new post from Ariana, that great Woman of the World, during her adventures in Ecuadar with the Peace Corps:

Hola,

So, I learned a very important lesson the hard way yesterday. I was waiting in a bus terminal in Santo Domingo (the largest city near my site) with 5 other trainees for a bus to Quito, and I had my large REI backpack, my purse, and a plastic bag full of clothes behind me. I turned my back on my stuff to look for one of the girls in our group, and when I turned back, my backpack was gone. Luckily, all my valuable stuff was in my purse (like my Ipod, I would be devastated if I lost my Ipod, it´s the only thing that keeps me sane and it also prevents me from having to talk to annoying people), so they only stole a bag full of dirty clothes. The only real valuable thing was the backpack, and my favorite towel. I loved that towel. I even have a picture of it on my blog. It was a big Land´s End towel with the NOAA symbol on it. Oh well. They also stole my winnie the pooh diary that my mom bought for me, so when I see that dude using my diary, I will know who stole my backpack! Plus my favorite pairs of jeans, and my Ecuador wildlife guide.

The police were kindof weird, the first guy insisted that my friends were confused and they had my backpack, or that I just lost it. He decided that I was being sincere later on. I am not sure why I would lie about something like that. Then the second guy who wrote the police report asked if I was Catholic, Protestant or Christian. I didn´t know why that was important, but I said I was Catholic. Peace Corps said that they are going to reimburse me for what I lost, it´ll just take awhile.

My Peace Corps family has been very kind and supportive. One staff member helped me get a new atm card and went with me to the police station. We are now all together again, and everyone else in the group heard about the loss of my backpack, so my friend Jonathan started a collection for me, and they gave me about $30. I guess each person gave $1-3, which was very kind and generous. It´s actually not really necessary, because I still have money, and there was no money in the backpack. I actually have 2 to 3 times as much money as some of the people who gave me money, but they won´t take their money back. I am a little short on clothes now, but Joseph says I can wear his pants and look like MC Hammer and Lily and Maggie said they´d go shopping with me so I can look like a fashionable Ecuadorian.

Anyway, so i learned my lesson, never turn your back on your stuff and always have the straps looped around your arm or legs. I also lost my address book which had everyone´s numbers and birthdays. So, when you get a chance, please email me your address, phone number, and birthday.

It´s funny, I haven´t cried at all since I´ve been here, and I didn´t cry when I realized I lost my bag, but when I had to tell Mariana, one of the language facilitators what happened, I almost started crying. That´s because Mariana is super sweet and like my mom here. Luckily she lives in Quito, and I can visit her often!

I have been using the theft of my backpack to make people feel sorry for me and get out of training assignments, but I don´t know how long I can make that work. Anyway, now I am older and wiser, and I didn´t lose anything too valuable!

If you don´t email me, I cannot be held responsible for forgetting your birthday =)

Love,
Ariana
(Ariana's blog)