From: Paul (Pablo) Belyea
Subject: Free at last
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 12:33:10 -0500 (CDT)

Hi Everyone.

	This is my first communication to the DSS.  My name is Paul and I
 am a student at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Island.
I have really enjoyed reading everyones stories so much here I am to tell
 my own.

	I have to say that becoming a member of the DSS has made me
 courageous in my barefooting adventures.  I have always gone barefoot 
with my parents and relatives but out in the real world?!  In the past
two weeks I have bought groceries(Krogers), visited the Hardware 
store(local), and yes I finally went to class and the World Renowned
 Moody Medical Library barefoot.  I was never asked to place on sh**s
 The most difficult place to barefoot is on campus. 
 UTMB being what it is, has few artistic type personalities or
 even the open mindedness a large undergrad school(I did undergrad at UT
 Austin, the greatest city in the U.S.) .  For me to
 rebel and go sh**less took a boldness I have only recently acquired
with the help of the DSS e-mails.  The most pleasant experiences I have 
had yet are in the Library.  In the elevator an employee asked about the
 heat of the street on my feet, and as she existed the elevator at the end 
of our chat she whispered I hate sh**s.  All the other conversations have 
been with very attractive students commenting on how cool it must feel and
how they wish they could do the same.  I encourage them to join me and 
feel the freedom and everything else you can step on!  I have to admit 
that living on an Island does make it easy to walk barefoot everywhere 
else away from The University.
	So besides the majority of classmates turning up their noises or
 laughing as I walk through the Library all is well.  I feel as if I have
 something they cannot, something they're to afraid to do and it makes me
 feel truely free, thanks DSS.

Your friendly Texan member,

-Paul