ladrones

today started out beautifully. I met my friends Johnathon and Ryan and Pina the dog and we hiked up the mountain where the big ol' Christ statue is. It took about an hour to climb the stairs. I took a million beautiful photos. We climbed back down and got some gatorade on the way. After we were back in town we parted ways, the boys live at the main office/house and I live about a 15 minute walk northeast. I went the usual route, cautious as usual, both hands on my little bag. I started to walk by an alley and there was a guy seemingly just hanging out, leaning against the wall, and another on a motorcycle, which looked to me like he was unsure about driving or not. Well, I kept looking at them until I passed the alley and then all of a sudden my bag was ripped off of me from behind, giving me rope burn on my neck. It all happened so fast and so slow. I don't know what I was thinking, but after a few seconds I realized what happened and turned and yelled and chased the guy that took my bag. He reached his friend on the motorcycle and hopped on as the other started the bike. I had had my metal water bottle attached to my little purse and so all I had left in my hands was my half-empty gatorade bottle. I screamed at them and threw the bottle at their heads, hitting the one that took my bag in the back of the head. He looked startled and then they were gone. At first I stormed off down the street, angry, and then I just lost it as I registered the pain in my neck and what had just happened. Sobbing I called my host mom on my cell phone, which, luckily, was in my jeans pocket, along with my money and copy of my passport. The only thing the ladrones (thieves) got was my camera, which luckily only had pictures of today's trek, chapstick and dirty socks. I hope they're happy with the socks. (insert horrid insults and curses here). My host parents immediately hopped on their scooter to come find me, only 2 blocks from the house. I had been warned many times about thieves on the trail up to the Cristo statue, and all morning I was ready for it to happen, extremely aware of my surroundings. Then, back in town, I went my regular route and totalllyyyyy misread those two men in the alley, concentrating only on how wobbly my legs were after the climb of more than 2,000 stairs. I was surprised I was able to move as fast as I did during the robbery after that hike. It's 3 and 1/2 hours later and my heart is still racing, limbs still shaking, shoulders tense. I tried to lay down, take a shower, eat a little something. I don't want to leave my room. But I know I'll have to. Apparently, says my host mom, the thieves were so startled because the victims don't usually yell or chase them or anything. I'm glad, at least, I gave them a good scare in return. I hope they enjoy looking at my pictures of Jesus Christ, the statue, and my dirty socks.

the aftermath of pursegrabbing