Wed was my last day at work. I had half a lovely little blog post written out for this day that went something along the lines of "It was a quiet wind down to my wonderful time working at KIDCRU". Unfortunately, that post, my trip pictures and all hopes of a quiet wind down vanish when my laptop was stolen.
Most unfortunately, my security lapsed with my laptop, having gotten so used to the unit and having someone in the office where I keep my stuff 90% of the time. It was a hectic hour, as our two patients for the day rolled in at the same time and we were working out kinks with our new questionnaires. When I returned to the room, the case was sitting on the desk, but no laptop hidden beneath it. 30 minutes of frantic searching later, there was no explanation other than I was robbed. Others in the unit had noticed a man roaming the corridors, but when asked he said he was working in the hallway (the halls are under construction). He must have been scoping the doors and waiting for a second when no one was around. That day, there was at most a 10 minute gap where nobody was in the room. There were purses and bags lying all around the room, untouched, so clearly this guy was only after one thing.
Security was called, and then I began the procedure of filing a police report. I had been told there was a police desk at Lower Ground level in the hospital, so off I went, walking through the laundry bay and some awkward passageways to try and find the office. After getting turned around a bit, I found some security guards and asked them where to go. They directed me up two floors to Level 1, so up I went. At Level 1, I rambled through the units until I found a reception desk at Trauma. The nurse directed back down to Lower Level, promising the office was right under where her office was. And back down I went. I finally found the tiny office, which had no sign in English, but was promptly told that the office only dealt with people who were arriving injured and needed to make a police statement. I was given a number to call, and back up to Level 8 I went. I called the cops and an hour later a policewoman strode through the unit with a policeman tripping along behind her. The man turned out to be quite clumsy and tripped over his own feet twice, then tripped over the chair when attempting to sit down to get my statement. While looking at my passport to gain my identification details, he looked up and asked "What is your nationality". The policewoman and I just stared and him and then began laughing, and she pointed out the large font at the bottom of the passport stating "CANADA". All that said and done, the police report was filed and I went home.
Although sad that my laptop and all my pictures from this trip are gone, I am quite thankful he did not take my wallet or passport. The staff at KID CRU was so wonderful to me on that last day. I was so sad to part on those terms, but it showed me just how many people I had connected with while I was there.
I went for a long run up and around Lions Head with Lola when I got home to clear my head and begin the photo project of mapping my runs. I may not be able to post it until I return home, but I'm taking more pictures and carrying on with my trip. I'm glad I have the few photos I've posted on this blog. I got lost in my head (not directionally) on my run and a quick glance at my ipod told me my ride to dinner was picking me up in 20 minutes. I scooted down the mountain as fast as I could, scratching my legs along the way, with Lola bounding ahead of me. Upon arriving home, I realized I had looked at the clock on my ipod upside down and that I actually would have time to shower.
For dinner, two co-workers and their partners and I went out for amazing Indian food. We ordered dishes for the table to share and they were absolutely excellent. I enjoyed my night so much and I was sad to say goodbye to these wonderful people.
At the end of the night, I plopped into bed exhausted.
I have some great plans for the rest of the week, so I hope the weather holds up. Thursday I am supposed to go to Robben Island; however, the PDF of my ticket was on my laptop, so I'm not sure what will happen there (the ferry is usually sold out). Lets hope for some good luck and better weather!
(Sorry no pictures in this post....I think it's self-explanatory why there are none.)
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