Super nice guy now. Definitely has seen it all. The stories he shares are so epic that I cannot share. Lets just say prisons have had to change their quality of fencing and barbed wire because of him.
- You see at least 10 guys playing basketball who easily could play high level college ball or even pro.
Hopefully you enjoyed these 12. I will write a few more in the next few days so you can get a feel for what it is like while keeping it real in prison.