June 16: Robbed!

I don’t know why, but it was really hard for me to get out of bed this morning. Probably because it was a cold day and I was under my warm covers! I got up about 10 and got dressed and ate breakfast (two fresh media lunas, tostadas with dulce de leche, two cups of hot chocolate, and grapes). I decided to go to the feria (street market) at Plaza Serrano. I left about 11. As I was walking, I ran into a girl from my class, Lindsay, from another program. She and a friend were drinking coffee at a sidewalk café close to my house. We started talking and she invited me to pull up a chair. I sat and talked with them for quite a while. She invited me to join them, but they were going to the zoo and the Evita museum, so I didn’t really want to go. I headed to Plaza Serrano by taking the subte to Plaza Italia and then walking about six blocks. The feria there was nice, but not incredible. I like the one at Recoleta better. I bought some jewelry and just walked around. After a while, I headed back toward Plaza Italia. I stopped at a bakery and bought a meringue sandwich with dulce de leche in the middle for 20 cents. I walked back to Plaza Italia and looked at the statue there and then headed to the Botanical Gardens across the street. It is free to get in and was a lot nicer than I expected. Given that it is winter, there were lots of people there, but not so many it felt crowded. It would be pretty to see in summer because there would be flowers and leaves on the trees, but it was still nice. I walked around and then had a picnic lunch on a bench in the sun. It was a cold day today. I wore my winter coat and was glad that I did. After a while, I decided to take the subte to Retiro and visit the Torre Monumental which is a tower that looks like Big Ben. You can take the elevator to the top for free on the weekends. It used to be called Tower of the English (or something like that), but during the war over the Falkland Islands, they changed its name. I got there and found it right away. I walked around it, but it was not open. I don’t know why. I walked farther away so I could take a picture and realized that my camera was not there. Neither was my wallet. I had been robbed. Yes, robbed. I sat down in the grass (probably filled with dog poop) and looked all through my purse. Nope, everything was there except my camera and wallet (the only things of monetary value in there). I don’t know how or where it happened. I am extremely cautious because they are always telling us what a dangerous city this is and especially the subte. I always keep my hand on the handles of my purse right over the zipper and hold my bag in front of me, especially on the subte. I am assuming that it happened on the subte, but I never saw or felt anything! What a bummer! I called my mom on my cell phone and told her to cancel my credit card and ATM card (that were in my wallet). I decided that since I was already down there at Retiro and Plaza San Martin, I should see the things that I came to see. I walked across the street and saw the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) war memorial with the names of all those who died during the war. There are always two soldiers guarding the monument and I got to see the changing of the guards at 4pm. I read in my book that the Army, Navy, and Air Force take 2-week shifts in guarding it. I walked down a few streets and found the Israeli Memorial that honors the 29 people who died during the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy. There are 22 trees and 7 benches in memory of the 29 people. I walked a few more blocks and found the next subte station. I got on and rode back. I walked home and Fani greeted me. I had to explain all about being robbed. In Spanish. Very difficult. I don’t think Fani quite believed me at first because she told me to go into my bedroom and dump out the contents of my purse on the bed. I did, but, of course, my wallet and camera were not there. She then asked if I could have left them anywhere. I know that I did not and even if I did, I never was using my wallet and camera at the same place. She asked if there was a card with ISA’s number on it in case someone finds my wallet. She kept asking me questions like that and I just kept telling her that they were stolen. She asked me if they could be in my coat pocket. I explained that I thought they would be safer in my purse and so I always keep everything in my purse with it zipped. Because I do not like to pull out my wallet in the subte station, I always stick a 2-peso bill in my pocket and pay with that. Luckily, I still had two 2-peso bills and 2 pesos in coins so I was able to get home! I took a shower that was slightly warmer than the air in the apartment and put the stuff back in my purse. I talked to my mom again on the phone and she said that she got everything taken off. Fani fed me dinner about 7:15. I had tarta (which is like pie) made of ham and cheese, soup, and a different kind of chocolate mousse. After dinner, I worked on the computer. Tomorrow, I am going to go with Fani to her daughter’s house to celebrate Father’s Day, but we can only go if it doesn’t rain because it is going to be outside. I am going to study for a while because our final is next Thursday and I think it is going to be hard and then I might read a while before bed.