Robbed!

Darn it!

I was soooooooo close to getting through this whole living abroad experience without getting robbed! I mean, I consider myself pretty careful, street smart, etc. Grrrrrr.

So first off before anyone gets too worried, I’m fine. No violence, just a stupid kid (maybe 17 or 18) on a stupid bike. Here’s what happened. I was leaving my latin dance class, which is like 2 blocks from my place, at 7:30. So it was dark but pretty early, with a ton of people on the street out and about. I had my bottle of water, my stinky towel (there is no fan or a/c in the room where the class is), and a little bag. Actually, it was the little zip up clutch that my hometown bff got me when I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. Pretty, nothing ostentatious. Contents: one cell phone (old and cheap, thank goodness), one key chain with my room key and my office key, and 60 cordoba (less than three bucks). Dude was probably really disappointed; serves him right!!!

Anyways, I was on what I considered a “safe” street, not carrying anything very valuable, and out at an early hour, so I wasn’t on high alert. Mistake. I was distracted (I think looking at a noisy motorcycle) when this skinny kid on a bike rips by and swipes the bag right out of my hand! Little bugger! So I ran after him screaming (In Spanish) “He robbed me! He robbed me!” It all happened sooooo fast. He was on the next street and I went back into the community center to find friends to commiserate with, when all of a sudden people tell me that the guy was apprehended. It turns out that after hearing my screaming, some people on the street on motorcycles and bicycles stopped him. Well, I THINK it was him. To be honest it was hard to say since I never got a great look at him in the first place. Well, here is the scene: I am crying, these guys are slapping this kid around, the kid is yelling about how it wasn’t him it was some other guy. Big mess!!! I had no idea what to do. Eventually, they searched him and didn’t find anything (he had probably tossed it or given it to an accomplice), then let him go. I was miserable the rest of the night and couldn’t sleep well, but otherwise OK.

I have to say that robbery is not uncommon here- everyone is constantly telling me to watch myself and not leave anything ANYWHERE. But violent crime isn’t common in good areas at decent hours. I have had things stolen before (not in Nicaragua but in other places), but it is one thing to have something taken when you aren’t looking and it is another thing entirely to have someone just blatently come up and take something from you. The sense of victimization is definitely more acute.

So I now have a new phone, new copies of my keys, and you know I’ll find a way to live without those three dollars, but I don’t feel as safe as before; maybe that’s a good thing.

Otherwise the week is going well. I am working up a very ambitious and interesting project on infant mortality in Nicaragua in different time periods and regions. Should be awesome, plus now I’ll have something to do in all that spare time I have during residency (haha)!

Going out tonight, hope you are all well!
Saludos- Dra MV

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