sometimes God tells you to shut up...

It seems like everyone I know has recently been pick-pocketed, robbed, or nearly pick-pocketed or robbed. Eimear and Blair have both already been pick-pocketed. My roommate's mother was nearly pick-pocketed but Melanie caught the gypsy in the act. Another friend, Amanda, recently had her bag stolen. A coworker did also.

Lucky for me, I have had no such problems (knock on wood). I attribute this to a few things. For one, I am MUCH larger than virtually every person in Spain. Seriously. I think it's just not possible for most little Spaniards to reach up into my purse. And maybe the gypsies/gitanas/criminals are just the slightest bit afraid that if I caught them in the act I would beat the crap out of them. Works for me. The other reason I think I've been lucky is that I'm hyper aware of how often this happens. I keep my bag tight and high under my arm or in front of me. I never let anyone stand too close to me and I pretty much treat everyone on the metro like a criminal. Even children. And old people.

On Saturday, I was coming home on the metro and in a hurry. There was a group of four American girls who were clearly college students studying abroad. It's hard to explain why, but in general I really, really don't care for Americans studying abroad here. And most of my friends here feel the same way. They're quite often loud, obnoxious, make no effort to learn Spanish, expect things to be easy for them, and think they're pretty hot stuff. These girls were no exception. It was a crowded metro and they were shouting to each other across the car in English. Cringe. As we approached my metro stop, one of the girls screams, "That woman took my wallet!" Her friend was confused and she continued, "Yeah! That sketchy woman took my wallet. I felt her brush up on me and I knew she was creepy and she took my wallet!" They frantically searched her purse and shopping bags with no luck. Her purse was probably the worst possible thing you could carry. It was a messenger bag that hung really low (below her hip) and had no zipper or button. The girl was crying and frantic and I leaned over and said, "Get off at the next stop and find a security officer and tell them what happened and they'll give you a form to fill out to report it." And then I left.

As I was walking home I thought, I should have helped that girl. She obviously didn't speak Spanish. She won't be able to talk to the security guard. But I was in a big hurry. And then I thought, really, she was asking for it. Drawing attention to herself shouting loudly in English. Carrying an open bag. What a tourist... scoff.

So I ran a few errands and began to get ready for Eimear's birthday party. When I was just about ready to go I went to transfer all my stuff from my purse to my evening clutch. Camera, lipgloss, phone, wallet.... wallet?! My wallet was no where to be found. I began to panic. I tore apart my room. No wallet. My first thought, I got robbed right along with the stupid American girl! I'm a stupid American girl, too! But then I remembered that after the metro I had gone to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I had paid for them, so obviously I had my wallet at that point. And then it hit me, I left my wallet at the grocery store at the register.

Quick side note. If you ever want to raise your blood pressure a few points, try checking out at a Spanish supermarket. It's one of the more intense situations you'll experience here. There is a checker, but no baggers. So you get up to the counter and put your stuff up there and the checker immediately starts scanning it. Then you frantically start bagging but before you can really get a handle on the bagging she tells you the total and you have to pay. Then after you pay you go back to bagging but at that point the next person is already at the counter and the checker is already scanning their items. So while you're desperately trying to bag up the rest of your stuff, someone else's stuff is flying across the counter into your stuff and you have to make sure not to take any of their items. It's tiring.

So like an idiot, I had set my wallet on the counter while I was bagging and apparently left it there. I called the grocery store, about in tears, and asked if a wallet had been found. She said yes, I sprinted back to the store, and reclaimed my billetera. Phew.

I think I needed this little humbling. Everyone does stupid things, myself included. Obviously. So I think the next time I'm rolling my eyes at students or tourists, I'll think twice. And maybe offer them some friendly advice or help instead. Thank you God. I'll take one slice of humble pie with whip cream on top!