8/17 Fatal mistake 2 2004 8/17

If you feel you are in bad luck, what you must keep in mind is not make the situation better but stop the situation go worse.
I thought I could understand that. But what was the best choice for me? Did I take enough care?

In another words, the situation is like this; After continuing balance of 0-0 in the football game, you loose one goal by super play of your rival tram. And you will be disappointed it, loose your concentration. So next time you will loose another goal very easily. After while you may counter attack and get 1goal in lost time. 1-2, lost game. If it were not for second goal, the game could be draw. You should prevent the second goal.
It is nonsense to feel sad that situation. It often happens.

No, an introduction is too long. Briefly, I got robbed, and I nearly lost every thing I had. As a result, I lost my digital camera. This situation must attract readers of this diary, but as a man who experienced actually, this situation is slightly tough.

After dinner I went Internet cafe to update the diary. It is neighborhood of the place I lost my bicycle, not so safe area. When I go into an alley, I feel someone follow me. He suddenly dashes in front of me and sits down. I avoid it, and another guy attack to me. They seem two Negro.

Really? What happen?
Yes, It is reasonable.
How will I be? How can I escape from this situation?
I was thinking like that in my mind.

How many years is it since I had a fight last time? I got first attack and I was threw down. They have perfectly initiative. Anyway, I shout. I hang on them. But they take my west bag, and run away.

The role changes. I am a purser and they are runners. I pursue them. Run, run and run, with shouting, with barefoot. I know Policemen are near here, but I don't know they will come here to help me.

In this case my persistence works well, they throw away my west bag after searching a little. I can get bag itself, guide books, luckily air ticket, and traveler's check. What I lost is only the digital camera. For them, robing camera may be enough.

No, no no, but what is important for me is the Data of photographs inside the digital camera. I can be patient to loose money or camera But I want to return my data card, and the lens I borrow from my company if possible. I want to negotiate them, but I don't speak Italy and they have disappeared in the darkness. I must think lucky for the return of air ticket and so on.

What I lost this time is only the camera. My life is safe, my cash, traveler's check, passport, and air ticket are OK. It is true that I was lucky.
Now I am writing about this accident, and I think it is reasonable that I was killed. Fortunately the robbers didn't have a knife or a gun, but we often heard some people are killed after resistance. But actually, I can get back my air ticket and PDA which I use for writing this diary. Without them I can not go on my journey. Resist or resign, I don't say which is better. It must be case by case.
Then I must take care at any times, and I need fighting spirit at any times.

I thought I was attacked so often even if I was in unsafe area. My look seems poor guy, I am not a girl, I am a tough guy, so I thought they don't like to attack me. But it was wrong.
And I should run away as soon as I felt strange sign. I had heavy bag and I put on sandals at that time, so they would run after me, and I might be caught. Even so, I might fight better.

The camera I lost is new one, bought for this trip. EOS kiss Digital.(Canon EOS 300D in European name/ Digital Rebel In American name ). I was going to wait until next model, but bought for this trip in a hurry. I am a poor traveler, but I can spend much money. It worked well also with the stellar photograph, taking advantage of digital SLR.
But it is a mass production after all. I can buy it again.

The lens I borrowed from my company was expensive. I broke another camera 3months ago, so I must rebuy it. But how much does it cost? I don't want to think. It will cost over half of total damage. Oh my goodness!

What I can not get back again is the DATA of photographs. The value of them is 0 euro, but I can't get back again even if I spent a million euro. The data of over 500 photographs will be deleted by the robbers. They are so important, I wanted to save on CDR at net cafe, but I couldn't. biggest purpose of the journey is taking photographs and write a diary. I want express "This is my way". I want to inform someone what I want to do. But now I lost one of the way to express. So I am writing a diary with my pocketable computer, the leaving way to express.

The hostess of the hotel recommends me to go to the police. At the police office, I hear that I need passport and need to go to hospital. In a public office, they want to send me from one place to another, same as Japan.
I don't have travel insurance and I think my bicycle and camera can't reback to me by police. I can't communicate with them, and now I feel so tire.
Then today's Italian lecture through my experience will start.

Today's Italian Lecture

Aiuto!
Help!

I watched this sentence at an Italian lecture in educational program on TV with my sister. A cheerful Italian teacher shouted this word unseriously. But I couldn't expect that I use this expression actually. But I think I never cry, "help me" in Japanese.

(2004 8/17)