#Again I'm not tagging anyone I do not believe in chain memes

[laurentrvls]

My First Disaster

It was 2013, the year before I was talking to this guy who ended being the human embodiment of trash — putting it as kindly as possible. My friends at the time were in their final years of college and looking for postgrad institutes. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do anymore and had dropped out of college to figure it all out. I was working two jobs since I wasn't doing anything else, might as well make that bag! While in my self- discovering- longer- than -usual -gap- year I started running. I would run 5k's, 10k's, found local hiking groups. I was vegetarian since 2008 and started watching Vegan youtubers. I had a different Tumblr account at the time and I connected with a few people that were Vegan, Runners, and overall pleasant people. I started connecting with people all over the country comparing Farmer's Markets and asking for recipe advice sprinkled with vegan memes.

One of the people I connected with was a person from Los Angeles, California. A place I've always wanted to go to. After months of messaging back and forth the idea to visit came up in conversation. We had a lot in common and the vegan scene in LA was a decade ahead of the east coast at this point. So we decided to meet up.

(HOLD UP: PAUSE: I truly think that I am AMAZINGLY LUCKY to be here today. Meeting a stranger online was easily the dumbest thing I have done in my life (and I hopped on a random bus in Mexico not speaking any Spanish so I know dumb — yes I'll post about that incident as well) I AM NOT recommending anyone fly across the country to meet someone online, ever. Back in 2013 I believe I did everything I could to make sure I would be safe as a 21 year old women. We talked for months, Video chatted frequently, we sent each other pictures of our ID's I actually called the University they claimed to go to posing as an employer to confirm they were a student there. I selected a hotel and place to meet that was public and not far from a police station, Etc. Even with all this I still think it was a really dumb thing for me to do looking back on the situation now. Again, I am very lucky that the person I was meeting was not crazy and still call them a friend today. Please read my blog entries as entertainment and NOT an instruction manual)

So, we met up in November, I arrived at LAX and got off the plane. We met up and they offered to drive me to my hotel in downtown LA. When I got out of the car I checked that I had everything.

"I can't find my wallet"

"It's got to be here somewhere"

We spent the next 10 minutes ripping apart this car with no luck.

"Wanna go back to the airport?"

*feeling like the biggest burden on the planet*

"Nah I'll just explain what happened"

"You're oddly calm about this"

I go inside realizing the only thing that even has my name on it is my luggage tag. I go to the reception desk and explain my life story to this poor guy who can see that I'm trying to stay calm and says "I'm sorry that happened, I just need a credit card to have on file in case of incidentals."

I call my mom and tell her the situation. Geeze can you imagine your child is across the country and has no money, no ID and calls you freaking out that she's going to be forced to sleep outside in downtown Los Angeles. I call her also not realizing that she's three hours ahead of me and trying to close the store since she is a manager. I tell her she needs to fax a credit card to the nice hotel man and I can go to my room. She then let's me know she's A. trying to close a store and send associates home. B. doesn't know any place open that could fax something. C. Now has to figure out how she's going to send me my passport (For ID) and money overnight to California. The Receptionist takes the phone and said since we were members of the hotel chain he would get approval to just take her card over the phone.

I was fortunate that my mom was able to overnight my passport and a $300 Visa Gift card to my hotel so that three days into my trip I could do things that weren't free. With my laptop I was able to look up free things to do in LA like go to the public library which is was more elaborate than my local library. I randomly found a handful of quarters in one of the suitcase pockets and purchased those dry as heck granola bars (I think it had honey in it but I was desperate) My friend would visit and pay for lunch/ dinner all while attending school. Obviously when I got some money I treated a few times and ended up giving the remainder to my friend when I was dropped off at the airport. I went home and now had to replace all my cards, my ID, I had over $600 in cash, gift cards, even my SSN card and a blank check because I got direct deposit a few weeks before my trip!

So I get all new cards, curse the heavens that I lost the money. As soon as I get home I call my best friend and we meet the next weekend to plan our trip to LA together during his spring break in March.

Months go by, life's pretty much back to normal. My friend and I are planning our trip to California together when my mom texts me "Postcard on fridge for wallet". I was so confused. I was at work, I call "What about the wallet??" She responds "I dont know you got a postcard that says to call about your wallet". Funny thing was I didn't know if I should be excited, I already replaced everything, No way my money could be in the wallet. I thought, most likely they are just letting me know that they did their investigation and couldn't find anything after so many months of looking. I get home late at night no further details on the postcard that came from Texas.

The next morning I call. They confirmed they had a wallet that matched the description. They wanted me to list everything I could remember being in the wallet. I did not mention the money at first since I knew with all my heart that it was gone. I listed Gift cards I remember having, told her about the blank check and SSN card, "okay yes and what else" I listed all my credit cards, school ID, fortune cookie fortunes I had saved, "did you have any currency?" No. Way. "yeah I assumed it's no longer in there", "There is cash in the wallet, do you remember how much it was?" My mind went fuzzy, 'what is money?' 'did the planet start spinning faster?' I contemplated before saying "$658?". She confirmed that I was close enough to know it was in fact my wallet and asked for my address. I proceeded to tell my friend from California, my friends and family and no one could believe it. Probably should of gotten a lottery ticket that day.

I do still considered myself cursed even though the wallet was returned to me 120 days after losing it. When people start prying into my travel history they are bound to ask "what's the craziest thing to have happened to you while traveling?" Until very recently I would always tell them this story.

[kantobromance-blog]

*Godzilla roar* I got tagged again heiaorhewoai If this wasn't new questions I wouldn't even address it, but since this meme is new questions every time, I feel compelled to XD;; And also I would like to change my answer for one of the previous ones: Dream car.

This one. I saw it today on the road and took this picture; I have never heard of a Tesla. I want it... Sam's questions follow