So it seems last night was my time to experience guns outside of the favela. After a lovely meal and drinks out with a friend who offered to treat me and Bea (a friend from the favela) the night came to a disastrous end.
We left my friend to go to the bus stop, the irony being that we were telling him the Portuguese for "help" in case he got attacked. A few more yards down the road, literally 2 mins from the bus stop where we needed to be, three people approached us. I was a bit distracted at first as one minute beforehand a bus had driven past through a puddle and pretty much soaked me to the bone but as I looked at these people that had stopped us, I soon realized one was holding a gun.
There were two men and one woman and one of the men held the gun pointing at us and they told us to hand over our money, then they asked for our mobiles. I´m glad to say that all I had was the equivalent of about 5 pounds - enough to get me and Bea home and I never take my expensive mobile out for the exact reason of what happened last night. Unfortunately, Bea had had her pockets searched by the woman as she wasn´t carrying a bag and they took her new mobile.
When I told people today I had been robbed at gun point people were shocked, horrified and telling me to come home. But, in all honesty I am so used to seeing guns these days that that didn´t really shock or scare me.
Obviously being robbed is frustrating for anyone but what absolutely filled me with rage was the fact that they had taken from Bea who doesn´t have the money to replace things like a new mobile phone. Bea is 19 and a very special person to me. She´s not really sure what to do with her life and I am constantly trying to show her that there is more to life than Parada de lucas favela. I was so pleased she was up for going for dinner and I hated them for spoiling our evening, for taking from someone who doesn´t have a lot and potentially changing her mind about coming to the city in the future. My other main concern aside from her losing material possessions was what her mum´s reaction to all of this was going to be. We were already late and I knew that if her mum knew we were robbed she wouldn´t let Bea into the city for a long time.
We ran to the police post (located on the same road about 2 mins further up) in the hope that if we were quick they would be able to catch them and we could get our stuff back´, but no one was there. A girl who we had warned in the street not to walk on her own came with us and she phoned the number given. The police were not prepared to come to us and told us to go to the actual police station. As this involved going back down the road where we had just been mugged and potentially bumping into the same people we thought it wasn´t worth the hassle. That, and the fact that our bus was there and we didn´t want to be any later. Luckily they bus driver let us on for free as neither of us had money to get home at this point.
I was so so angry last night. Sometimes I feel like I over think things here and worry too much but if anything, last night I was too care free and I learnt that you can´t let your guard down here. I always carry extra money outside of my purse so I can get home if I am robbed and last night I didn´t. But hey ho, you learn from your mistakes and I know for the future about the area and about deserted Sundays in the city. And if there is one thing that was also confirmed last night it is that the police in this country really are useless!
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