Saturday, July 5, 2014

I Just Got Robbed In Quito

For the first time in my life I got robbed and I have to tell you, it was the most frightening thing that I have ever experienced in my life. I will go ahead and start from the beginning.

From the get go I had this bad weird feeling about going out tonight but I was meeting with a friend for a last hang out before she heads out of town tomorrow so I decided to ignore my intuition and go out anyway. She had suggested meeting at 9 pm but I thought it was a bit late and I suggested 8:30 pm. We ended up settling on 9. At around 8:30 I started getting ready to head out, I had decided to walk to our meeting point instead of taking a taxi since I figured it was early anyway and it would not take me too long to get there.

Before heading out I got this really weird feeling that I can't explain and I just started doing things in preparation for the worst. First thing I did was download all the pictures I had taken during the day, on my computer because I had been hanging out with another friend and I was thinking how much it would suck if I was to lose the pictures we took together. I figured if anything was to happen and I were to lose my camera then it would be okay since it would't have anything personal in it. I actually wanted to leave my camera behind but I ended up putting it in my bag anyway.

I debated on taking my phone with me and I was thinking of leaving it behind but ended up carrying it because I knew I would need it to communicate with my friend. However, I did not put it in my bag as I usually do, I put it in my pocket thinking once again if my bag got stolen at least they wouldn't get my phone because it would be in my pocket and maybe they would be too focused on my bag to check my pocket.

My keys to the apartment which I usually keep in my bag, went inside my pocket instead. I usually don't like putting them in my pocket because I get scared of losing them but this time I just felt better having them in my pocket.

I have this ring that has a prayer on it and I always wear it for good luck and protection, call it superstition but that ring always gives me comfort when I am in a situation that I don't feel comfortable in, it is my special and favorite ring. I was running out of time and I was frantically going through the bag where I keep all my rings thinking to myself, "I can't leave the house without the ring, I have to have the ring because I don't feel comfortable and something might happen if I don't have the ring." I finally found it and put it on feeling much better.

I left the house and as I was walking along the street in front of my house I saw some people hanging out ahead of me. I wasn't really paying too much attention to them but as I got near them I started paying attention. There was a guy who appeared drunk and he was walking on the opposite side of the street, he started saying to me "negrita linda" (pretty black girl) and I just ignored him until he started approaching me. Immediately I sensed something wrong as I noticed the two girls who had been on my side of the street coming directly at me as well. That's when it dawned on me that I was about to get robbed. I was in such a shock that I literally froze but when I think of it now I could have easily turned back and ran.

I started screaming as the girls pushed me against the wall and and the guy came in front of me. One of the girls grabbed my bag and the other reached for my pocket saying in spanish "give me the phone!" I have no idea how she knew I had my phone in the pocket. I was screaming and the guy who looked really scary got close to me and kept telling me to shut up. I held on to my phone while it was still in my pocket and I literally forgot all the Spanish I knew so all I kept saying was "por favor! no!" I wanted to tell her to take everything but my phone but I could not even talk and she just kept saying, "give me the phone!" in spanish. She was getting agitated and started saying she had a knife but I just held on to the phone. Honestly my phone has a lot of important stuff in it and I could not imagine losing it, when I think of it now I realize hanging on desperately to that phone might have cost me my life but at the time I wasn't even thinking straight.

I was hoping someone would come to my rescue and the thugs would leave me alone, as I was struggling and hanging on to my phone I don't even know what the other two idiots were doing because they did not intervene. They could have easily ganged up on me and taken the phone but they did nothing. It was me and the one girl struggling and I think being pinned against the wall worked in my favor because the girl could not reach my pocket since the wall was blocking her to some extent.

I noticed a car pull up at the corner and I wanted to shout to the driver to help me because the car had slowed down and come to a stop and whoever was in it had opened the back door. I don't know if the thugs got scared but they suddenly left me and started heading toward the car. You can imagine my shock when I saw them getting into the car and driving off! the car that I had actually wanted to run toward thinking it was a good samaritan stopping to help.

I was so shaken after the ordeal, I did not know whether to cry or scream. I was trembling so bad and I immediately turned to go back to the house. That's when I noticed one of my roommates, an American guy, running towards me asking what happened. Turns out the lady who owns the house we stay in had a bad feeling about me going out and she came to the window to check on me. That is when she heard me screaming so she ran into my roommate's room and woke him up screaming, "something is happening to J! go help her!" she later told me that when she opened the window she saw a guy walking past and she asked him to help me but I was further away, the guy supposedly blew a whistle and that's what must have scared the thugs. I heard nothing! I think all my senses were numb.

My roommate was so mad he wanted to chase after the thugs but they had driven off, we went up to the house and everyone just rushed to me and just held me in a big hug, I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry because I saw how concerned they were and it touched me that they cared so much. The little girl from the house came up to me and just wrapped her arms around me and would not let go. I don't even know how I managed to keep my tears in check. Her mum was telling me that when I walked out of the door to go out she felt her heart beating so fast and she had a very bad feeling and that's why she rushed to the window to make sure I was okay.

Honestly I am just amazed at how everything happened, from my initial intuition to the actual mugging and hearing my hostess say what she felt.............I don't even have the words to describe it. All I can say is thank you God! I am safe and what I lost can easily be replaced. I lost $20, my precious notebook, my coin purse, an old driver's license, lip gloss and my camera. My phone never got stolen and you best believe I am never walking outside with that phone ever again during my travels. I think this was a warning to me because to be honest I have taken some stupid risks during my trip and I needed to snap out of it. This was my wake up call, it sucks that it had to happen but in a way it made me realize that I have to be more careful. No more going out alone at night or if I do go out I have to call a taxi to pick me up from the door, I will never walk along a deserted street alone and I will always pay attention to my intuition. 

6 comments:

  1. Thank God you are ok.

    ~Carlene (MN)

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    1. Thanks Carla, for sure I am thankful for my safety.

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    2. Thank God! Please be safe

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    3. Thanks Weregene, for sure going forward I will be more cautious.

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  2. Oh no Judy, I'm so sorry to hear this..thank goodness you were unharmed

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    1. Thanks Monica, I am very grateful that I came out of it unharmed.

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