I had an adventure the other day.... It all began after my grammar class when my friend asked me to accompany her to the market to buy avocados and tomatoes for her family's dinner. The market here is a few blocks from the main building of PUCV (my university) and runs down a long street. You can find just about anything there from your fruits and vegetables to screws and tools... literally anything there. Any way my friend wanted me to come with her because the last time she was in the market some guy kissed her on the cheek! So she wanted me to be her "bodyguard". haha The market is kind of a dangerous place and you just need to be careful with your belongings and be aware of your surroundings. So with that being said... my friend bought what she needed to buy and we left and went around the corner so that she could put the produce and money back in her bag. With a strong hold on her backpack the whole time she began to put her money back in. During this I see out of the corner of my eye a man approaching us and I'm wondering why is this guy approaching us? Then it dawned on me that this guy was about to steal my friend's backpack. I reacted a little too late in trying to grab the backpack first. Since my friend had a strong grip on the backpack and the man grabbed the other strap so hard, she flew and was then dragged on her butt for 5-10 seconds. The robber yelled "ya sueltala mujer" which means "drop it already lady!" She yelled NO and I was about to yell at her to just drop it and let it go when the guy gave up and walked away angrily!
It was a sight to see! As someone who has grown up in a town where everyone trust everyone and leave their keys in the ignition, this was an eye opening experience that I'll never forget! It was scary for me to stand there and see my friend get dragged across the market clinging for dear life to her backpack. I didn't know what to do or how to react! The only thought I have now was I wish I had just reacted a little sooner to grab her backpack before the guy did. In the end everything is okay and he didn't get the backpack in the end. However, it did leave the two of us on edge. I was shaking and griping my backpack the whole time on the way back on the metro.
Some things I've learned after this incident.... 1. robbers target people depending on their clothing and appearance (my friend was in a long white jacket). If you stand out in nice clothing and obviously look like a foreigner you're more likely to get robbed. 2. Next week is independence week for Chile. The head guy for the Spanish department for foreigners at PUCV, Jorge, said that robberies happen a lot around holidays because people want money so they can party for the week. 3. You can never let your guard down and always need to be aware of your surroundings. We should have walked farther away from the market before doing anything because the guy obviously saw her putting her money back in the backpack. I've gotten quite comfortable here and had just begun to start trusting people and situations a lot more and then this happened to us. I'm definitely scared after all this, but this episode just means that I need to be a little more careful and smart about certain situations. Just another exciting chapter in my life down here in Chile....
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This is the second time someone in the program has been assaulted, stood up to the perpretator, and it came out ok. I think everyone needs to go in groups of 3 or with a guy. As a parent, I DO NOT LIKE READING ABOUT THIS!
ReplyDeleteI learned being aware and defensive about what is happening around you is by far the most important thing, followed by looking like you know what you're doing. That's a really scary experience-- because it could have been worse. The vast majority of people in the world are more likely to help you out of that kind of situation than put you in it, but you have to be prepared for that one exception. Ten cuidado en los ciudades cariña :)
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