We've been robbed
2004-08-13, 4:19 p.m.

Unfortunately, I've got bad news today. My roommate and I were robbed sometime yesterday while we were away from the house. Even though we keep all of our windows and doors locked, the burglars manage to break in the one window that didn't have bars.

They took all of my valuables including my new laptop, pearl necklace, pearl earrings, the rest of my jewelry and even the battery charger for my digital camera. They also took the owners manuals for the laptop along with the original receipt. We think that they must have been interrupted when they went through my roomate's stuff because they didn't take any of her tiffany&co. silver jewelry or her travelers's checks but they did make off with her pearl necklace, college ring, her brand new MP3 player and some souvenirs from Hong Kong.

Fortunately, I had my digital camera and the owners manual at school, so I'm still in the picture taking business. It's hard to be optimistic in this situation but I'm trying hard. My roomate and I are fortunate that they only took things and we weren't physically harmed. I know that I can eventually replace my computer.

I'm still in shock today and exhausted. The police came over last night and took a full report. We went to a friend's house to sleep because our apartment wasn't secure. We got to bed after midnight and woke up at 5:30 this morning.

The police chastised the landlord for not having bars on the window in the first place. Everyone in Korea knows that first floor apartments have to be well protected. Some of our students have already suggested that we seek some compensation from the him. I'm too tired to think about doing much of anything today but I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on what happens.

I don't know what's worse: having everything of value stolen, or knowing that someone has been watching our apartment and planning to rob us for days if not weeks. I lived in Colorado for 28 years and the only person who ever took anything from me was my ex-husband. I've lived in Seoul for six months and now a complete stranger has taken everything I had of value. I can't believe it.

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