Thinking about the logistics of replacing everything had me in a panic. Life is complicated enough here without having to figure out communication channels and reapplication processes for all of those things! I was just so mad at myself and my negligence in having placed my wallet half-shoved in Theo's stroller pouch.
After having double checked my apartment lobby and Julien's school (including going to his classroom and looking in his bag), I knew it had to have fallen out en route.
Still in possession of my phone (thank goodness) I typed in a few key Google translate phrases "I lost my wallet. It is black. If someone finds it please call me," and started retracing my morning walk from Ryley's bus stop to Julien's school. I let my phone tell my sad predicament to my beetle nut selling friend, to the OK Mart cashier, and then to the lady at the corner car rental shop. It was here that I was given the full help-unfortunate-foreigner treatment.
The lady didn't speak any English but her adult son did, so after she was already on the phone doing her best to solve my problems, he informed me that she was calling the police and that they would be there soon. "Nooooo!," I thought. I didn't need that! My efforts to express my concern about not needing the police involved only led to his reassurance that they would be there in no more than 10 minutes--because "they are very fast to come in Taiwan." He also reassured me that in Taiwan people are very happy to help. So true, so true. But at this point I just wanted to get home and go look up my account cancelation numbers. Too much help was actually a hinderance at this point. And what more could the police do anyway? My address was on my resident card should anyone be inclined to turn it in.
After the police has been summoned, and knowing that I was concerned about putting a block on my accounts, car-rental lady called my Taiwan bank to let them know. Again very kind, but not having my passport # memorized, that effort quickly met a dead end. I tried to call Ben for our US card #'s, he wasn't reachable. I used my new google voice app to call my parents at home but our conversation kept getting cut off and they only got enough info to be concerned but unable to help.
Still waiting for the police, car-rental lady wanted to take me down the street to tell ALL the shop owners about the wallet. Could this get any more embarrassing?! I mutely followed her as everyone came out to discuss the problem. Whenever someone tried to direct a question to me it was quickly established that that was a fruitless effort and they would continue talking among themselves. I would nod when I heard the word "black," but that was about it.
Soon someone indicated that the policeman was headed our way. I understood the question directed to him asking if he spoke any English. He answered in the negative. At this point son of car-rental lady was no longer with us; he had had to go to work. So we were all on our own: a group of shop owners, the police, Theo and I, and my iphone.
Luckily it had just turned 10 o'clock and my yoga friend who comes on Monday mornings made her usual call to let me know she was down in our garage and ready for me to come unlock the door. Her incoming call seemed like a life-line: since she speaks some Chinese I asked her (without much ceremony or explanation of my current predicament) if she could inform the police officer that my wallet had my resident card in it so whoever found it would know where to turn it in and that I just needed to get home to take care of my card cancelations. Lauren did her best (bless her heart), but upon conclusion of the phone call, the police still was indicating--with a couple of English words--that I needed to come down to the police station. Arggg. This was just getting worse!I looked in my phone contacts and realized I didn't have the # for my tutor who is so good at solving all my problems, but I did have the phone number for our relocation contact person up in Taipei. Good fortune was with me and I got a hold of her, explained my need to communicate with the police officer, and then handed off the phone. In the middle of their conversation there was some commotion half way up the street with some enthusiastic hand motioning. Someone had turned in the wallet!
The crowd of shopkeepers escorted me up there and we all celebrated the find. Policeman left. I was instructed to wear my wallet on my person and not in the stroller--which I agreed was "bu hao" [not good] and immediately demonstrated my compliance--and only then did I realize that Theo had been kept happy by some gifts of a water bottle (now half dumped down his shirt) and some dried fruits with large pits (which were quickly confiscated).
More smiles, gratitude nods, and thank you's and I was finally on my way. None of the cards were missing, but the cash was gone. Finders fee, I suppose. I still called to put blocks on my cards just in case. Several lessons learned. One of which being that I need to make sure and contact my fretting parents sooner than later to let them know all was well. My poor mother had to take Maalox after that whole ordeal!
Wow, super impressed somebody turned that back in!
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