Theft

Well, I have been in China for nearly a month and tonight my wallet was finally stolen. Pickpocketing here is the national past time as I was inducted into the hall of shame. I was riding the bus back from the city center at 6pm, rush hour. Sadly enough I had just gone into the McDonalds to get myself a shake and some fries (the food is still getting to me) and return back in enough time for English corner. (English Corner, I should mention, is the moment where the students gather together to speak English) I was invited to speak tonight as an introduction and answer some questions about the United States.
I was running a little late and in my haste was not even thinking about the possibility of getting my wallet jacked. The people here are so very kind and I took for granted the geniune curosity of these people. Normally when the bus is packed, we just wait for another bus to come along, but since this was the first time that I have travelled in the city by myself, I decided to board the crowded bus.
As the perp got off of the bus, I felt a nudge in my side, but not enough to take notice. He bumped hard enough to pull my headphones out of my ipod, which made me take notice, but he was off and running and I didnt even have a chance to get off of the bus before the door close and the driver moved on. I checked my pockets and I knew right away that my wallet and Id were gone, but not my passport. I do not take that with me anywhere when I am just in the city because you do not need it. My Drivers License, WSU and Buffalo ID, gone. Credit Cards, gone. Kenneth Cole Wallet, gone. All gone. 300 RMB, gone (at most) I am not sure exactly how much money was in there, but it is about the exact amount that Matthew Brewster still owes me--which doesnt really matter now as my paypal credit card is also no good anymore.
I did, however, manage to keep a copy of my drivers license.
Hopefully I will not have to spend too much time on the phone with the various banks to try to see if I will have access to my funds or not, but it is hard to say. The uni has agreed to loan me some money so that I may still go to Shanghai for the break, which is a very kind jesture. I have already booked the train ticket, so I was concerned about that probably more than anything else. The rest of it is just a lesson that I should probably have learned some time ago.
Afterall, this is China. Expect to have your wallet and mobile phone stolen at least once. All the same, I think I will start to use the safety pouch from now on. :)