Today, I went to a nearby restaurant to buy a salad for lunch. While I was waiting to pay, a little girl wearing rags came over to me, tapped my shoulder and started begging for money. It was so sad. Usually I don't give anything to beggars, but I probably would have today had I brought extra cash. I didn't know what to say, so I just apologized. I thought she walked away, but a minute later, she popped up from behind me, even closer than she was before, harassing me. She caught me completely off guard. She would not leave me alone. Finally, luckily, thankfully, an employee behind the counter told her she couldn't be inside the restaurant. The little girl still didn't leave. It was only after the employee started to scold her more and more that she gave up and left. It was tragic and slightly scary, too. I was grateful to the woman who worked there.
I tuned out from the conversation again during lunch. I can't help it sometimes. I try to keep up with conversation, but everyone speaks so quickly and all it once. It can be quite overwhelming. My brain starts to hurt, and soon, I'm in my own world, daydreaming and staring out the window. I need to work on that. Anyway, today, there was a fist fight in the streets. A huge crowd surrounded the fight on the sidewalk, and once everyone at work noticed, we all gathered at the windows to watch. An older homeless man, shirtless, was fighting another middle-aged guy. What shocked me was that no one stood back or rushed past. Everyone wanted to see, like it was a schoolboy brawl or something. We watched for a few minutes. By the time I tired of it and walked away, the police still hadn't come. Everyone was calling their fight una lucha libre. A free fight. I thought it was an interesting expression.
Speaking of crime, my friend David was mugged the other night. He and his two roommates, boys from other programs, were heading out around 10 p.m. to go to a bar. They were joking and talking loudly on the street, oblivious to their surroundings as they tried to hail a cab. David said a man came up to them, flashed a gun and demanded money in broken English. The three boys emptied their pockets. The man took their money and fled. He didn't hurt them at all, but I am in shock. They were standing where I catch my bus every morning. I know it's unsafe to walk the streets at night, which is why I take a cab if I have to go anywhere past dark, but this is literally too close to home.
Amy, Natalie and I might check out El Cuartel tonight. Hillary recommended it to me, and a friend of Amy's invited us to go. Rumor has it that there are cool live bands and a fun atmosphere. We'll see!
Looking forward to getting my Harry Potter fix this week. I can't wait!
Pura Vida,
Lauren
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